Family involvement can have a huge impact on the ability of children to learn and succeed in the education system, a Queensland University of Technology study has found.
Associate Professor Donna Berthelsen and Dr Sue Walker, from QUT's School of Early Childhood in the Faculty of Education, are both involved with an ongoing, government-funded, longitudinal study of 10,000 Australian children.
Data analyses from their study have so far centred largely around the influence of parents on children's learning and how parental involvement at school affects learning.
"The family has the largest influence on children's learning outcomes and how parents value school education is very important," Professor Berthelsen said.
"If parents are involved with their children's learning in the early years of school, it makes it more likely that their children will complete school and go on to further study."
Professor Berthelsen said that of the parents interviewed when the children were in Years 1 and 2 at school, around 99 per cent expected their children to complete schooling. However, only 60 per cent were viewed by teachers as being very involved with their children's education.
"Almost without exception parents expressed a wish for their children to finish school and go to university, but in Australia the number of students who do so is under 80 per cent," she said.
It has been found that parents who remain engaged with schools throughout their child's education are more likely to have children who do complete high school and go on to further study.
"Parental involvement with schools, whether through talking with other parents, their children's teachers, their children about school, or helping their children with homework, reflects that these parents place a high value on education," Professor Berthelsen said.
"Such engagement has a positive effect on children's learning.
"While we have found that there is a very high level of parental involvement in the early years of schooling, overseas research indicates that this engagement starts to decrease in the later years of primary school and throughout high school.
"This may be because parental expectations have changed or because they are not confident or comfortable enough talking with their children's teachers and they become more inclined to leave it up to the teachers."
Professor Berthelsen said more outreach from schools to parents could help keep them involved.
"If parents did not have positive experiences at school or are reluctant to approach teachers, then it is up to the school to provide that outreach," she said.
"At the same time, there are many things parents can do at home to support learning. It is important parents don't see schools as solely responsible for their child's learning.
"Helping with homework and discussing experiences at school and what is being learned lets children know that their parents are interested and concerned."
Media contact: Sharon Thompson, QUT media officer - 3138 4494 or sharon.thompson@qut.edu.au
**Hi-res pic available for media
