Is there any relationship between a student’s academic performance and its family’s socioeconomic status?
Many students in the United States struggle mainly due to their family background and their socioeconomic status. As part of a minority group and a subculture of college students within the United States, I can
confirm that students within a household with socioeconomic complications often tend to face disturbance that delays or stops their education. Socioeconomic status (SES) can prescribe the quality of life, the opportunities, and the privileges that an individual acquires within society.
SES can predict life outcomes because of its long and short term effect on psychological and physical health. There is a huge relationship between a student’s academic performance and its family’s socioeconomic status. The lower the socioeconomic status is for a family, the higher is the chance of failure in a student’s academic performance and achievement.

A household with socioeconomic complications
Socioeconomic status is a social issue that affects many families, especially within the United States where there are dozens of different groups. There are many factors that put in risk education and create behavioral problems within a society. One of these factors is that children within a low-income household are more likely to live in a low-quality community or
neighborhood, in which they are exposed to substance use, violence, community insecurity and many others which from a very young age start impacting a children’s learning ability and developing behavior problems (Morgan, 2009). For example, families with economic issues tend to stress leading to having a dysfunctional family system. Children within these kind of households, grow with lack of parental support and guide which develops into negative outcomes in their later years.

Academic performance in a low socioeconomic
status
Much research proves that low socioeconomic status does affect negatively
academic achievement. Students facing economic difficulties at home are more likely to have the need to work while also attending school in order
to help support a household. Most high school students spend a lot of time in paid work in the United States. Researchers have found that the higher number of hours a student work are associated with many other problems that result in poor academic performance and/or substance use (Bachman, 2013). On the other hand, according to (Doerschuk, et al., 2016), the achievement rate of a low-income student in technology, engineering, mathematics and science is much lower compare to a student coming
from higher-income household. As of 2014, the high school dropout rates were also higher in low income families, ending in an 11.6 percent compared to 2.8 percent in higher-income
families.

Socioeconomic status and health-related issues
Moreover, students in a household with a low socioeconomic status are more likely to develop issues with their psychological health. Low socioeconomic status has a negative impact on a student’s learning abilities and their psychological health which influence their academic achievement. Students within a low SES are less likely to be expose to academic activities and support at home. As explained before, students experiencing violence, substance abuse, or an unstable household from an early childhood, develop many psychological disorder such as posttraumatic stress disorder or stress, anxiety, depression and many others (Shonkoff JP, Health, Committee on Early Childhood, & Pediatrics., 2012). Sometimes parents are not aware of the damage they are causing to their child when they transfer their stress, over their economic situations, to their children.

When growing up and becoming independent, children in these type households become very aggressive and they don’t often get along with others. It’s a sad reality that many minorities face in the united states. For instance, those families that immigrate to the United States often struggle a lot to move to a new country seeking for new and better opportunities. Whether is legally or illegally, kids are affected in an immense way, especially kids who are not so young. As an immigrant, I was highly impacted by the process of immigrating to a new country. Many families, like mine, have to immigrate and leave behind family members that are very important to us. As experienced, it was very traumatic and stressful. Many families never overcome this trauma and stress, and many kind develop stress and depression, which impact negatively their
academic engagement, develop and achievement.

Struggles often impact humans negatively
As humans, we all face struggles in life, some people more than others. The relationship between a student’s academic performance and its family economic status has a huge impact in a student’s life. As shown, the lower the socioeconomic status is for a family, the higher is the chance of failure in a student’s academic performance and achievement. Factors such as, a
dysfunctional family system, low socioeconomic status, violence, and substance abuse are what make students develop health issues that affect their development and achievement in their academics. As part of low/middle socioeconomic status and a college student in the united states,
during paper I was able to investigate and be aware of many things I was not aware of before. I was surprised by the how families with a higher economic status are 8 times more likely to achieve a bachelor’s degree compared to a low socioeconomic status family. I was intrigued by
such high percentage of high school drop out in low-income families (11.6%). Finally, I was disturbed by the amount of psychological disorder family income issues can develop in a child.

References

Bachman, J. G.-D. (2013). Adolescent work intensity, school performance, and substance use:
Links vary by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Developmental Psychology, 49,
2125-2131.
Doerschuk, P., Bahrim, C., Daniel, J., Kruger, J., Mann, J., & Martin, C. (2016). Closing the Gaps
and Filling the STEM Pipeline: A Multidisciplinary Approach . Journal of Science
Education and Technology, 25, 682-695.
Morgan, P. (2009). Risk Factors for Learning-Related Behavior Problems at 24 Months of Age:
Population-Based Estimates. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37.
Shonkoff JP, G. A., Health, C. o., Committee on Early Childhood, A. a., & Pediatrics., S. o. (2012).
The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Translating
developmental science into lifelong health, 2011-2662.