27 research outputs found
Parent involvement as social capital: Promoting the academic achievement of socioeconomically disadvantaged youth
No full textLow income adolescents are at risk for poor academic outcomes. Using social capital theory and the risk and resilience framework, the current study utilized 8th grade data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) to examine the association between parental involvement and adolescent academic achievement. Parental involvement was conceptualized as a protective factor that may that may help promote the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged youth. Three aspects of parental involvement were investigated: home involvement, school involvement, and academic socialization. Results indicated that home involvement was positively related to gains in math achievement and school involvement was positively associated with gains in reading achievement. Academic socialization was not a significant predictor of academic achievement, but it was the type of parent involvement low income parents engaged in the most. Findings indicate that home involvement continues to be an important form of parent involvement for math achievement during early adolescence, especially for low income adolescents from families with low levels of parent education. School involvement is also an important predictor of reading achievement among low income adolescents with low parent education. Home and school involvement appear to be important protective factors for the academic achievement of youth with limited access to home and financial capital. Parental involvement scale development and examination of other socioeconomic factors in connection with parent involvement (i.e., family structure, neighborhood) are important areas for future research
Parental involvement during the college transition: Trajectories and associations with academic success, well-being, and individuation
No full textGuided by the developmental theory of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2004) and life course theory (Elder, 1984), the goals of the current study were to investigate changes in parent involvement, changes in student outcomes, and links between changes in involvement and student outcomes across the first year in college. Parental involvement was defined as a multidimensional construct that included parent support, contact, and academic engagement. Purdue University domestic freshmen (N = 1279; 55% female; 84% Caucasian) participated in this study that included four online surveys that were evenly distributed across the first year. Through this design and the use of latent growth curve modeling (LGM) in Mplus (Muthén & Muthén, 2010), the current study estimated trajectories (intercepts, linear slopes, and quadratic slopes) of parent involvement, student outcomes, and their joint associations. Fixed and random effects were examined to determine intraindividual and interindividual change. Joint association models involved regressing the student outcome slopes onto the involvement slopes. Covariates were included (e.g., student sex), and fit indices were assessed to evaluate models (e.g., Confirmatory Fit Index). Overall results supported hypotheses, and indicated nonlinear declines in parent involvement, changes in student outcomes (exceptions: academic persistence and depression), and links between changes in involvement and student outcomes. Notable findings from joint models indicated increases in involvement were related to increases in depression, steeper increases in risky behaviors, and steeper decreases in individuation across freshman year. Findings contribute to literature on the characteristics of involvement during emerging adulthood and within the context of college, especially how changes in involvement are linked to changes in student outcomes, and offer practical guidance for college parent programming
The nature of parental involvement in middle school: Examining nonlinear associations
No full textMiddle school is a time during which the importance of school performance and academic motivation increases, yet actual adolescent achievement and motivation tend to decline during this period. Extent research and theory highlight the importance of parental involvement in education for adolescents, as most work shows that parent involvement is positively related to academic achievement and motivation. However, there are also many mixed findings regarding the link between specific types of involvement (i.e., home-based involvement and academic socialization) and these outcomes. Further, little work has been done to examine the possible age-related differences in these associations. Guided by Self-Determination Theory and theories of parental involvement, the current study examined the nonlinear associations among parental involvement, academic achievement, and intrinsic motivation in an effort to illuminate possible explanations for these mixed findings. Participants included 106 adolescents (20% white/Caucasian, 80% non-white) in grades six through eight who attended a Midwestern urban middle school. Adolescents responded to an in-school survey during the spring semester and reported on intrinsic motivation, parents\u27 home-based involvement, and academic socialization. Academic achievement was measured using adolescents\u27 spring grades obtained from official report cards. Findings provided limited evidence for nonlinear associations between parental involvement and academic outcomes. Contrary to expectations, there were no links between parental involvement and academic achievement. A positive linear association between home-based involvement and intrinsic motivation was observed. As hypothesized, there was a nonlinear association between academic socialization and intrinsic motivation, suggesting that greater levels of parental involvement may not always be beneficial for adolescents\u27 intrinsic motivation. Findings provided no evidence of age-related differences in these associations. Possible explanations and implications of these findings for future research are discussed
Parental Educational Involvement in High School: Practice, Policy, and Implications for Low-Income and Minority Youth
No full textParental educational involvement has become a key factor in policies and practice aimed at improving academic achievement, particularly for low-income and racial/ethnic minority youth. While much previous work has explored parental educational involvement for younger children, few consistent findings have emerged regarding parental educational involvement strategies with adolescents. Further, extant literature has shown mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of parents’ school choice (i.e. selecting a school regardless of geographic location) for increasing parents’ educational involvement and social capital more broadly. This dissertation addressed these findings in the literature by using two large nationally representative datasets – the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 – to explore the facets of parental educational involvement that are associated with academic achievement and educational attainment, as well as the role of school choice in increasing parents’ social capital. Findings from the first study suggested that academic socialization may be the most beneficial form of parental educational involvement, particularly for white and Hispanic/Latino adolescents, whereas school outreach to parents was beneficial particularly for Asian American and African American adolescents. Adolescent sex, race, and SES were also salient predictors of academic outcomes. Findings of the second study revealed an overall positive link between social capital (including parental educational involvement, intergenerational closure, and perceived inclusion in decision-making) and academic outcomes. Contrary to expectation, there was little evidence of differences in social capital for parents of adolescents who transitioned schools by choice. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed
Examining teachers\u27 knowledge and attitudes towards immigration and undocumented immigrants
No full textIt is projected that by the year 2040, one in three children entering the classroom in the United States will be a second-generation immigrant. Among children of Latino immigrants, four in ten second-generation immigrant children have at least one undocumented immigrant parent and therefore live in mixed-status families. These demographic changes have significant implications for the schools and teachers who must be prepared to educate and meet the needs of these children; however, many teachers are not equipped to address the needs of these students. The present study examined whether participation in an immigration workshop would improve teachers\u27 knowledge and attitudes towards immigration and undocumented immigrants. The theoretical framework used as a guide to conduct this research was the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), a theory of attitude change which posits that attitude change may occur from a person\u27s careful and thoughtful consideration of the true merits of the information presented in support of an advocacy (central route) or change may occur via peripheral cues that trigger an individual\u27s affective state (e.g., attractive expert source; peripheral route). Therefore, the immigration workshop incorporated both factual information from credible sources providing statistics and trends on immigration and undocumented immigrants as well as personal student testimonies which appeal more to the emotions of the individual. Teachers (n = 197) were recruited from one school corporation in a rural county in the state of Indiana which has a Latino student population of approximately 35%. Teachers completed pre- and post-surveys to assess their knowledge and attitudes regarding immigration and undocumented immigrants. Results indicated that after participating in the workshop, teachers\u27 general knowledge about immigration and undocumented immigrants increased, as did their knowledge of immigration policy. Additionally, teachers\u27 attitudes toward immigration improved following the workshop. Teachers\u27 knowledge of immigration was not related to their attitudes regarding immigration. Possible explanation and implications of these findings for future research are discussed
Identity Development Evaluation of African American Studies (IDEAAS): A Longitudinal Investigation
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Parental Involvement and Adolescent Academic Outcomes: Exploring Differences in Beneficial Strategies across Racial/Ethnic Groups
No full textParental Monitoring, Parental Warmth, and Minority Youths’ Academic Outcomes: Exploring the Integrative Model of Parenting
No full textParental Involvement During the College Transition: A Review and Suggestion for its Conceptual Definition
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