Cross-Sectional Study of the Relations Between Parental Factors and Academic Achievement in High School Adolescents

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Abstract

Using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model, parental predictors related to children’s academic success as measured by grade point average (GPA) were analyzed. Predictors chosen for this study were: parenting styles, parental attitude toward achievement, parental school involvement, and family structure. Data were collected from 146 parent-adolescent matched pairs in an at-risk, multi-ethnic suburban high school in the Midwest. Congruence between parent-adolescent perspectives was examined between 9th and 12th grade. Significance indicated parent-adolescent perspective of parental achievement variables differed between grade levels and ethnic groups, increasing understanding of which parental variables correlate with greater achievement. Family structure, but not SES predicted GPA signifying greater importance. Results add to the literature by improving our understanding of parental variables that predict adolescent academic achievement.

Authors

• Patricia Lanzon, Henry Ford Community College

• Cheryl Leigh Somers, Wayne State University

• Jina Yoon, Wayne State University