The contribution of family environment to variation in achievement scores of children was found to be relatively small compared to the contribution of social status. Parental aspirations and their educational orientations assessed by home interviews and the implications of this study for previous environmental research are discussed. (Author/CM)

A study of 315 English and 745 Australian elementary school students investigated their conceptions of technology. Found that though they shared a similar range of concepts explaining technology, the frequency of concepts varied. Results suggest that rates of concept formation differ because of interrelated factors: home and school influence,…

A study of the utility of occupational situs categories in educational research that investigated relationships between occupational status, family learning environments, and children's academic achievement revealed that the type of family learning environment is related to parents' occupational status and to the meaning that persons attach to…

This study examined similarities and differences among children who regularly use computers at home, including difference in their families and communities. The following characteristics were identified as key factors that might be associated with differences: gender, age, parental computing experiences, number of computers in the home,…

Path analytic techniques examined relations between children's subjective school outcomes and measures of their family and school learning environments. A home interview assessed parents' orientations to education and children's perceptions of schools were obtained. Children's perceptions have links with school-related outcomes even when family…

The project described in this paper, called Talking to Literacy Learners or TTALL, was designed to improve the quality of parent child interaction involving reading and writing, to promote gains in literacy standards, and to engender a more positive attitude toward schooling. Designed for an urban community in New South Wales where adult and youth…

A model of family learning environment was constructed to study the relationship between family environments and school achievement. Data were collected from Australian families with 11-year-old children attending urban elementary schools. A semi-structured family interview inventory was used to assess dimensions of the environment model. (DWH)

This study examined how children, drawn from K-6 grades in 3 primary schools in southwest Sydney, use computers in their homes and the physical and social environments within which they use them. Key issues explored were diversity of access, range of uses, and factors which influence use, including gender, age, and parental and sibling role…

The overall aim of the study "Children's Use of Electronic Technologies in the Home" was to examine the access to and use of electronic technologies in the homes of primary-school-aged children. The impact of electronic technologies on the children's lives, particularly with reference to their schooling was also discussed. This stage of…