Parental Involvement in Education
By Natasha Duffin-Jones
When I thought of myself as a mother, before I had children, I envisaged myself teaching my children how to cook, enjoying preparing meals together, and
As we settle into the new academic year, parents may be reflecting upon how things are going at school. Numerous studies have shown that the biggest indicator of a child’s educational attainment is parental involvement in their education. But why is it so crucial, and how can we be involved?
Parental involvement has been proven to improve not only academic outcomes but also social-emotional outcomes (1). Children with involved parents are likely to stay in school longer and have higher self-esteem (2). Parental involvement improves academic attainment for children because these children have better attendance and behavior, superior social skills, and are able to adapt to school more easily (3). Most importantly, parental involvement in children’s education establishes children as lifelong learners, ensuring their success in the long term (3).
What is parental involvement in education?
There are a number of ways that parents can be involved in their children’s education. First and foremost is attending parent–teacher meetings and beginning a positive dialogue with their children’s teachers. Schools also often host workshops for parents to help with topics such as teaching and learning, curriculum, behavior management, and children’s well-being. It is really useful for parents to attend these sessions as educational practice may have changed a lot since parents attended school themselves. In addition, there are school community events such as fairs and parties to get to know other parents within the school community. Also, with younger children there may be opportunities to volunteer to support field trips and within the classroom. Arguably, the younger children are, the more opportunities there are for parental involvement, and as they get older, these opportunities diminish.
What are the barriers to parental involvement in an international setting?
Education in an international setting can be very different to that of one’s own country, which can pose challenges when getting involved in children’s education. There may be difficulties if parents do not feel confident communicating in the language which the school uses to communicate. Parents who work internationally may have strict work schedules and have to travel for work, meaning it can be difficult to attend school events. Moreover, in many schools there may be a range of different cultures with different values and views on education and the families' role in education. Culturally, some parents are more likely to focus on supporting their children through volunteering activities while others are more likely to support their children through additional teaching at home (4). If parents feel that they do not understand the school systems or activities, then they are more likely to be frustrated and less likely to participate (5). It can be challenging for parents to feel like they understand how to support their child in their education.
How can parents who can’t visit school be involved?
One significant barrier that parents may face is being unable to visit school due to their work commitments. So how can those parents ensure they are still an active participant? One way is to ensure they stay up to date with school communication so they can have conversations with their children about their education. Another important way to be a positive influence is for parents to speak positively about their children’s schools and their teachers when at home. If a child’s parent speaks negatively about their schooling, how much effort and enthusiasm will that child have for their learning?
Moreover, parents can create a learning environment in their home, giving children the chance to learn outside of the classroom in different ways. This could include a number of different things: cooking, sports, computing, dance, the arts; in fact anything that parents feel passionate and excited about will no doubt interest their children. Creating an enriching learning environment at home will have a positive impact on the child’s passion for learning both at school and at home. Most importantly, parents need to make the time to read with their children and read to them, especially books which are beyond the level which they can read independently. There is no doubt that reading with and to children has the biggest impact on their attainment in school (6). One common form of parental involvement, helping with children’s homework, has been shown to have very little impact on academic attainment (1).
Can you have too much parental involvement?
There is always a danger that parents could become “over-involved” in their child’s education. This is when they start preventing their children from developing their own life skills, such as taking the lead in their social interactions, and not allowing children to build their own independence (2). As children grow and move through school, the role of parents will change to suit the needs of their children. Some strategies to help would be to: establish roles for parents and children at the start of each academic year; check in but do not check up; ensure that your children are included in any parent–teacher communication as they get older; and finally, praise independence, whether it is handling difficult conversations or completing their own homework (2).
One way you can start to give children independence is to involve them in selecting their extracurricular activities. All children from very young ages can share with their parents the activities that they enjoy and it is important that they feel empowered and motivated to join in activities that they actually want to do! Unfortunately, in my experience many parents select activities for their children that they do not want to do, which then just leads to low engagement from the children.
In summation, parental involvement is paramount to children’s educational success.
Parents may struggle to be involved if schooling is significantly different to what they have experienced, although these barriers can be overcome. Even if parents are unable to attend school events, they can still provide invaluable support to their children. However, parents need to ensure they are supporting children in developing their independence as they move through the school system and empowering them to make their own informed decisions and advocate for themselves. Communication and understanding are key to long-term mutual support.
References
- Stanford, L. (2023) Does parental involvement really help students? Here’s what the research says. EducationWeek. edweek.org/leadership/does-parent-involvement-really-help-students-heres-what-the-research-says/2023/07
- Holland, R. (2024) Parental involvement in education: how much is too much? TutorLyft. tutorlyft.com/blogs/parental-involvement-in-education
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2022) Parental involvement in your child’s education. aecf.org/blog/parental-involvement-is-key-to-student-success-research-shows
- Huntsinger, CS. & Jose, PE. (2009) Parental involvement in children’s schooling: different meanings in different cultures. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(4):398–410. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.07.006.
- Zong, X., Zhang, L. & Yao, M. (2017) Parental involvement and Chinese elementary students’ achievement goals: the moderating role of parenting styles. Educational Studies, 44(3):341–356. doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2017.1373634
- National Literacy Trust (2020) Reading to children is so powerful, so simple and yet so misunderstood. literacytrust.org.uk/blog/reading-children-so-powerful-so-simple-and-yet-so-misunderstood/
About the Author
Natasha Duffin-Jones is a mother of two children as well as an early years and primary teacher with a Master of Early Childhood degree. She is also a children’s yoga teacher with her company, Story Time Yoga, specializing in teaching yoga with children’s stories developing literacy and emotional literacy. She also likes visiting different places in Bangkok with her children and documenting their adventures on her Instagram page @bangkokmamaandbaby.