Queensland’s future: parenting the youth of today
Conference Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Policy change to enhance academic and psychosocial outcomes for Queensland’s children and adolescents, the source of the State’s future human capital, is imperative. This proposal stems from the findings of an empirical Queensland study that compared typical, resilient and students at risk. A sample of 1,100 Indigenous and non-Indigenous secondary students reported on their school perceptions, parenting, coping strategies, and academic goals. Their responses were modelled using structural equation modelling techniques. These techniques have the advantage of being able to take into account mediation pathways between variables as well as direct links to outcome variables and thus can account for the influences of a number of factors upon an outcome simultaneously, showing the most significant effects. Results not only showed the strong links between parenting behaviours and higher academic achievement, but also highlighted that authoritative parenting acted as a protective factor against disadvantaged socioeconomic variables and behavioural problems. Warm and involved parenting coupled with high levels of monitoring promoted resilience in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous samples. Science programs in Queensland currently only target the biological aspects of reproduction. But in addition to facts about conception, future parents urgently need an understanding of child development and the effects of nurturing parenting upon social adjustment, coping and academic achievement. Conversely, they need to know how detrimental neglect can be to a child. Policy governing the science curriculum needs to change so that all adolescents are exposed to this knowledge before they become parents. Moreover, antenatal classes should be coupled with parenting classes.
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Publication Name
Eidos Emerge 2007
Volume
1
ISBN/ISSN
1837-1833
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Pages Count
7
Location
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Publisher
Eidos
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Publisher Location
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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