There is an extensive research literature attesting to the importance for children’s achievement of parental involvement in their schooling (Fan & Chen, 2001). Much less has been written, however, on the influence of parental involvement in schooling on children’s academic motivation.
There are many ways that parents can be involved in their children’s schooling. The most common way is to engage with their children on homework and projects. Parents also are involved when they visit children’s schools, meet with their teachers, partake of school activities and events, volunteer at the school, obtain resources for school events, help their children with course selection, keep abreast of children’s academic progress, and impart their educational values to children. The available literature shows positive benefits of parental involvement in schooling for several motivational variables including school engagement, intrinsic motivation, perceived competence and control, self-regulation, mastery goal orientation, and motivation to read (Gonzalez-DeHass, Willems, & Doan Holbein, 2005; Ratelle, Guay, Larose, & Senécal, 2004). Parental involvement is linked significantly with children’s development of self-regulation skills (Stright, Neitzel, Sears, & Hoke-Sinex, 2001). Research also shows that parental involvement among homeless families relates positively to children’s achievement and appropriate school behavior—the latter is a critical correlate of motivation (Miliotis, Sesma, & Masten, 1999).
Once children are in school, father involvement both in and out of school relates directly to children’s motivation and achievement (Gonzalez-DeHass et al., 2005; Tamis-LeMonda & Cabrera, 1999). Although fathers are seen less often than mothers at such events as parent-teacher conferences and school meetings, their presence at these activities is important. Perhaps father presence sends a message to the child that school is important because the father is willing to spend part of his time there.
Gonzalez-DeHass et al. (2005) discuss plausible explanations for the benefits of parental involvement on children’s motivation. Research shows that parental involvement raises children’s perceived competence and control. Children who feel more efficacious and in control of their learning are apt to be more motivated to learn. Parental involvement also offers children a sense of security and connectedness. Especially as children grow older, parental involvement conveys that children are very important to their parents. This sense of connectedness may help children to develop friendships among like-minded peers. Third, parental involvement helps children internalize educational values. Parental involvement conveys that education is important, and this value may be especially critical among adolescents who have friends who are disengaged from school and considering dropping out. And finally, children’s motivation actually can increase parental involvement. When children are motivated to do well in school and participate in activities parents are likely to encourage and assist them. Thus, the influence between parental involvement and children’s motivation may be reciprocal.
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