Effects of Parental Involvement on Students' Attitudes Towards Learning

Courtney Brown, Jeanne Slattery, Janina Jolley, Mark Mitchell, Jonathan Brown
Clarion University of Pennsylvania

• Is there a relationship between students' perceptions of parental involvement and their attitudes towards academic and extracurricular activities?

• Parental consent forms were given to students. Students who returned the consent forms were scheduled to take the survey with their grade. After signing a student consent form, each student completed the survey, then was debriefed via two questions about the survey.

• During the 1999 - 2000 school year, 113 students in grades 7 through 12 (response rate of 26.2%) completed a survey of students' attitudes about parental involvement with both academic and extracurricular activities. Students at this rural high school in northwestern Pennsylvania were largely Euro-American and from middle class background. Measurement: This survey measured students' perceptions of the involvement of parental figures (either parent or guardian) and students' attitudes towards academic and extracurricular interests. (See Figure 1) Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert type scale ranging from one, being least likely or not at all, to five being most likely or most often.

• Parental involvement is associated with positive attitudes towards parents. Specifically, students who perceived that their parents were more involved:
  • Like their parents more (r = .55, p < .01)
  • Report getting along with their parents (r = .42, p < .01)

• Parental involvement, especially having a positive relationship with them, is associated with positive attitudes towards school and learning. Specifically, students who reported enjoying spending time with their parents and perceived that their parents were more involved (respectively):
  • Like their teachers (r = .35, p < .01; r = .14, ns)
  • Expect high school information will be useful throughout life (r = .22, p < .05; r = .23, p <.05)
  • Like what is taught in high school (r = .22, p < .05; r = .16, ns)
  • Feel it is important to keep learning new things, no matter how old you are (r = .28, p <.01; r = .06, ns)

• Involved parents have children who are interested in many things. Specifically, students who perceived that their parents were involved also tended to report having many interests (r = .20, p < .05).

• Students who like their teachers also have other positive attitudes towards learning. Specifically, students who report liking their teachers:
  • Think high school information will be useful throughout their life (r = .39, p < .01)
  • Like what is taught in high school (r = .43, p < .01)
  • Think it is important to keep learning, no matter how old you are (r = .20, p < .05)

• These are self-report data and may not reflect actual parental involvement or student behaviors.
• Students were drawn from a rural high school. A non-rural population and a larger sample should be used to extend these findings.

• Parents may use this study to determine whether their parenting style is generally effective for their high school student.
• Social workers and psychologists may use this study when working with high school students or families with high school age children.
• To better understand their perceptions and behaviors, high school age students may use this study as an educational resource.
• This study can also be used by teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, and administrators working in rural high schools to predict high school students' attitudes concerning school, school interests, and life-long learning.

• This study supports research findings that have explored the effects of adolescents' perceptions of parental involvement on academic achievement. Studies like this are essential in exploring the importance of parental involvement to maximize the impact of students' educational experiences. For adolescents to benefit not only in school, but also throughout life, data such as these should be considered.