Compose a 2-page review of it. Your review must include 2 sections: (1) a summary of the article and (2) a critical
analysis of the article.
Your summary must include:
• The purpose of the study.
• Description of participants/sample.
• The research design (e.g., experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, regression, etc.)
• Method of data collection (survey, test, questionnaire, etc.).
• Statistical analysis (t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), chi square, Pearson
product moment correlation, Spearman rho, etc.).
• Results.
Your analysis must include:
• Opportunities for further research not already stated in the article.
• Threats to validity or rival hypotheses not already discussed.
• Other original insight or criticism
• Implications of the findings.
Baker-Henningham, Helen; Meeks-Gardner, Julie; Chang, Susan; Walker, Susan. (2009).
Experiences of Violence and Deficits in Academic Achievement among Urban Primary School Children in Jamaica. Child Abuse
& Neglect: The International Journal, 296-306. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.05.011
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children’s experiences of three different types of
violence and academic achievement among primary school children in Kingston, Jamaica. Methods: A cross-sectional study
of 1300 children in grade 5 [mean (S.D.) age: 11 (0.5) years] from 29 government primary schools in urban areas of
Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, was conducted. Academic achievement (mathematics, reading, and spelling) was assessed
using the Wide Range Achievement Test. Children’s experiences of three types of violence–exposure to aggression among
peers at school, physical punishment at school, and exposure to community violence–were assessed by self-report using
an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: Fifty-eight percent of the children experienced moderate or high
levels of all three types of violence. Boys had poorer academic achievement and experienced higher levels of aggression
among peers and physical punishment at school than girls. Children’s experiences of the three types of violence were
independently associated with all three indices of academic achievement.
There was a dose-response relationship between children’s experiences of violence and academic achievement with children
experiencing higher levels of violence having the poorest academic achievement and children experiencing moderate levels
having poorer achievement than those experiencing little or none. Conclusions: Exposure to three different types of
violence was independently associated with poor school achievement among children attending government, urban schools in
Jamaica. Programs are needed in schools to reduce the levels of aggression among students and the use of physical
punishment by teachers and to provide support for children exposed to community violence. Practice implications:
Children in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean experience significant amounts of violence in their homes, communities, and
schools. In this study, we demonstrate a dose-response relationship between primary school children’s experiences of
three different types of violence and their academic achievement. The study points to the need for validated violence
prevention programs to be introduced in Jamaican primary schools. Such programs need to train teachers in appropriate
classroom management and discipline strategies and to promote children’s social and emotional competence and prevent
aggression.