An Investigation of the Relationship Among Parental Involvement, Socio-economic Factors of Parents and Students? Academic Achievement

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of 8th grade students‟ academic achievement with parental involvement and socio-economic factors of parents. Data were collected from the state schools in the Famagusta district of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). A total of 178 families (students and their parents) participated in the study. A quantitative research method was used to collect data. The questionnaires were prepared in the participants‟ mother tongue which is Turkish. The students‟ questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part asked student‟s gender, school‟s name and previous semester‟s average report grade. The second part included 34 items on students‟ perceptions of parental involvement and their attitudes towards their own education. The questionnaire prepared for the parents consisted of two parts. The first one included 13 questions about demographic factors and the second part included 32 questions about their involvement in their children‟s education. The data were analyzed through SPSS. The findings of the study revealed that students‟ academic achievement is positively correlated with parental involvement and parents‟ education level. Also, there is a positive relationship between mother involvement and father involvement. Moreover, students‟ academic achievement is negatively correlated with the nationality of the mother and location of home. Finally, implications for encouraging more parental involvement and suggestions for further research were given.