It Takes a Village: Social Mechanisms of Parental Involvement and Academic Achievement in Elementary School

• In Event: 31.081 - Parents and Families

Abstract

This study assesses social mechanisms of parental involvement and its relationship with children’s achievement in early childhood. We argue that a traditional explanatory framework of parental involvement, focusing on the multidimensional conceptualization and sociodemographic disparities, has inevitably led to inconsistent empirical findings. We theorize three mechanisms that influence parental involvement activities—motivational, reactive, and collective factors—to examine why and how parents get involved and its influences on academic achievement. Using data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), we show that the effects of parental involvement activities are greater for parents who are self-motivated, proactive, and connected to broader social networks in which parents can effectively interact with school staffs and other parents.

Authors

• Angran Li, University of Connecticut - Storrs

• Scott Davies, University of Toronto - OISE

• Janice Aurini, University of Waterloo

• Cathlene Hillier, University of Waterloo