Nonconventional Family Life-Styles and School Achievement: A 12-Year Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The life-styles of countercultural, nonconventional families have potential risks as well as benefits for children’s school achievement. The effects on children’s school achievement of nonconventional family organization, parents’ values and commitment to their family life-style, and family stability were examined in a 12-year longitudinal study of 146 nonconventional families and a comparison group of 43 stable, two-parent conventional families. In spite of considerable instability and other potential risk conditions in nonconventional families’ lives (single parent or unmarried couple status, frequent change, stigma, low incomes, and others), most of their children do as well or better in school than a comparison group of conventional families. These effects were still present after adjusting for child WISC-R, gender, and family SES. Those children doing best in school come from families who have a stronger commitment to their nonconventional family life-style while those doing less well have families with a lower commitment. Children in single parent families had grades similar to those of children in two-parent families. Family stability—regardless of the form of the family (single parent or couple)— also was associated with higher grades. Strong commitment to meaningful values regarding the importance of one’s family life-style can protect children against some of the risks that were a part of many countercultural family’s lives.