Parental Involvement and Students' Academic Achievement: A Growth Modeling Analysis

Abstract

The major research objective of this study was to assess the effect of parental involvement on students' academic growth during the high school years. The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) data were used, and latent growth curve analysis within the framework of structural equation modeling was the major analytic tool. The following are the major findings of the study: (a) Parental involvement appears to be multidimensional; (b) ethnic group samples reported comparable degrees of parental involvement; (c) parents' aspiration for their children's education attainment had a consistent and positive effect on students' academic growth; and (d) the effect, or lack thereof, of parental involvement was consistent across ethnic group samples and across data sources (student vs. parent data). Plausible reasons for the consistent effect of parents' aspirations on students' academic achievement are discussed. The author offers explanations for why some parental involvement dimensions showed negative, though generally small, effects on students' academic growth.