Family economic status and parental involvement: Influences of parental expectation and perceived barriers

• Published in: School psychology international Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 536 - 553
• Main Authors: Wang, Yiji, Deng, Ciping, Yang, Xiangdong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.10.2016; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Barriers; Children; Children & youth; China; Correlation; Disadvantaged; Economic status; Economically Disadvantaged; Education; Educational Attainment; Emotions; Expectation; Families & family life; Family Income; Foreign Countries; Grade 7; Grade 8; Hypothesis Testing; Low Income Groups; Maximum Likelihood Statistics; Mediation Theory; Mothers; Outcomes of Education; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Parenthood education; Parents & parenting; Socioeconomic Status; Structural Equation Models; China; educational expectation; family economic status; perceived barriers; parental involvement
• ISSN: 0143-0343; 1461-7374
• DOI: 10.1177/0143034316667646

Parental involvement in children’s education is a critical factor associated with children’s socio-emotional and educational outcomes. However, low parental involvement occurs more often among economically disadvantaged families. It is unclear what mechanisms may explain the association between family economic status and parents’ educational involvement. Using a large low-income sample from northwestern China (N = 12,724), we examined the influence of two proximal processes in parents – expectation for children’s highest educational attainment and perceived barriers to involve – in linking family economic status and the involvement of parents in children’s education. We also examined whether these relations may vary by parents’ level of education. Results of structural equation modeling suggested that parents’ expectation and perceived barriers mediated the relationship between family economic status and parental involvement. These relations were particularly prominent among highly educated mothers. Findings elucidate proximal processes in parents and highlight the unique effects of economic status and parents’ level of education in understanding the link between family economic status and parental educational involvement in Chinese families.