Parent involvement and academic outcomes among urban adolescents: examining the role of school engagement

Abstract

The present study examined the extent to which parent involvement in education was directly and indirectly (via school engagement) related to academic outcomes in an effort to more fully understand the school experiences of urban adolescents. Participants (80% racial/ethnic minority; n = 108) were in grades 6, 7 or 8. In the Fall and subsequent Spring youth completed in-school surveys with items on parental involvement in education, school engagement (affective, behavioural, cognitive engagement) and perceived academic competence. Grades were obtained from official school records. Findings showed that parental involved was positively associated with behavioural and cognitive engagement, which in turn contributed to academic competence and achievement. Results underscore the importance of parental involvement in adolescents’ engagement and academic success and highlight the importance of examining the multiple components of school engagement simultaneously, as we found differential effects for affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement on academic competence and achievement.

Keywords:

• parent involvement
• school engagement
• academic achievement
• middle school
• urban adolescents

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the graduate and undergraduate research assistants who helped carry out this study. We are especially indebted to the adolescents and their families whose participation made this research possible.

Funding

Funding for this research was provided in part by the Purdue Research Foundation [205284] and the Kinley Trust [204589].