Juan Battle

Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social Problem?

Using time-diary data from a national sample of young school-age children, we examine the correlates of time spent at home on computing for cognitive and other measures of well-being. We observe modest benefits associated with home computing on three tests of cognitive skill, and on a measure of self-esteem. Most young children who spend time at home on computer-based activities spend no less time on activities such as reading, sports or outside play than children without home computers. However, young children who use home computers a lot, for over 8 hours a week, spend much less time on sports and outdoor activities than non-computer-users. They also have substantially heavier body mass index than children who do not use home computers.

Academic Achievement among Hispanic Students from One-Versus Dual-Parent Households

Using data from a nationally representative sample of eighth-grade students, this research examines the relative effect of being in a one-parent versus dual-parent household on the educational achievement of Hispanic middle-grade students. It found that under most circumstances, students in dual-parent households do better than their counterparts in one-parent households. However, when appropriately controlling for socioeconomic status, students in one-parent households are not statistically significantly different than their counterparts in dual-parent households. The article concludes with suggestionsforpublic policy to bring about more parityforstudents in these varying types of households.

Longitudinal Analysis of Academic Achievement Amonga Nationwide Sample of Hispanic Students in One-Versus Dual-Parent Households

Previous researchers have found that, on average, students in single-parent households do not perform as well in school as their counterparts in dual-parent households. Another frequent finding is that the higher a student’s socioeconomic status, the higher her or his educational achievement. However, there has been little attention paid to how family configuration and socioeconomic status interact to affect educational achievement of Hispanic students. Using a nationally representative sample, this research found that for 12 th grade outcomes, in the presence of socioeconomic status, family configuration is not statistically significant. Furthermore, results for two years after high school showed, among other things, that socioeconomic status is much more important in predicting outcomes than is family configuration. The article ends with a discussion of policy implications.

The Relative Importance of Race and Socioeconomic Status Among Hispanic and White Students

Using a nationally representative sample from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, this research examines the longitudinal effects of race and socioeconomic status on 12th-grade educational achievement and achievement 2 years after high school. For 12th-grade outcomes, the authors found no statistical difference in scores between Hispanic and White students. Two years after high school, the results were very surprising: (a) when controlling for socioeconomic status, Hispanic students actually outperformed their White counterparts; (b) socioeconomic status was 10 times more powerful than race in predicting outcomes; and (c) White students received a greater benefit for increases in socioeconomic status than did their Hispanic counterparts.

The Traits of "Good Teachers" as Identified by African-American and White Students with Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders.

The responses of 209 youngsters in 11 programs for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (E/BD) were examined regarding their perceptions of four trait categories of so-called good teachers: Personality Traits, Respectful Treatment of Students, Behavior Management Practices, and Instructional Skills. Results demonstrated that African-American students perceived Personality Traits and Respectful Treatment of Students as being more important than their white counterparts; females felt that all four of the trait configurations were more important than their male counterparts felt they were; and as the age of students increased, each of the four trait configurations was viewed as being less important. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Belonging and Acceptance: Examining the Correlates of Sociopolitical Involvement Among Bisexual and Lesbian Latinas

This article employs a national sample of almost 400 bisexual and lesbian Latinas to examine the impact of community-level support/comfort, as well as the importance of sexual orientation and racial identity, on sociopolitical involvement. Results indicate that feelings of connectedness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community are the most important predictor of sociopolitical involvement within both LGBT and people of color (POC) communities. While comfort within the LGBT community had no impact on LGBT sociopolitical involvement, it had a negative impact on POC sociopolitical involvement.

The invisible gender: educational outcomes for African American females in father-only versus mother-only households

Abstract In the last three decades, we have witnessed dramatic demographic changes in the number of African American children raised by a single parent. During this period, the majority of scholarly work has focused on African American males raised in mother-only households. Missing from this important discussion is the influence of other types of African American single parent households on African American females. Using a nationally representative sample of eighth grade students from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), this research examines the relative effects of being in a single parent mother-only versus father-only household on the educational achievement of African American middle-grade females ( N = 63,090). Findings are that: (1) females in mother-only households perform less well than their counterparts in father-only households; (2) socioeconomic status is over three times more important than household type in predicting educational outcomes; (3) females in mother-only households get a greater return for increases in socioeconomic status than their counterparts in father-only households; and (4) race, gender, and class are simultaneously intersecting categories/relations in the family experiences and educational achievement processes of African American females.

Smoking Among Sexual Minorities: Are There Racial Differences?

INTRODUCTION Smoking prevalence is higher among sexual minorities compared to their heterosexual peers. However, very little is known about potential racial differences in smoking among sexual minority populations. We examined differences by race in smoking status among a robust sample of sexual minorities. METHODS We used data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality project, a large national convenience sample of sexual minority adults that oversampled individuals from racial minority groups. Log-Poisson multivariable regression models were employed to determine the risk of current smoking among sexual minority individuals by race after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS Among smokers, 22.35% identified as White, 26.98% identified as Black, 19.38% identified as Latino/Hispanic, 5.58% identified as Asian American, and 25.67% were other/multiracial. In fully adjusted gender stratified models, Black men (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50, 0.75) and Asian American men (aRR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.50, 0.75) were at lower risk of smoking compared to White men. Black women were the only to remain statistically significant for decreased risk of smoking in fully adjusted gender stratified models (aRR = 0.78, 95 % CI = 0.65, 0.95). CONCLUSIONS Among sexual minorities, Black and Asian American individuals consistently were at decreased risk of current smoking compared to their White peers. Future research should seek to understand the mechanisms that contribute to decreased smoking status among racial sexual minorities.

The Sociopolitical Involvement of Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander Gay and Bisexual Men

This paper compares and contrasts the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander men within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of color. We hypothesize that being connected to community, and believing in the importance of sexual and racial/ethnic identity would positively impact mens sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color. Findings indicate that, for all groups of men, feeling connected to the LGBT community was one of the most significant predictors of sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color, but the importance of sexual and racial/ethnic identity was not as powerful a predictor for this sample of men. Similarities and differences between and among the groups are discussed with regard to understanding how community and identity is related to the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander men within LGBT communities.

Connectedness and the Sociopolitical Involvement of Same-Gender-Loving Black Men

Employing a national sample of over 800 same-gender-loving black men, we explore the relative impact of community-level support/comfort and the importance of sexual orientation and racial identity on two dependent variables—sociopolitical involvement within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities and sociopolitical involvement within people of color (POC) communities. Findings indicate that feelings of connectedness to LBGT communities is the most important predictor of sociopolitical involvement within both LGBT and POC communities; while, counterintuitively, being comfortable within the LGBT community had a negative impact on the sociopolitical involvement of these men. Further, the impact of the importance of identity was negligible.