Parental involvement in a child’s education is a widely studied topic, with research consistently indicating a positive correlation between such involvement and student academic achievement. This synthesis examines the findings from various studies to understand the nature and extent of this relationship.
- Parental involvement is significantly related to academic achievement in urban elementary school children, with involvement associated with higher academic achievement across all academic variables (Fan & Chen, 2001).
- Parent involvement in elementary school is linked to long-term educational benefits, such as lower high school dropout rates and increased on-time high school completion (Jeynes, 2005).
- Different types of parental involvement programs are significantly associated with higher academic achievement for students of all ages, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (Wilder, 2014).
- The relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement is positive across different grade levels and ethnic groups, with the strongest impact when parental involvement is defined as parental expectations for academic achievement (Jeynes, 2012).
- The effects of parent involvement on student achievement vary according to race-ethnicity and family income, with significant differences in the relationship based on these factors (Castro et al., 2015).
- The parental models most linked to high achievement focus on general supervision of children’s learning activities, maintaining communication about school activities, and helping to develop reading habits (Jeynes, 2016).
- Parental involvement is associated with better academic outcomes for Latino and African American students, although it does not significantly affect school behavior (Barnard, 2004).
- Early parent involvement in education is associated with higher reading achievement, lower rates of grade retention, and fewer years in special education (Barnard, 2004).
This synthesis indicates that parental involvement in a child’s education is beneficial to academic achievement. This positive effect is consistent across various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with the greatest impact seen when parents have high academic expectations for their children. The type of involvement, such as general supervision and communication about school activities, also plays a significant role in the strength of this relationship.
Reference
Barnard, W. M. (2004). Parent involvement in elementary school and educational attainment. Children and Youth Services Review, 26(1), 39-62. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2003.11.002
Castro, M., Expósito-Casas, E., López-Martín, E., Lizasoain, L., Navarro-Asencio, E., & Gaviria, J. L. (2015). Parental involvement on student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 14, 33-46. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.01.002
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009048817385
Jeynes, W. (2012). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of different types of parental involvement programs for urban students. Urban Education, 47(4), 706-742. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085912445643
Jeynes, W. H. (2005). A meta-analysis of the relation of parental involvement to urban elementary school student academic achievement. Urban Education, 40(3), 237-269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085905274540
Jeynes, W. H. (2016). A meta-analysis: The relationship between parental involvement and African American school outcomes. Journal of Black Studies, 47(3), 195-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934715623522
Jeynes, W. H. (2017). A meta-analysis: The relationship between parental involvement and Latino student outcomes. Education and Urban Society, 49(1), 4-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124516630596Wilder, S. (2014). Effects of parental involvement on academic achievement: A meta-synthesis. Educational Review, 66(3), 377-397. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.780009
