Longitudinal Effects of Parent Involvement on High School Grades: Similarities and Differences Across Gender and Ethnic Groups

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to determine (a) the longitudinal effects of parent involvement on tenth grade students’ learning, as measured by their grade point average, (b) whether the same pattern of influences exist for boys and girls, and (c) whether the same pattern of influences exist for students from different ethnic groups. A series of structural equation models were derived from theory and previous research and were tested on a national sample of students. Results suggest that parent involvement has a large and significant effect on students’ grade point average in tenth grade. The pattern of influences of the variables in the model were indistinguishable for boys and girls, suggesting that the same model of influences holds across gender. There were differences in the constructs in the model and in their effects across ethnic groups, however. Nevertheless, parent involvement continued to have important effects for all groups. Thus interventions designed to increase involvement, if successful, should result in increases in learning for all groups.