Parental involvement and students' academic achievement: A growth modelinganalysis

The major research objective of this study was to assess the effect of pare ntal involvement on students' academic growth during the high school years. The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) data were used , and latent growth curve analysis within the framework of structural equat ion modeling was the major analytic tool. The following are the major findi ngs of the study: (a) Parental involvement appears to be multidimensional; (b) ethnic group samples reported comparable degrees of parental involvemen t; (c) parents' aspiration for their children's education attainment had a consistent and positive effect on students' academic growth; and (d) the ef fect, or lack thereof, of parental involvement was consistent across ethnic group samples and across data sources (student vs. parent data). Plausible reasons for the consistent effect of parents' aspirations on students' aca demic achievement are discussed. The author offers explanations for why som e parental involvement dimensions showed negative, though generally small, effects on students' academic growth.