PARENTING AND CHILDRENS SCHOOL-ACHIEVEMENT - A MULTIETHNIC PERSPECTIVE

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.