Do parents make a difference to children's academic achievement? Differences between parents of higher and lower achieving students

Differences in family factors in determining academic achievement were investigated by testing 432 parents in nine independent, coeducational Melbourne schools. Schools were ranked and categorized into three groups (high, medium and low), based on student achievement (ENTER) scores in their final ye...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational studies 2005-12, Vol.31 (4), p.431-448
Main Authors: Jacobs, Nicky, Harvey, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic
Academic Achievement
Achievement
Achievement Tests
Attitudes
Australia
Children & youth
Class
Education
Educational Change
Educational Environment
Expectation
Expectations
Family
Family characteristics
Foreign Countries
High Achievement
High School Seniors
Low Achievement
Melbourne
Multiple Regression Analysis
Nongovernment schools
Parent Attitudes
Parent attitudes to school environment questionnaire (PASEQ)
Parent background
Parent Influence
Parents
Parents & parenting
Predictor Variables
Questionnaires
Scores
Secondary education
Social status
Social stratification
Student
Students
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Summary:Differences in family factors in determining academic achievement were investigated by testing 432 parents in nine independent, coeducational Melbourne schools. Schools were ranked and categorized into three groups (high, medium and low), based on student achievement (ENTER) scores in their final year of secondary school and school improvement indexes. Parents completed a questionnaire investigating their attitudes towards the school environment, their aspirations, expectations, encouragement and interest in their child's education (adapted from scales constructed by Marjoribanks). They also responded to six open-ended questions on their attitudes to achievement and to their (child's) school. Multiple regression analyses revealed that parental expectations of their children's educational level made the strongest unique prediction of high achievement followed by the length of time they had maintained their expectations. Limitations discussed include the disparity in meaning associated with the definition of school success and whether these results can be generalized to all students considering the biased sample (socio-economic status).
ISSN:0305-5698
1465-3400
DOI:10.1080/03055690500415746