Date

5-2025

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Liberal Studies

Major

Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Paoze Thao

Abstract

This capstone research project examines the academic achievement and general welfare of elementary school children who have teenage parents. With the help of literature review, original qualitative research, anonymous surveys were sent to teachers and teen parents. The result findings uncover the difficulties faced by children of adolescent parents in terms of educational attainment. Highlighted findings revealed the complex interplay of socio-economic disadvantage, inadequate parental self-efficacy, emotional distress, and heightened learning environment barriers that these students face. These in turn affect their trajectory of development. In addition, responses from teachers indicated the chronic underachieving academically, exhibiting behavioral problems of the children, while teen parents described overwhelming feelings of judgment, insufficient support, and barriers to engagement with school. A number of parents, in spite of these obstacles, reported that they were strongly invested in their children’s success. This culturally informed framework demonstrates the need for intervention, while this research, in relation to other literature, advances discussions around educational inequity where specific action is needed to address intergenerational adversity.

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