Effects of Parental Involvement and Family Structure on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents

Abstract

Using the 1992 NELS data set, this study assessed the effects of three aspects of parental involvement and family structure on the academic achievement of those children. The results indicate that family structure and two of the three aspects of parental involvement were associated with higher adolescent academic achievement, when gender, race, and socioeconomic status are controlled for. Family structure was the single greatest predictor of academic achievement. The extent to which parents discussed school issues and attended school functions also had a positive impact on adolescent academic achievement. Whether a parent checked on a child's homework and checked on his or her friends did not have a positive impact, and sometimes had a negative effect, on academic achievement. The significance of these results is discussed. To the extent that parental family structure is, in itself, partially a measure of parental involvement, the relative influence of family structure and other measures of parental involvement on children's academic achievement is discussed.

Key Words:

• Achievement
• adolescence
• divorce
• education
• family structure
• parental involvement