The Differential Effects of Parental Involvement on High School Completion and Postsecondary Attendance

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

Parental involvement affects multiple dimensions of students’ achievement, motivation, and engagement, yet its specific influence on high school completion and postsecondary attendance has been less examined. This study replicates and extends prior work by testing how distinct parental involvement dimensions relate to completion and postsecondary enrollment, with focus on students who later earn GEDs and attend college. Educational expectations and participation in school functions predict persistence and enrollment, while parent-school communication about school problems relates negatively to both outcomes, informing culturally responsive family-school policy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University | Volume 24 Number 30 | March 7, 2016 | ISSN 1068-2341 | | --- | --- | --- | The Differential Effects of Parental Involvement on High School Completion and Postsecondary Attendance Terris Ross U.S. Department of Education 1 United States Citation: Ross, T. (2016). The differential effects of parental involvement on high school completion and postsecondary attendance. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(30) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v24.2030](http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v24.2030) Abstract: Previous studies have shown the impact of parental involvement on a number of student achievement, motivation, and engagement outcomes, but the extent to which parental involvement influences high school completion and postsecondary attendance has received less attention in the literature. Filling that gap, this study replicates and extends previous research (Fan & Williams, 2010) by examining the influence of various dimensions of parental involvement on high school completion and postsecondary attendance (with particular interest in dropouts who later earned GEDs and went on to college). Results show that parents’ educational expectations for their children play a significant role in whether students from all backgrounds persist toward completion of high school and whether they attend a postsecondary institution. This study also finds parent participation in school functions to be a significant positive predictor of both high school completion and postsecondary enrollment, while communication between parent and school about 1 This study is the result of the author’s independent research and the views expressed in the study do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education or the United States. Journal website: [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ ](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript)[ Manuscript](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript) received: 25/2/2015 Facebook: /EPAAA Revisions received: 1/9/2015 Twitter: @epaa_aape Accepted:15/9/2015 children’s school problems is negatively associated with both outcomes. The implications for expanding developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive policies for family and school engagement are discussed. Keywords: parental involvement; high school completion; postsecondary attendance Los efectos diferenciales de la participación de los padres en la asistencia post-secundaria y la finalización de la escuela secundaria Resumen: Estudios previos han demostrado el impacto de la participación de los padres en una serie de logros de los estudiantes, motivación y resultados de la participación, pero el grado en que la participación de los padres influencian la finalización del secundario y post-secundaria ha recibidomenos atención en la literatura. Para atender ese problema, este estudio replica y extiende la investigación anterior (Fan & Williams, 2010) mediante el examen de la influencia de diversas dimensiones de la participación de los padres en la terminación de los estudios y asistencia postsecundaria (con especial interés en los abandonos de estudiantes que más tarde obtuvieron el diploma de finalización GED y que fueron a la universidad) . Los resultados muestran que las expectativas educativas de los padres sobre sus hijos tienen un papel importante para que estudiantes de todos los orígenes sociales persistan en la finalización de la escuela secundaria y asistan a una institución de educación superior. Este estudio también revela que la participación de los padres en las actividades escolares puede ser un predictor positivo significativo tanto de la finalización de la escuela secundaria y la matrícula de educación superior, mientras que la comunicación entre padres yescuelas acerca de problemas escolares de los niños se asocia negativamente con ambos resultados. Se discuten las implicaciones para la expansión

FAQs

What does the study investigate about parental involvement?

It examines how different dimensions of parental involvement relate to high school completion and postsecondary attendance.

Which parental factors are linked to higher completion and enrollment?

Parents’ educational expectations and participation in school functions are significant positive predictors of both high school completion and postsecondary enrollment.

How does parent-school communication about school problems relate to outcomes?

Communication between parents and the school about children’s school problems is negatively associated with both completion and postsecondary attendance.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag