Effective Parental Influence: Academic home climate linked to children's achievement

Abstract

What constitutes effective parenting? An international consensus has evolved that effective parenting makes important contributions to children's achievement. But the fundamental question is what constitutes effective parenting. Most of the research that has been done in answering this question has been done within existing school frameworks inside the educational bureaucracy. We answer this question by taking a different tact. We conducted international qualitative/quantitative studies directly with families of high-achieving gifted children. These studies were conducted in Scandinavian, European, and Asian countries, as well as in the USA. All of this work found that effective parents develop Academic Home Climates. Children prosper when these Academic Home Climates mesh with the academic climates found in their schools. This article illustrates our cross-cultural methods and shows how the Academic Home Climate generates a series of beliefs, attitudes, and motivations that lead to higher achievement.