STATE & LOCAL
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Wednesday, October 24,1990
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Grades affected by upbringing
Research reveals home environment affects students’ grades
By JOE FERGUSON
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Home environments and parenting styles af
fect adolescents’ grades but not overall intellec
tual achievement, according to a study conducted
by a Texas A&M graduate student.
“Parenting styles and family environmental
factors proved accurate predictors of several
school outcomes, but they couldn’t predict abso
lute achievement as measured by scores on
achievement tests,” Dr. Steven Schneider says.
Schneider, who received his doctorate in psy
chology from A&M in May, conducted the sur
vey for his dissertation.
His study was a variation of a previous study
conducted at Stanford University.
Both studies measured family environment as
predictor of grade point averages for adoles
cents in grades nine through 12.
Schneider, however, added a scale which in
cludes conflicts with authority, absences and
achievement test scores coupled with aptitude
test scores.
The studies investigated three parenting
styles: authoritarian, authoritative and permis
sive.
The authoritarian style controls behavior rela
tive to an absolute set of standards.
The authoritative style provides for open com
munication and negotiation of behavioral stan
dards. Mature behavior is expected in accord
ance with those standards.
The permissive style is tolerant of impulsive
behavior and permits self-regulation.
On the surface, Schneider’s findings contra
dict the previous study.
He found the authoritarian style resulted in
higher grade point averages, while the Stanford
study found the authoritative style to be the most
positive factor in GPAs.
Schneider says cultural differences in the two
areas studied could account for differences be
tween the studies.
The adolescents in Schneider’s study live in
the Texas panhandle where, he says, the authori
tarian style might be more accepted. The Stan
ford sample lives in California where the authori
tative style is common.
In both areas, Schneider says adolescents en
couraged to be independent, to think critically
and who are achievement-oriented earn higher
GPAs. If they are not achievement oriented,
however, absences increase.
Schneider says a lack of emphasis on moral va
lues increases the likelihood of conflict with au
thority.
Conflicts with authority at school usually are
preceded by conflicts at home, Schneider says.
He says school counselors should be more ac
tive in working with parents to help students
reach their potential.
“Counselors don’t do a lot of personal counsel
ing except in emergency situations,” he says.
“Problems need to be caught sooner.
“A kid spends a half hour in counseling and 12
hours in a dysfunctional family. Parents need to
be involved (in the counseling process).”
Schneider says parent training is necessary to
help students reach their potential and contrib
ute to society.
“It’s possibly more relevant than some of the
things being taught now,” he says.
Schneider also notes the counseling emphasis
should be expanded to elementary schools in or
der to prevent problems arising at the secondary
level.
“The earlier kids are counseled, the more posi
tive effects counseling has,” he says.
In Advance
Aggies Against Bonfire holds benefit conceit
and acoustic rocker Don
Aggies Against Bonfire will
host a benefit concert at the Front
Porch Cafe tonight featuring
White Bread, a neo-Europop
group, a
Overby.
Cover will be $3. For more in
formation call Kelly at 823-4636.
MSC Political Forum hosts Awareness Day
MSC Political Forum will host
its annual Political Awareness
Day today until 3 p.m. on the first
floor of the MSC.
Representatives from political
and business groups will be avail
able to answer questions about
their organizations.
Groups include College Re
publicans, Aggie Democrats, Gay
and Lesbian Student Services,
Pro-Life Aggies, Pro-Choice Ag
gies, American Atheists, Socialist
Workers’ Party, the Peace Corps
and the Texas Environmental Ac
tion Coalition.
Texas gang membership
causes rise in violence
AUSTIN (AP) — Gang mem
bership is rising dramatically in
Texas, with gangs involved in every
thing from graffiti-writing to violent
drug rings. Attorney General Jim
Mattox said Tuesday.
Releasing a report by his office on
gangs, Mattox asked the Legislature
to move quickly to study the growing
problem and find solutions.
“This is not ‘West Side Story,”’
Mattox said, “Too many of these
drug-running gangs, especially in
Dallas, Houston and along our bor
der with Mexico, are armed with
fully automatic weapons and they’re
using them in public areas where in
nocent bystanders have been hurt.”
The report by his office estimated
that there are about 7,500 gang
members in seven of the state’s larg
est cities, and another 1,400 behind
prison walls in the Texas Depart
ment of Corrections.
Dallas and Fort Worth have the
most, according to police. Dallas has
179 gangs totaling 2,784 members,
and Fort Worth has 156 gangs with
2,693 members. Mattox emphasized
that those estimates are conservative.
“Violent criminal youth street
gangs exist throughout the state and
gang activity is increasing in major
cities,” the report said. “Houston po
lice report a 329 percent increase in
documented criminal youth gangs
between 1988 and 1989.”
The report said that during the
summer of 1990, over four dozen vi
olent criminal youth street gang inci
dents were reported in Texas. That
included 36 drive-by shootings and
at least a dozen confirmed gang-re
lated deaths.
Technology links
students to world
By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M student leaders
now can communicate with uni
versity student governments
around the world at no cost fol
lowing the adoption of a com
puter mail system.
The Student Government
Global Mail Network (SGANet),
developed at Virginia Tech, of>~
erates at no cost provided the uni
versity using the system has an in
ternational access network.
At A&M, SGANet runs
through the existing Bitnet net
work.
Edward Munoz, Student Gov
ernment special assistant for com
puter resources, set up SGANet
at A&M -and gave a first-time
demonstration Tuesday to stu
dent leaders.
“We get to present our ideas to
other universities and get a re
sponse,” he said. "It doesn’t cost a
aime.”
SGANet has 151 subscribers,
mosdy in North America and Eu
rope. Munoz said the number
should jump to 2,000 by the end
of Spring 1990.
Universities in the Soviet
Union, China, Middle East and
possibly Africa are scheduled to
join, he said.
The system is open to A&M
Student Government members
and accessible through a Univer
sity VAX account.
SGANet can be used as an elec
tronic bulletin board or for per
sonal messages, Munoz said.
For demonstration, he called
up a video questionnaire about
rates of pay tor student govern
ment members along with an
swers from various universities.
He then entered a message
that said A&M student leaders
are not paid, but are willing to re
ceive information about how
other universities started a pay
ment policy.
Muftoz said his message was
transmitted worldwide almost as
fast as a phone connection.
SGANet’s founder will visit
A&M during the spring and for
mally present the system.
BATTIPS
Anyone with story suggestions can
call BATTIPS, The Battalion’s
phone line designed to improve
communication between the news
paper and its readers.
The BATTIPS number is 845-
3315.
Ideas can include news stories,
feature ideas and personality pro
files of interesting people.
Apple introduces the Macintosh Classic.
Trying to stretch dollars when you’re
computer shopping doesn’t mean you’re willing
to make sacrifices.
That’s why you should consider the new,
affordable Macintosh® Classic® computer.
It has everything you need—including a monitor, keyboard, mouse,
2 megabytes of RAM, and a 40-megabyte hard disk. Just plug everything in and
the Macintosh Classic is ready to run, because the system software is already
installed! And, thanks to the Macintosh computer’s legendary ease of use, you’ll
be up and running in no time.
Like every Macintosh, the Classic can run thousands of available applications
that all work in the same, consistent way—so once you’ve learned one program,
you’re well on your way to learning them all. And this is one cheap roommate
that doesn’t have trouble sharing. The Apple® SuperDrive™—standard
equipment with every Macintosh—reads from and writes to Macintosh,
* Macintosh Classic computers purchased before January 1991 include system software on floppy disks; software is not installed.
©1990 Apple Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. SuperDrive and “The
power to be your best” are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Classic is a registered trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc. MS-DOS
is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. OS/2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
MS-DOS, OS/2, and Apple n floppy disks, which means
you can share information with someone who uses a
different type of computer.
See the Macintosh Classic for yourself. It’ll change your mind
about cheap roommates.
MicroComputerCfnter
Computer Sales cmd Supplies
Come meet the new Macintoshes!
Apple Computer is bringing the
Macintosh Classic, Osi, and LC to the
MicroComputerCenter in the MSC on
October 23rd and 24th from 10AM to 4PM!
The power to be your best! 1