Research Proposal

Jazmine Alicea

Instructor Name

Course Number

Date

Do students from wealthier backgrounds get a better score on a standardized test?

Summary

Standardized has become necessary to take admission in many universities and colleges. The question arises, Does the wealthy background effect the score of students in these tests? With the increasing inflation rate, it is becoming difficult for the average class and the poor to compete in the market. Through scientific research it has been deduced that stress and poverty affect the brain negatively, lowering the capability to grasp new concepts. Rich students believe that succeeding in mere tests will guarantee a luxurious lifestyle, whereas poor students are mentally stressed. This has become one great example of social inequality in our society. For rich students, the financial and moral support from families motivates them to improve. On the other hand, the poor students are mostly stressed over meeting both ends. This discrimination in educational field leads to the creation of social levels promoting inequality and affects society in the long run.

(Word Count:150)

Purpose

The goal of this research paper is to address the achievement gap that exists between rich and poor in the educational field and is continuously increasing in every country of the world. Based on theories and scientific research, this paper highlights the fact that students from wealthier backgrounds tend to perform better on standardized tests than other students. The discussed topic is of great significance because this trend will hugely impact economic and social values in the future. Thus, for better future plan, this topic should not be left unaddressed.

(Word Count:90)

Audience

The target audience for this research paper is the Education board, ministry of Education, related authorities, Universities, and colleges. This research will also aid other researches based on standardized testing, academic achievement gap, social inequality, family investment theory, stress theory, and similar topics. The aim of this research paper is to aware of everyone who can make efforts to make the educational system just and fair for all.

(Word Count:68)

Opening Statement/Thesis/Hypothesis

In today's world, most of the systems have adopted a standardized examination. According to an estimate, each year alone in the US, around two million students take the SAT to go to their school of choice. It is observed that students with rich parents tend to perform better than the rest and are successful as their parents. While equal opportunities for all is held to be the principle of a nation's success, the current situation suggests that success has become inherent in rich and poverty in poor. This paper discusses the factors, reasons, and concerns involved in this achievement gap.

(World Count: 100)

Data

The research conducted at Harvard and MIT, concludes that 44% of the achievement gap is related to the cortical thickness of the brain of students. It is observed in almost every country of the world that students from wealthy backgrounds perform better in school than the students belonging to poor families ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"V5hBvuAk","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Willingham)","plainCitation":"(Willingham)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":32,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/6144444/items/M3GTXEFZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/6144444/items/M3GTXEFZ"],"itemData":{"id":32,"type":"webpage","title":"Why do rich kids do better in school than poor kids?","container-title":"Daniel Willingham--Science & Education","abstract":"The data are unequivocal: kids from wealthy families do better in school than kids from poor families. It's observable across ages, on all sorts of different measures, and (to varying degrees) in...","URL":"http://www.danielwillingham.com/1/post/2012/03/why-do-rich-kids-do-better-in-school-than-poor-kids.html","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Willingham","given":"Daniel T."}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",11,14]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Willingham). Family investment theory suggests that well-off parents have more connections and networking which helps them provide stable careers to their children. According to "Stress Theory", poverty causes mental stress and depression in people. This depressed environment affects the minds of students, which leads to decreased learning ability ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Om2iWa6P","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Aneshensel)","plainCitation":"(Aneshensel)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":35,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/6144444/items/IGJJ7BWI"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/6144444/items/IGJJ7BWI"],"itemData":{"id":35,"type":"article-journal","title":"Social Stress: Theory and Research","container-title":"Annual Review of Sociology","page":"15-38","volume":"18","issue":"1","source":"Annual Reviews","abstract":"This chapter differentiates the stressful consequences of social organization from the stressful antecedents of psychological disorder. The pivotal distinction concerns whether the occurrence of stressors is viewed as socially determined, or as independent of social placement. Recent research is evaluated concerning both the social distribution of stress and social variation in response to stress. Two particularly productive areas of inquiry are also reviewed: self-efficacy as a mediator between social position and stress; and the intersection of macro- and micro-stress processes in economic and occupational spheres, with emphasis upon gender stratification. This review concludes that the occurrence of systemic stressors is not necessarily an indication of a social system run amok but may reflect instead the system functioning precisely as it is supposed to function.","URL":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.000311","DOI":"10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.000311","title-short":"Social Stress","author":[{"family":"Aneshensel","given":"Carol S."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1992"]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",11,14]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Aneshensel).

(Word Count: 100)

Expected Outcome:

This research addresses the effect of financial status on educational progress of children. This is not only because rich students can get better tuition, but it has been affecting perception of students too. Poor children not only bear the social and economic pressure but it also makes them believe that rich students deserve more. The idea that everyone deserves an equal chance to learn and grow needs to be re-enforced. The first most outcome of this paper should be to pay attention to this problem. Necessary steps should be taken to promote justice and equality in different fields especially education.

(Word count:100)

Works Cited:

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Aneshensel, Carol S. “Social Stress: Theory and Research.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 18, no. 1, 1992, pp. 15–38. Annual Reviews, DOI:10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.000311.

Willingham, Daniel T. “Why Do Rich Kids Do Better in School than Poor Kids?” Daniel Willingham--Science & Education, http://www.danielwillingham.com/1/post/2012/03/why-do-rich-kids-do-better-in-school-than-poor-kids.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019.