THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT’S ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Abstract

Many studies have shown that parents’ involvement in their child’s life can lead to improvements in their academic achievement (e.g., Bogenschneider, 1997; Gonzalez-DeHass, et. al, 2005). Much of the research around parental involvement and academic achievement in younger students has been based around Joyce Epstein’s research (1992). The research that has been conducted suggests that parental involvement changes as students grow. With older students, parental involvement is seen more frequently through parents’ aspirations and expectations for their students. However, there is not much research related to parental involvement and academic achievement for college aged students, and even less research related to first-generation students. The goal of the current research was to further investigate the relationship between first-generation and non-first-generation students’ academics and actual or perceived parental involvement. Study results indicated that perceived parental expectations were a significant predictor of academic success in first-generation college students.