Behavior Problems of Inner-City School Children

The lack of Prosocial behavior in Inner-City children and reasons

Prosocial Behavior

• Is an important skill needed for academic success

• Many Inner-City Children lack prosocial behavior

• Survival Skills are learned instead of prosocial behavior

• Prosocial behaviors are actions or behaviors that benefit others not just one’s own

Reasons for Antisocial Behavior

How Antisocial Behavior starts

• Children raise themselves and have to learn to survive

• Little playful interaction with family members• Therefore less experience and chances to

build vocabulary and phonological skills• This leads to academic problems already in

preschool

More Reasons

• Watching verbal arguments and physical fight are normal part of growing up

• Learning to defend oneself becomes more important

• No positive problem solving skills developed• Survival instincts and antisocial behavior

normal in the environment that they grow up in

Parents and School Involvement

Parents and School Involvement

• Decreased school involvement of parents of inner-city children leads to low academic performance

• “These findings suggest that higher levels of contact between home and school may represent a positive, countervailing influence for a population of children at increased risk for school difficulties due to socioeconomic factors” (Marcon, 1999).

Socioeconomic Factors

• Economic stress influences parenting styles• Usually less capable of consistent positive

supportive parenting• More stressed and tense and no time for play

Research to be done regarding the problem

• What prevention methods work for which problems?

• How to help parents with economic problems to free time to spend with children

• How to educate parents on working with children on vocabulary and phonological skills

• How to involve inner-city parents with schools

Summary

• More specific research is needed on how inner-city children can achieve academic success

• Antisocial behavior needs to be turned into prosocial behavior

• Parent involvement is vital part of academic success

• Research needs to be geared specifically towards inner-city children and the particular problems they face each day

ReferencesBrantley, L., S. et al. (1996). Transforming acting-out behavior: A group counseling

program for inner-city elementary school pupils. Elementary School Guidanceand Counseling, 31, 96-105. Retrieved November 05, 2009 from the EbscoHost Database.

Hughes, M. (1998). Turning points in the lives of young inner-city men foregoingdestructive criminal behaviors: A qualitative study. Social Work Research,22,143-151. Retrieved November 05, 2009 from the EbscoHost Database.

Marcon, R., A. (1999). Positive relationships between parent school involvement and public school inner-city preschoolers' development and academic performance.School Psychology Review, 28, 395-412. Retrieved November 05, 2009 from the EbscoHost Database.

Wall, J., E. & Holden, E., W. (1994). Aggressive, assertive, and submissive behaviors in disadvantaged, inner-city preschool children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 382-390. Retrieved November 05, 2009 from the EbscoHost Database.