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Parent involvement and children's academic and social development in elementary school
Nermeen E El Nokali1, Heather J Bachman, Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
1Department of Psychology in Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, 5930 Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. nee5@pitt.edu
Child Development
|June 25, 2010
Summary
Parent involvement positively impacts children's social skills and behavior, but not academic achievement. Highly involved parents foster better social functioning and fewer behavior problems in their children.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Parent involvement is a key factor in child development.
- Understanding its specific impacts on academic and social trajectories is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between parent involvement and children's academic achievement, social skills, and problem behaviors.
- To examine within-child and between-child associations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development (N=1,364).
- Employed hierarchical linear modeling to analyze longitudinal data across 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades.
- Incorporated maternal and teacher reports of parent involvement and child outcomes.
Main Results:
- Within-child increases in parent involvement predicted decreases in problem behaviors and improvements in social skills.
- Parent involvement did not predict changes in academic achievement.
- Children with highly involved parents exhibited better social functioning and fewer behavior problems, regardless of reporting source (parent or teacher).
Conclusions:
- Parent involvement significantly benefits children's social-emotional development and behavior.
- The findings highlight the importance of supporting parent involvement for positive child outcomes.
- Implications for educational policy and practice are discussed.
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