Longitudinal Examination of Relations between School- and Home-Based Parent Involvement and GPA across Ethnic Groups

Abstract

The transition to adolescence is associated with decreases in student achievement. One factor that may mitigate these decreases is parent involvement. The present study examined whether ethnicity, type of involvement (school-based involvement [SBI] vs. home-based involvement [HBI]), and their interaction predicted GPA. This study, using data from the High School Longitudinal Study, examined whether type of involvement (SBI vs. HBI) and ethnicity predicted adolescents’ grade point average (GPA). Employing random coefficient growth curve modelling, we examined whether time, ethnicity, and SBI and HBI at grade 9 predicted adolescents’ levels of GPA from grade 9 to 12. The initial effect of time (from grade 9 to grade 10) was significant, with GPA declining across ethnic groups. The initial decline attenuated from grades 10 to 12. With the exception of Asian Americans, SBI was significantly positively associated with GPA. Over and above SBI, HBI was consistently positively associated with subsequent GPA across ethnic groups. These associations of SBI and HBI with GPA persisted across time. The findings are consistent with past research, although that research did not examine HBI and SBI simultaneously, high school students specifically, and GPA over time. The non-significant association of GPA with SBI for Asian Americans may be due to different peer processes and beliefs about education. Because HBI has similar associations across groups, and because it predicts unique variance in GPA over and above SBI, it may be important for parents of high schoolers to pursue, regardless of ethnicity.