Investigating positive reading trajectories among children who experienced out-of-home care
Files
(Published version)
Date
2024
Authors
Maclean, M.
Lima, F.
O'Donnell, M.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Children and Youth Services Review, 2024; 163(107728):1-12
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
Background: Children who experience out-of-home care (OOHC) often have low academic achievement which subsequently negatively affects their adult life outcomes, yet a smaller proportion succeed in spite of adversity. Scant research has examined the trajectories of children who achieve well in school and factors associated with positive educational outcomes.
Objectives: (1) Describe the reading trajectories from Year 3 to Year 7 of school of children who experienced OOHC, with a focus on higher achievement and improving trajectories. (2) Identify child, carer and placement characteristics plus supports and services associated with positive reading trajectories among children who have experienced OOHC.
Participants and setting: The study included 325 children from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) in New South Wales, Australia.
Methods: The POCLS is a prospective cohort study including linked survey data and administrative child protection and education data. Group based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify and describe common trajectories of reading achievement. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with different reading trajectories.
Results: GBTM revealed three reading trajectories among non-Aboriginal children, and two among Aboriginal children. A high achieving group (12% of non-Aboriginal children) were the only trajectory group to maintain their level of achievement across the study. Improving achievement was rare, while falling behind over time was common across achievement levels.
Conclusions: Results point to the need for early intervention supporting school readiness and catch-up growth, with ongoing interventions for children who experience OOHC to prevent declining student outcomes across achievement levels and extend talented students.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Data source: Supplementary material, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107728
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)