Parents’ Educational Involvement: What is More Important Mothers’ Reports or Adolescents’ Perceptions?

Abstract

The present study examined both mothers’ reports and adolescents’ perceptions of parents’ educational involvement and their effects on the adolescents’ functioning in school. The sample was drawn from 5 urban schools in Israel. Participants were 449 eighth grade students/adolescents (Female = 47%) and 126 mothers. Adolescents and their mothers completed parallel parents’ educational involvement questionnaires, and adolescents completed questionnaires on learning strategies and self-evaluation. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses, based on the mothers’ reports and adolescents’ perceptions of parents’ educational involvement revealed three factors: home-based, school-based, and communication-based knowledge of adolescents’ activities in school. The analysis showed no relation between mothers’ reports and adolescents’ perceptions. However, adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ educational involvement were significant predictors of the adolescents’ learning strategies, self-evaluation, and academic achievement. Findings underline the congruence and incongruence between mothers and their adolescents, and the significant role parents play in their adolescents’ schooling according to the adolescents’ perceptions.