Disentangling the role of income in the academic achievement of migrant children

Publication date: Available online 31 August 2019Source: Social Science ResearchAuthor(s): Monique Gagné, Magdalena Janus, Nazeem Muhajarine, Anne Gadermann, Eric Duku, Constance Milbrath, Anita Minh, Barry Forer, Carly Magee, Martin GuhnAbstractPoverty has a well-established association with poor developmental outcomes in children but is often found to be a weak predictor of outcomes for migrant children. Building on theory focused on the developmental competencies of minority children, the current study used a systematic and novel analytic approach to disentangle the relationship between income and developmental outcomes for different groups of migrant children. Utilizing a population-based cohort of children across British Columbia, Canada (N = 23,154), the study examined whether income differently predicted the kindergarten to Grade 7 (K-7) literacy and numeracy trajectories of migrant children (economic, family, and refugee groups), in comparison to non-migrants. By applying Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM), the study found that lower income was generally associated with lower K-7 literacy and numeracy achievement trajectories. The relationship between income and achievement did not differ for migrant children in comparison to non-migrant children, with the exception of one sub-group of high-achieving economic class migrant children, which appeared to be less impacted by low income levels. Follow-up binomial logistic regression analysis found that parental edu...
Source: Social Science Research - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research