The Chicken or the Egg: Children’s Academic Achievement and Parental Involvement as a Reciprocal Relationship

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 22: The Role of Family, Health, and Parental Engagement in Education and Well-Being

Abstract

Studies showing that parental involvement benefits children’s educational outcomes often imply a one-directional causal relationship between the two. However, children’s academic achievement also shapes parental behaviors, and mothers likely respond differently to children’s academic performances than fathers do. This study instead considers parental involvement and children’s academic performance as a reciprocal relationship. Drawing on panel data of junior high school students in China, we test two competing theories: the compensation theory, which hypothesizes a negative relationship between children’s academic achievement and parental involvement, and rational choice theory, which argues for a positive relationship. Our findings show that parental involvement indeed positively associated with children’s test scores, lending support to the rational choice theory. The bidirectional relationship is evident in children’s cognitive test scores, as well as in Chinese, math, and English test scores. Additionally, parents differently respond to children’s academic achievement. Specifically, mothers adjust their involvement based on children’s performance, while fathers do not. By highlighting the reactive nature of parental involvement, this study underscores the interdependent nature of parental behavior and children’s schooling outcomes.

Authors

• Shichao Du, University at Albany, SUNY

• Yi-Lin Chiang, NYU Shanghai