Susan R. Sy’s research while affiliated with California State University, Fullerton and other places

This study focuses on the associations between family variables and academic and social school readiness in low-income Black children. Analyses drew from the National Institute for Child Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development dataset. The participants included 122 children and their mothers. Data collection occurred when the children were 1, 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months old. Findings indicated that maternal sensitivity and the quality of the home environment predicted cognitive and language outcomes, whereas maternal depression and social support predicted social-behavioural outcomes. In addition, the impact of family resources on cognitive and language outcomes was fully mediated by parenting behaviours and the impact of social support on behaviour problems was fully mediated through maternal depression. Implications for family intervention are discussed.

Objective. In a longitudinal study, researchers examined the transactional relations between two types of parental home involvement, academic instruction and academic socialization, and children's reading achievement from early childhood through adolescence. Academic instruction involves one-on-one interactions between parent and child that target the development of specific academic skills, and academic socialization involves parents' promotion of academic values, beliefs, and expectations. Design. The sample was based on an ongoing long-term longitudinal study, and included 122 children (approximately equal in gender) and their families. This study included data collected from ages 3 to 17 years, employing a variety of direct and indirect assessments Results. Findings showed that the two types of parental home involvement are distinct, related, and highly stable from early childhood through adolescence, and both types of parental home involvement show transactional relations with children's reading achievement over time. Conclusion. This study contributes to the literature by elucidating the stability of parental academic instruction and socialization, as well as their transactional relations with children's achievement within a single integrated model from early childhood through adolescence.

This study compares first-generation and continuing-generation female college students in terms of: (a) level of parents' emotional and informational support; (b) level of students' stress; and (c) the relationship between both types of parent support and students' stress during the transition to college. We collected survey data from an ethnically diverse sample of 339 young women about to enter college. Results indicate first-generation students perceive less emotional and informational parent support than do continuing-generation students. First-generation students who perceive higher levels of parent emotional support have less stress than those who do not. However, neither type of parent support significantly predicted stress levels for continuing- generation students.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of mentorship programs on African American college student's mental health and various academic outcomes. This study utilizes quantitative and qualitative analyses to gain an in-depth perspective of student's experiences in and deterrents to mentorship programs. Participants included 183 Afričan American college students (36 in mentorship programs, 147 not in mentorship programs) enrolled at a large state university in Southern California. Results suggest mentorship and non-mentor ship students did not differ in their experiences with common student life events, social support, and well-being. Surprisingly, mentorship students had lower GPA'S than non-mentorship students. Though mentorship students reported lower CPA results of qualitative data elucidated five key areas in which African American students reported receiving assistance. Based on participant's experiences we have provided recommendations for the improvement of university mentoring programs.

The purpose of this study was to examine different types of family responsibilities among Latina college students and how these responsibilities affect their college experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 first- and second-generation Latina women, aged 18 to 29. Results point to three key emergent themes regarding the role of family responsibility, which are discussed in the context of Latina students' college adjustment and retention.

In this study, we hypothesized that (1) Latina and Asian American undergraduate women would report more frequently fulfilling family obligations than would European Americans, and (2) fulfillment of family obligations would predict students’ residential and working plans for their first semester of college. Results of an online survey completed by 296 American first-year students showed that Latinas more frequently fulfilled family obligations than did Asian Americans and European Americans, although fulfilling family obligations did not influence Latinas’ residential or working plans. European American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations were more likely to plan to live at home, and Asian American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations planned to work fewer hours during their first semester at college.

This study examines the predictors of parent involvement in 537 Asian American and 12,630 European American parents. Data came from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), an ongoing study of kindergarten children as they make the transition into and through formal schooling. We used Structural Equation Models (SEM) to examine (1) the influence of parents' beliefs, expectations, and educational attainment on multiple aspects of parent involvement, and (2) the relationship among multiple aspects of parent involvement across contexts in families of kindergarten children. Results indicated that although Asian American and European American parents may become involved in different ways, the predictors of and relations among different types of parent involvement across contexts are similar.

This study investigates the effect of family obligations and part-time work on Latina adolescents' stress and academic achievement during the transition to college. One hundred seventeen Latina college students from immigrant families completed surveys assessing the mother-daughter relationship, family obligations, work-school conflict, school and work-related stress, and academic achievement. Path analyses revealed a complex set of relations among family, work, and school variables. Latina students who spent more time with family experienced lower school stress and higher academic achievement. However, those who more frequently engaged in language brokering (i.e., translating for parents) experienced higher school stress. In addition, students experiencing higher levels of work-school conflict had increased stress levels in work and school, as well as lower academic achievement. This study has important implications for educators and community-based organizations wishing to promote Latina adolescents' pursuit of higher education.

Asian American parents' involvement practices challenge the traditional definition of parent involvement (participation in school activities). In this pa - per, I argue that research and practices focusing only on this narrow definition of parent involvement may not be culturally sensitive approaches to supporting the home-school connection. The existing literature addressing Asian American parent involvement suggests that indirect practices at home, such as structur- ing the child's time, are more common among Asian American parents and more consistent with Asian cultural values. I analyze how this type of involve- ment during the early school years may be particularly helpful in facilitating continuity during children's transition to first grade.

This study examines the predictive relationships among 309 Asian American and 9471 European American parents’ beliefs, expectations, and involvement, and their children's math and reading achievement trajectories during children's transition to school. Data came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), an ongoing study of kindergarten children as they make the transition into and through formal schooling. Based on the educational niche theoretical framework (Chao, 2000), we predicted that parents’ beliefs and expectations would indirectly influence children's achievement trajectories via parent involvement and that these structural paths would not differ significantly between groups. Analyses using latent curve modelling (LCM) supported these predictions. Of particular importance is the finding that despite significant mean differences in Asian American and European American parents’ beliefs, expectations, and involvement practices, the degree to which these constructs predicted children's achievement trajectories over time did not differ between groups.