L. Okagaki et Pa. Frensch, PARENTING AND CHILDRENS SCHOOL-ACHIEVEMENT - A MULTIETHNIC PERSPECTIVE, American educational research journal, 35(1), 1998, pp. 123-144
The present study is an examination of the relations between parenting
and the school performance of fourth- and fifth-grade children (mean
age = 10 years 2 months) in 75 Asian-American, 109 Latino, and 91 Euro
pean-American families. Five aspects of parenting were studied: (a) ex
pectations for children's educational attainment (b) grade expectation
s, (c) basic childbearing beliefs(i.e., development of autonomy: devel
opment of conformity to external standards and importance of monitorin
g children's activities), (d) self-reported behaviors (i.e., creating
an academically enriching environment and helping with homework), and
(e) perceptions of parental efficacy. School performance was measured
by school grades and achievement test scores. Ethnic group differences
emerged in parents' expectations for children's educational attainmen
t, grade expectations, childrearing beliefs, perceptions of parental e
fficacy, and in the relations between these beliefs a,rd children's sc
hool achievement. these results provide further evidence of the import
ance of considering the constellation of parents beliefs, goals for th
eir children and the type of help parents can offer children when work
ing with parents to facilitate their children's school experiences.