Parental involvement in home-based education and children’s academic achievement in China

Chinese children’s academic achievement has consistently been found to relate to parental involvement. We surveyed 4,222 students in the 8th grade at 15 junior high schools in Hainan Province, China. The data were examined using correlation analysis followed by latent class analysis. The latent class dimensions of parental involvement in home-based education were parent–child communication, home supervision, homework help, emotional support, and parental expectations. A series of models were estimated specifying one through five latent classes. Four types of home-based parental involvement were identified: supportive, basic, strict, and disengaged. After determining the best fitting model, we tested our hypotheses with multiple analysis of variance of parents’ socioeconomic status and the students’ academic achievement by type of home-based parental involvement. There were, accordingly, significant differences for both socioeconomic status and their children’s academic achievement. Scores for both achievement and socioeconomic status were highest among students with supportive home-based parent involvement, followed by those with basic, strict, and disengaged involvement, in descending order. The quantity and quality of parental involvement positively related to the children’s academic achievement. We recommend that parents support their children’s learning using high-quality communication and involve their children in democratic decision making.