DOCUMENT RESUME

FD 347 640 EA 024 081

AUTHOR Keith, Timothy Z.; And OthersTITLE Effects of Parental Involvement on Eighth Grade

Achievement: LISREL Analysis of NELS-88 Data.PUB DATE Apr 92NOTE 30p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the

American Educational Research Association (SanFrancisco, CA, April 20-24, 1992).

PUB TYPE Speeches/Conference Papers (150) -- ReportsResearch/Technical (143)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; Family Environment; *Family

School Relationship; Grade 8; *Junior High Schools;Parent Aspiration; Parent Background; *ParentInfluence; *Parent Participation; Parent Role;*Parent School Relationship

ABSTRACTFindings of a study that determined the influence of

parental involvement on eighth-grade students' achievement arepresented in this paper, which examined the following specificcomponents of parent involvement: aspirations, home structure,discipline, and school activity participation. Data on 21,835students and their parents were derived from the National EducationLongitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS). Latent variable structuralequations analysis (LISREL) was used to determine the effects ofparental iniolvement on student achievement, to compare the effectsof various components of parental involvement, and to compare theeffects of students' versus parents' perceptions of involvement.Findings indicate that parental involvement in their children'shomework had a substantial effect on achievement test scores and thatthe extent of television viewing had no effect. Parental educationalaspirations had a positive effect on overall achievement, and familystructure had a small negative effect. Students' perceptions ofparental involvement were more important than were parents' reportsof participation. Eleven figures are included. (8 references)

(LMI)

***********************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

***********************************************************************

ChS'NZ:

Effects of Parental Involvement on Eighth Grade Achievement:

LISREL analysis of NELS-88 Data

Timothy Z. Keith

Patricia B. Keith

Patricia G. Bickley

Kusum Singh

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational

Research Association, San Francisco, April, 1992. Correspondence should

be sent to Timothy Z. Keith, Administrative & Educational Services,

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0302, Bitnet ID: TZKEITH cip

VTVM I .

Running Head: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT EFFEC1S

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

E DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOfbcø of Educ4140,81 Pesevcf, and Imroremem

EDUCAnONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

CISit<H5 documemf NIS Oeffm reprodoCeO 8$

ercerved from Me 0ors01 Or OrgilfuZiltOnOrvnalrn

o M.fxy chanves ?titre Well made to rmprorerepfoductiOn Outlay

OE RI pes,t,on 04 pokyrnerit CO 001 r4PC*111411frIy regreserit ottpcialPO.nts of v.ew of)"On811181tdm trIldoCtr

'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Parental Involvement Effects

2

ABSTRACT

Parental involvement is a hot topic in education, and the press and

policy makers are pushing parental invojvement as the latest educational

panacea. In fact, research is far from consistent in supporting parental

involvement effects, and numerous questions remain. Here we present

research concerning the effects of parental involvement on achievement

for a national sample of eighth graders and their parents.

The research was conducted on over 21,000 students and their

parents from the National Education Longitudinal Study. LISREL was

used to determine the effects of parental involvement on achievement, to

compare the effects of various components of parental involvement, and to

compare the effects of students' versus parents' perceptions of

involvement.

This research begins to answer several unanswered questions

concerning the effects of parental involvement on student learning. The

findings to be presented thus have implications for group programs and

individual interventions designed to increase parental involvement.

Parental Involvement Effects

3

Effects of Parental Involvement on Eighth Grade Achievement:

Analysis of NELS-88 Data

Does parental involvement improve students' academic

performance? American education has rediscovered parental involvement,

and the popular press, policy hAakers, and school administrators have

pounced upon parental involvement as the latest panacea for improving

school learning. For example, in a recent article in IN Sshool

Administrator, First Lady Barbara Bush proclaimed that schools need to

"Bring parents back to the fold" (1991, p. 48).

Research evidence does indeed suggest that parental involvement

may improve students' learning (Epstein, 1984, 1991), but there are many

inconsistencies in the research findings (Keith, 1991). A recent review of

parental involvement research concluded that the effects of parental

involvement may vary with the age of the students studied, with

involvement being more effective for elementary than for high school

youth. Little research has been conducted with middle school youth.

Parental involvement research has used a variety of definitions of parental

involvement, concentrating variously on parental aspirations, discussions of

schooling and school work, participation in school activities, or a home

structure that is oriented towards learning; the effects of parental

involvement may also vary depending on the definition used (for a

comparison of definitions, see Seginer, 1983). Parental involvement effects

may also vary depending on the learning criterion used, with grades more

easily affected than test scores (Fehrmann, Keith, & Reimers, 1987).

Parental Involvement Effects

4

Finally, it is simply unknown whether actual involvement or the student's

perceptions of involvement are more important for learning (for a

complete review, see Keith, 1991).

The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent of

the influence of parental involvement on eighth grade students'

achievement. We also sought to determine the relative importance of

more specific components of parental involvement--aspirations, home

structure, discussion, or participation in school activitieson learning, and

whether parental or student perceptions of involvement are more

important for learning. Finally, we examined two possible mechanisms by

which parental involvement might affect achievement: by increasing the

amount of time students spend on homework and by decreasing the

amount of time students spend watching week-day television.

KeThodsaecbniques

L.atent variable structu equations analysis (LISREL) was used to

determine the extent of the ?,.nce of general parental involvement on

eighth grade students' academic achievement, as measured by a series of

standardized tests in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies;

relevant background influences (ethnicity and family background, gender,

and previous achievement) were controlled. Homework and TV time were

added to the model as possible intervening variables. A second series of

analyses examined the effects of four more specific aspects (latent

variables) of parental involvement on achievement: parental educational

aspirations, the structure of the home (e.g., family rules. monitoring of

homework), parent and student discussions of school activities, and

'5

Parental Involvement Effects

5

parental participation in school activities. The third series of analyses

examined and compared the effects on achievement of parent reports of

involvement in these four areas with student perceptions of the same types

of involvement. For each series both general achievement and each

specific achievement area were examined. The models were based on

parent involvement theory and previous research (Bloom, 1984; Epstein,

1991; Keith, 1991; Reynolds & Walberg, 1990; Seginer, 1983).

Data Source

Data were derived from the first wave of the National Education

Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS). NELS includes data on more than

24,000 eighth graders along with their parents, teachers, and school

administrators. This research included information from 21,835 students

and their parents. For all analyses individual questionnaire items were

grouped into composites, which were used as measured indicators of the

latent variables.

Results and Conclusions

Results suggest that general parental involvement has substantial

effect on eighth grader's achievement test scores. This effect seems to be

accomplished primarily through homework; students whose parents are

more involved complete more homework, and this homework, in turn,

increases their achievement. Contrary to expectation, TV viewing had no

effect on eighth grade achievement.

Parental educational aspirations had a positive effect on overall

achievement, but when other variables in the model were statistically

controlled, family structure had a small negative effect. Neither parent-

6

Parental Involvement Effects

6

child communication about school nor parental participation in school

activities had a meaningful effect on achievement. These preliminary

findings will need to be analyzed further. As expected, student perceptions

of parental involvement were more important than were parent reports of

involvement. Indeed, parental perceptions of involvement had no effect

on achicvement, except through student perceptions.

Edtcatipnalnee_o_f_d_e_StudytScientifically, the results reported here are extremely generalizable,

as they are based on a recent, large, representative sample of eighth grade

students and their parents. Both parent and student responses were used,

and the technique used for analysis was very appropriate for the analysis

of such nonexperimental data. Educationally, these results begin to

provide answers to several unanswered questions concerning the nature

and extent of the influence of parental involvement on academic

achievement. The findings are important because parental involvement is

currently in vogue in education, and is being advocated as a method of

improving U.S. schools. The results suggest that parental involvement does

affect achievement. Students need to know that their parents are involved,

as well, since student perceptions of involvement appear more important

for achievement than parental perceptions. And while the effects of

involvement are not consistent across definitions, they are important,

especially since they come from a variable that is manipulable by parents,

by schools, and perhaps by the students themselves.

7

Parental Involvement Effects

7

References

Bloom, B. S. (1984). The search for methods of group instruction aseffective as one-to-one tutoring. Educational Leadership, 41(8), 4-17.

Bush, B. (1991, February). Bring parents back to the fold. The SchoolAdministrator, 48.

Epstein, J. L (1984, April). Effects of teacher, practices of parentatinvolvement for change in student achievement in reading anmath. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AmericanEducational Resee rch Association, New Orleans.

Epstein, J. L. (1991). Effects on student achievement of teachers' practicesof parent involvement. In S. Silvern (Ed.), Advances inreading/language tesearch: Literacy though family commun4 ansischool interaction, 5, 261-276. Greenwich, CT: JAI.Press.

Fehrmann, P. G., Keith, T. Z., & Reimers, T. M. (1987). Home influenceon school learning: Direct and indirect effects of parentalinvolvement on high school grades. Journal of EducationalResearch, tiO, 330-337.

Keith, T. Z. (1991). Parental involvement and achievement in high schools.In S. Silvern (Ed.), Advances in reading/language research: Literacythough family community and whool interaction, 5, 121-145.Greenwich, JAI Press.

Reynolds, A. J. & Walberg, H. J., (1990, February). A structural model ofeducational productivity, Paper presented at the Advisory Councilon Educational Statistics, Department of Education, OERI,Washington, DC.

Seginer, R. (1983). Parents' educational expectations and children'sacademic achievement: A literature review. Merrill-PalmerOuarter)y, 22, 1-21.

NEthnic

English Mtth Science Soc tudies

Previous 4

\ Achievement/N\\

\\

Reading

/Math°

N/ / / N)7

Aspire Talk Structure Participate \ \v.,,,,, \ t ,7t \

/ \ ,,>------'- ___..-------

\A----- 7------ /'\ \ L-------____./ Parental ( Achievement /

/. ., i.. Science'`, \\ ---- i. Involvement ,\ \4

iParEducle-_---___________. --'1,, \ N

7 Family4 ParOcc 4

\\ Background

4Income

Model 1, Figure 1: Theoretical Model

Social Studies

English Math ScienceP-iso

Previous

Ethniclow

_

Ethnicity)--

\

N 69

ParEdue s-N4, -

act Family4ParOcc 4

Background /

4Income

X 2 = 81.48df = 66p = .095

AGFI cm .982rmsr .018

N.

. \ /AZ \\ Reading

\\ ye.?, ci§. 07 Math1.'

Parental .2674.(

involvement/Achievement .8.5

-./

\ \\ Social Stuclies

%Pa\,

, //

0/ o'Aselre Taik

, \,

Model 1, Figure 2: Effects of Parental Involvement

ii 12

Model 1, Figure 3: Indirect Effects of PI through Homework

Ethnicity/.251

`ro

dpxf2 :u1 .0125°51129

AGFI = .978rmsr = .021

76>

! .324

Family \Background

13

412,-"

Previous \Achievement;

4

PreviousAchievement

( Ethnicity

( Aspirations

"-.3\2-.014 /7-----

( Participation -.017: /`

N-------_____ -------r

§g\cv

cs4

-*( Achievement

ir A

Family

4 \ Background

4-

-.163 A 7),/ Structure

-.047

Model 2, Figure 1: Initial Model

15

x2- 158.41

p .124

AGM - .976

rmsr .027

16

Q,Previous

Achievement

4

.057 Talk.125 ly*(

ONto.)

-

Aspirations )

Family

Background ,)

(Participation

bc) ,z11:14

zV

'174 to/ Structure

Model 2, Figure 2: Reduced Model

17

Achievement )

A

tfl

8

x2 162.72, df - 147, p .178

AGFI a. .977 rmsr .026

Ethnicp,

----^...-

____------------------ ___-_,..------------------------.---- ------ ,,.--

English Math Science Social Studies).. IP\ A\ \

y' Previous / /\ AchiNement / si./ /

/ ---C\ x--,

-,_____

.V.

Parent 1 Parent 2

-----</21

Parent )

///

I,t_ \ ///71 student t

h:

-----/ \ // -----------__ 4

, A Studenti -".-- V_ -- v ----i .v ------.-=:_::.--

Ethnicity

II

Parent-pd. _

1.IP

.\Family

.,1Background ;

Parent -Oce

Student 2

Model 3, Figure 1: Initial Model

t 9

/-op( Achievement

_

\\\

Re3ding

A"'

Social Studies

Ethnic

English Math Sic= Social StudiesItt

( Previous\ Achievement

x 2 = 107.86df = 89p = .085

AGFI .979ansr = .020

-.126-

Parent I Parent 2,Nr //

Parent ) /Student I

44:

\kJ- /\ /

7Student.318

Parent-Edp.

Income .4

Parent-Occ.

( Family

Backgound jL

Model 3, Figure 2: Reduced Model

0 1

Student 2

Ream' g

.036.21g Achievement.math

,447!!r

Science

Social Studies 4

EthnicP

ii 1English Math Science Social Studies

----71,\\,

_

Ethnicity,

( Previous\ Achievement

2 = 108.46df = 90p = .090

AGFI = .980rmsr = .020

.318

Parent-Ed

Income 4 - -

Parent-Oce.

Nb.

a// NNN

Parent I Parent 2

/-`

Parent )

( Student272

It

Family

Background 1

Model 3, Figure 3: No Direct PI Model

:3

.213

Reading.099

4Ip.( Achievement -Math

.454

science

4

Social Studies 4

4

4

,,----- ,\Previous(

Achievement

4.\ / \\

-___

4

// /

±.//

--- -.. \ /\ /1, Ethnicity )

/

celif 3

1

1

,

/ //4

( Aspirations )1

// /

,

/ / 49,1/

//

/ r7

/ 7 /r / /,

/ .

I

,

/

\ ,

,

/ I'

\ /

1

Family

Background //

Model 2, Figure 1: Initial Model

, \

li ----- ___ \._\"ez)\I -----, -----,....,\ 1.i \ 4)

.0 . . tit\../....0 ....3 LA , \

c%

,

-.014 \Participation -.017

, ,1 -*: Achievement:4

\,,,.__

I-.

pt. c StrUctlire/

V

.047

ef) v A

00.0

eNek

VV A

x2- 158.41 AGF1 - .976

p - .124 rmsr .027

Ethnic

1\\ --

,-...

-

7(Ethnicity

I

I\ I----N \-. / \ __

i

i

. /\ i,

Parez-E4 -,A _

i Family

Background

__.-------- ------________

_.,--------- ------::::-;=;:--1------------'":.-------

i .' lir "JI

I

1

vEnghah Math Scieace Social Studies

P ,-V

-,-,

( Previous\ Achievement1/ Parent I Parent 2

Parent

Income 4

Parent-Occ. 01,

\

*. Model 3, Figure 1: initial Model

a

NN N, N

\\

-/

Snidemt 1 Student 2,v

--A7 &Walt

-"-

Reading.v

\,,,,... 1, ,,

1

Acmevement -*Math A

\Science A.

4

Social Studies 4i

4

Av 2 . 107.86_----------df = 89p .085

,--,-1

t

i, ----,-...,,, -------\_

PAO& Math Sciaice Social Studies ---,---------,t P\ AGFI = .979---,, N rmsr 24 .020

i ./, N N(' Previous /,-\ Achievement \ \

N Patent I Parent 2 \ \ , \\

N.an, Iff V \ \\ \Ethnic -.`1.1 \ \

N, \ .\\p.

Parent )-----

,./

\\\\ \,\,

\w

_ ---- --__. -

_..-,- ., \ \'\ \( Ethnicity ) e,' * * \ \

i &AZ/ / \V Student 1 Student 2\,

:--,/

f'\ \ I

.\

\\

N

\

, \

\ lie -----

\

\

( Student\ .318 I .274 I, \,_

Reading

------,' 08nL

,a --. _

1_ . .036 --

--4 ,

\ --------, --------------* Achievement

-------__

\Parent-Ed_

kFamily

incolIte Background _

Parent-00c-

Model 3, Figure 2: Reduced Model

29

Social Studim 4