Relationship between Parental Involvement/Attitude and Children's School Achievements

Abstract

Societies in general, and educators, in particular, consider that family and parental involvement are the main factors responsible for many successes but also for many ills in education today. The purpose of this study was to review the research literature on the relationship between parental involvement or attitude and children's academic achievement. Some of the variables that define parental involvement or attitude found in the literature were: parenting style, parental expectations and aspirations, home rules and parental supervision, communication between parents and children, children's home activities, parental attitude towards school (checking children's homework, parents’ communication with teachers, and parental involvement in children's school activities). The review process consisted of gathering and reviewing articles, meta-analyses, and reviews relating to the parental involvement and its influence on children's school achievement at the middle and high- school levels. Findings from the review revealed several variables that are consistently associated with high levels of academic achievement: an authoritative parenting style, parental high and clear expectations and aspirations for their children's school results, communication between parents and children about their school activities and plans for the future, parents’ communication with teachers regarding their child's progress or difficulties. In the end we discuss some of the main limitations of the studies that include the following: the use of non-experimental research designs, inconsistency in defining the concept of parental involvement in different studies, inconsistency of the results across cultures, neglecting the moderating role of some socio-demographic factors as family structure or socio-economic status, number of children in the family, etc. The findings from this review highlight the importance of parental influence on children's academic achievement. Therefore, in designing educational policies and different educational interventions we should be more aware of the intervention of this major factor in children's success. Schools should re-examine their policies regarding parental involvement and develop an educational strategy in which family and teachers assume mutual responsibility for children's outcomes.