Research Paper

Aja Washington

California State University of Dominguez Hills

LBS 303

Dr. Macias

November 24, 2017

 Abstract

Poverty is something that individuals experience all over the world. Unfortunately, poverty

isn’t just detrimental to adults, but children are negatively affected by it as well. Impoverished

children tend to have the lowest test scores, especially young children in grades pre kindergarten

through fifth grade. In this research paper we will explore the many reasons why young low

income children are receiving low test scores. Also, how poverty is affecting them academically

that causes low test scores.

 Many factors influence poverty-stricken individuals in ways more than we may

recognize, especially children. Poverty is when an individual lacks the important resources they

need like money, food, clothes, or a home. Experiencing poverty isn’t just a hardship for adults

it effects children just as frequent especially when it comes to their education. I will explore how

young children in grades pre kindergarten through fifth grade who are impoverished will show

lower test scores than students who aren’t experiencing poverty. Some may argue that test scores

do not negatively impact impoverished students; however, my research will conclude otherwise.

The main causes of young children having low test scores are lack of nutrition, absentee,

latchkey child, and homelessness. This topic is significant because it can help teachers develop

new strategies that are aimed at the effects of poverty on test scores among young children.

Nutrition is very important for everyone. Eating food everyday provides the body with

nutrients and energy. Breakfast has been described as the most important meal of the day,

contributing substantially to daily nutrient intake and energy needs (Mahoney et al.,2005). Eating

breakfast every day is extremely significant because it gives your body energy and it refuels your

body. Although breakfast has positive attributes, many students go to school without breakfast

(Mahoney et al.,2005). Unfortunately, a lot of children in living in poverty don’t get a chance to

eat breakfast because lack of money. Sometimes their parents don’t have money to provide food

for their children.

Disregarding breakfast could have a negative impact on students academically. Research

suggest that skipping breakfast detrimentally effects problem solving, short term memory,

attention and episodic memory, in children (Mahoney et al,2005). When students come to school

hungry it prevents them from learning or wanting to learn. The importance of breakfast for

academic achievement is reflected in the effects of breakfast on cognitive performance

(Mahoney et al., 2005). Not consuming breakfast has a huge impact on children because they

can’t concentrate, they are unfocused, and irritable. Sadly, school is their last concern. This

eventually leads to students having academic troubles. Then when it’s time to take a test,

students will score low because they have not learned much.

Absentee is when a student is not present in school. A lot of impoverished students don’t go

to school everyday for a few reasons. Absenteeism is related to familial circumstances for

example low income and disadvantages (Zhang,2003). Students that are absent frequently

experience low income. A lot of their parents don’t have cars, money for transportation, and

sometimes don’t have time to take the students to school. After time this will ultimately become

a disadvantage for them because they aren’t present to learn.

Absentee will eventually hinder students from succeeding and will lead to low test scores.

School absenteeism is strongly associated with child poverty, with pupils at primary school being

much more affected by an area’s economic and employment deprivation than their counterparts

at secondary school (Zhang,2003). Children who experience poverty from the ages four through

eleven are affected more when they are absent from school compared to older children. Another

reason why younger children are affected more because pupils at primary schools mostly rely on

their parents to get them to school and this affects their attendance. A young child can’t take

themselves to school or isn’t the appropriate age to be transporting themselves to school. If

students aren’t attending class they are not capable of learning. Not being present in class will

eventually conclude in students not performing well on test.

A latchkey is a child that is home alone often. Latchkey children refers to ‘self care’

children or those who look after themselves while parents work and are regularly left unattended

after school hours (Venter &Rambau, 2011). Children usually become latchkey because their
parents are usually working to provide for the family. However, being a latchkey child could

affect a primary school child academically.

Primary school children who are in need of quality support and attention of parents. Self-

care can result in negative outcome like academic failure (Venter & Rambau, 2011). Young

children need their parents for support and reinforcement. If the child’s parent is not around to

help students with homework or supporting them academically. This can result in low test scores

because students don’t have their parent’s help to monitor their school work or give them the

support they need to be successful in school.

Homelessness is when a person losses their home. A lot of impoverished children are

homeless because their parents can’t afford rent and this can have a negative impact on their

lives. Major disruptions to the home environment inevitably take their toll on normal family life,

including the education of children…For homeless children, the loss of their home is more

sudden, more unexpected and more traumatic (Rafferty, 1998). When a child experience

homelessness it effects them tremendously and tends to have a bad influence on their education.

Homelessness eventually results to academic failure. Homeless children score lower than

their housed peers on achievement tests and are less likely to be promoted at the end of the

school year (Rafferty, 1998). Children that are homeless tend to have lower test scores compared

to their non homeless peers. This is because homeless children might live at a shelter and can’t

concentrate on homework because its too loud. In some cases, the child may be deprived of sleep

and a lack of food. When the child is experiencing issues like homelessness, it can effect their

academics because that isn’t a priority, surviving is. This eventually leads to them doing poorly

on exams.
 Poverty isn’t just a hardship for adults, it affects children just as much. Children not

obtaining the basic necessities or resources they need to get through life doesn’t just affect them

mentally or physically, but academically as well. This research proves that the reason students

experiencing poverty from grades pre kindergarten through fifth grade have low test scores are

due to nutrition, homelessness, latch key child, and absentee. The importance of this topic is to

help bring awareness to educators and administrators of this unfortunate issue in education. If

educators become conscious of children experiencing problem, they can come up with strategies

to help them. Teachers can’t change students living situations, but they could bring in snacks,

build positive relationships, promote parent involvement, and even offer tutoring once a week.

Hopefully, using these strategies can help students learn more in class and test scores can

eventually rise.
 References

Mahoney, C.R., Taylor, H.A., Kanarek, R.B., & Samuel, P (2005) Effect of breakfast

composition on cognitive processes in elementary school children. Physiology& behavior, 85,

633-645.

Zhang,M. (2003) Links Between School Absenteeism and Child Poverty, Pastoral Care in

Education, 21:1, 10-17

Venter,E & Rambau,E (2011) The effect of latchkey situation on a child’s educational success.

South African Journal of Education, 31(3),

Rafferty, Y. (1998) Meeting the Educational Needs of Homeless Children. Educational

Leadership, 48-52