Joseph J Merry
Biographic Data
| ID | 294882 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joseph J Merry |
| GIVEN NAMES | Joseph J |
| FAMILY NAME | Merry |
| SIGNATURE | MERRY J J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Furman University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1516-8167 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 124 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 11 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The Inverse Association Between Number of Siblings and Divorce
In the U.S., evidence has emerged suggesting that divorce is lower among those with many versus few siblings, a pattern that may indicate that children develop important social skills via their childhood interactions with siblings. However, this pattern has yet to be tested in other countries with varying fertility and divorce rates. We extend the empirical basis of the sibship size/divorce literature by exploring the association in China and Eur…
Child poverty and academic skills at the national level
Much research has examined school-related sources of cross-national variation in academic skills, but we know far less about the role that broader socioeconomic conditions play. In this study, we examine how nations’ child poverty rates associate with their overall scores on international assessments of academic skills over time. We first establish theoretically why and how child poverty might undermine overall academic skills at the national lev…
Findings on Summer Learning Loss Often Fail to Replicate, Even in Recent Data
It is widely believed that (1) children lose months of reading and math skills over summer vacation and that (2) inequality in skills grows much faster during summer than during school. Concerns have been raised about the replicability of evidence for these claims, but an impression may exist that nonreplicable findings are limited to older studies. After reviewing the 100-year history of nonreplicable results on summer learning, we compared thre…
Sibship and Inequality Beliefs
How do individuals come to hold certain beliefs about meritocracy, individualism, and redistribution? Several sociodemographic factors are regularly used to understand variation in these beliefs, but other predictors remain untested. Meanwhile, scholars studying family dynamics are increasingly turning their attention toward the long-term social effects of distinct family features. One facet of this work focuses on the social role of siblings. We…
Challenges in Isolating the Effect of College Attainment and Debt Accumulation on Young Adult Self‐Concept
Prior studies have found college attendance to boost self‐esteem and mastery in young adults. Yet, college attendance itself is likely influenced by self‐esteem and mastery levels experienced in adolescence. And both are likely influenced by adolescent cognitive ability and academic achievement. Using data from the NLSY79‐YA, we illustrate the difficulties in isolating the positive effect of college on young adult self‐concept. First, we estimate…
A comparative analysis of early childhood socioeconomic conditions and educational achievement 15 years later
Scholars agree that the early childhood years are highly consequential for later educational outcomes, but we know little about the impact of early childhood socioeconomic conditions at the societal level. This study contributes to the literature by bringing to comparative sociology the proposition that variations in the social structures into which children are born have lasting impacts on their educational outcomes as they progress through seco…
Number of Siblings in Childhood, Social Outcomes in Adulthood
In many parts of the world, fertility has declined in important ways in the past century. What are the consequences of this demographic change? Our study expands the empirical basis for understanding the relationship between number of siblings in childhood and social outcomes among adults. An important recent study found that for each additional sibling an individual grows up with, the likelihood of divorce as an adult declines by 3%. We expand t…
Understanding the role of schools in the Asian-white gap
Asian Americans are the most highly educated racial group in the United States and are commonly heralded as the model minority for their high academic success. Nevertheless, previous research suggests that Asian Americans may face certain disadvantages in school settings. For example, Asian Americans' academic advantage over non-Hispanic white students diminishes between kindergarten entry and the next several years of schooling. This study provi…
Number of Siblings During Childhood and the Likelihood of Divorce in Adulthood
Despite fertility decline across economically developed countries, relatively little is known about the social consequences of children being raised with fewer siblings. Much research suggests that growing up with fewer siblings is probably positive, as children tend to do better in school when sibship size is small. Less scholarship, however, has explored how growing up with few siblings influences children's ability to get along with peers and …
Learning Beyond the School Walls
Academically-focused learning activities beyond formal schooling are expanding in myriad forms throughout the world. This diverse realm of learning activities includes private supplementary education purchased by families such as private tutoring, online courses, cram schools, and learning center franchises. Some public schools also provide academically oriented after-school programs beyond their formal curricula. This review identifies factors r…
Tracing the U.S. Deficit in Pisa Reading Skills to Early Childhood
Why does the United States lag behind so many other countries on international education assessments? The traditional view targets school-based explanations—U.S. schools attract poorer teachers and lack the proper incentives. But the U.S. educational system may also serve children with comparatively greater academic challenges as a result of poorer social conditions. One way of gaining leverage on this issue is to understand when U.S. students fa…
Learning Beyond the School Walls
Academically-focused learning activities beyond formal schooling are expanding in myriad forms throughout the world. This diverse realm of learning activities includes private supplementary education purchased by families such as private tutoring, online courses, cram schools, and learning center franchises. Some public schools also provide academically oriented after-school programs beyond their formal curricula. This review identifies factors r…
Tracing the U.S. Deficit in Pisa Reading Skills to Early Childhood
Why does the United States lag behind so many other countries on international education assessments? The traditional view targets school-based explanations—U.S. schools attract poorer teachers and lack the proper incentives. But the U.S. educational system may also serve children with comparatively greater academic challenges as a result of poorer social conditions. One way of gaining leverage on this issue is to understand when U.S. students fa…
Number of Siblings During Childhood and the Likelihood of Divorce in Adulthood
Despite fertility decline across economically developed countries, relatively little is known about the social consequences of children being raised with fewer siblings. Much research suggests that growing up with fewer siblings is probably positive, as children tend to do better in school when sibship size is small. Less scholarship, however, has explored how growing up with few siblings influences children's ability to get along with peers and …
Findings on Summer Learning Loss Often Fail to Replicate, Even in Recent Data
It is widely believed that (1) children lose months of reading and math skills over summer vacation and that (2) inequality in skills grows much faster during summer than during school. Concerns have been raised about the replicability of evidence for these claims, but an impression may exist that nonreplicable findings are limited to older studies. After reviewing the 100-year history of nonreplicable results on summer learning, we compared thre…
Number of Siblings in Childhood, Social Outcomes in Adulthood
In many parts of the world, fertility has declined in important ways in the past century. What are the consequences of this demographic change? Our study expands the empirical basis for understanding the relationship between number of siblings in childhood and social outcomes among adults. An important recent study found that for each additional sibling an individual grows up with, the likelihood of divorce as an adult declines by 3%. We expand t…
Understanding the role of schools in the Asian-white gap
Asian Americans are the most highly educated racial group in the United States and are commonly heralded as the model minority for their high academic success. Nevertheless, previous research suggests that Asian Americans may face certain disadvantages in school settings. For example, Asian Americans' academic advantage over non-Hispanic white students diminishes between kindergarten entry and the next several years of schooling. This study provi…
A comparative analysis of early childhood socioeconomic conditions and educational achievement 15 years later
Scholars agree that the early childhood years are highly consequential for later educational outcomes, but we know little about the impact of early childhood socioeconomic conditions at the societal level. This study contributes to the literature by bringing to comparative sociology the proposition that variations in the social structures into which children are born have lasting impacts on their educational outcomes as they progress through seco…
Tracing the U.S. Deficit in Pisa Reading Skills to Early Childhood
Why does the United States lag behind so many other countries on international education assessments? The traditional view targets school-based explanations—U.S. schools attract poorer teachers and lack the proper incentives. But the U.S. educational system may also serve children with comparatively greater academic challenges as a result of poorer social conditions. One way of gaining leverage on this issue is to understand when U.S. students fa…
Number of Siblings During Childhood and the Likelihood of Divorce in Adulthood
Despite fertility decline across economically developed countries, relatively little is known about the social consequences of children being raised with fewer siblings. Much research suggests that growing up with fewer siblings is probably positive, as children tend to do better in school when sibship size is small. Less scholarship, however, has explored how growing up with few siblings influences children's ability to get along with peers and …
Learning Beyond the School Walls
Academically-focused learning activities beyond formal schooling are expanding in myriad forms throughout the world. This diverse realm of learning activities includes private supplementary education purchased by families such as private tutoring, online courses, cram schools, and learning center franchises. Some public schools also provide academically oriented after-school programs beyond their formal curricula. This review identifies factors r…
Understanding the role of schools in the Asian-white gap
Asian Americans are the most highly educated racial group in the United States and are commonly heralded as the model minority for their high academic success. Nevertheless, previous research suggests that Asian Americans may face certain disadvantages in school settings. For example, Asian Americans' academic advantage over non-Hispanic white students diminishes between kindergarten entry and the next several years of schooling. This study provi…
Challenges in Isolating the Effect of College Attainment and Debt Accumulation on Young Adult Self‐Concept
Prior studies have found college attendance to boost self‐esteem and mastery in young adults. Yet, college attendance itself is likely influenced by self‐esteem and mastery levels experienced in adolescence. And both are likely influenced by adolescent cognitive ability and academic achievement. Using data from the NLSY79‐YA, we illustrate the difficulties in isolating the positive effect of college on young adult self‐concept. First, we estimate…
A comparative analysis of early childhood socioeconomic conditions and educational achievement 15 years later
Scholars agree that the early childhood years are highly consequential for later educational outcomes, but we know little about the impact of early childhood socioeconomic conditions at the societal level. This study contributes to the literature by bringing to comparative sociology the proposition that variations in the social structures into which children are born have lasting impacts on their educational outcomes as they progress through seco…
Number of Siblings in Childhood, Social Outcomes in Adulthood
In many parts of the world, fertility has declined in important ways in the past century. What are the consequences of this demographic change? Our study expands the empirical basis for understanding the relationship between number of siblings in childhood and social outcomes among adults. An important recent study found that for each additional sibling an individual grows up with, the likelihood of divorce as an adult declines by 3%. We expand t…
Findings on Summer Learning Loss Often Fail to Replicate, Even in Recent Data
It is widely believed that (1) children lose months of reading and math skills over summer vacation and that (2) inequality in skills grows much faster during summer than during school. Concerns have been raised about the replicability of evidence for these claims, but an impression may exist that nonreplicable findings are limited to older studies. After reviewing the 100-year history of nonreplicable results on summer learning, we compared thre…
Sibship and Inequality Beliefs
How do individuals come to hold certain beliefs about meritocracy, individualism, and redistribution? Several sociodemographic factors are regularly used to understand variation in these beliefs, but other predictors remain untested. Meanwhile, scholars studying family dynamics are increasingly turning their attention toward the long-term social effects of distinct family features. One facet of this work focuses on the social role of siblings. We…
The Inverse Association Between Number of Siblings and Divorce
In the U.S., evidence has emerged suggesting that divorce is lower among those with many versus few siblings, a pattern that may indicate that children develop important social skills via their childhood interactions with siblings. However, this pattern has yet to be tested in other countries with varying fertility and divorce rates. We extend the empirical basis of the sibship size/divorce literature by exploring the association in China and Eur…
Child poverty and academic skills at the national level
Much research has examined school-related sources of cross-national variation in academic skills, but we know far less about the role that broader socioeconomic conditions play. In this study, we examine how nations’ child poverty rates associate with their overall scores on international assessments of academic skills over time. We first establish theoretically why and how child poverty might undermine overall academic skills at the national lev…
Psychology (10 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Demography (6 works) · Economics (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Population (5 works) · Academic achievement (4 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (4 works) · Mathematics education (4 works)