Abstract
We investigated the relationship between parental influences and academic outcomes for African-American students. Secondary data analysis was conducted on the National Survey of Family and Household data set. Multiple regression analysis showed that parenting style (nurture and control) and parental involvement significantly predicted academic outcomes. Research has traditionally focused on the reasons for the failure of African-American students to succeed in school. This study focused on factors that determine success. The problem of negative school outcomes may be alleviated by studying what works to promote school success rather than what does not work for African-American students.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Baumrind, D. (1973). The development of instrumental competence through socialization. In A. D. Pick (Ed.),Minnesota symposium on child psychology (Vol. 7, pp. 3–46). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Baumrind, D. (1989). Rearing competent children. In W. Damon (Ed.),Child development today and tomorrow (pp. 248–378). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Baumrind, D. (1991). Effective parenting during the early adolescent transition. In P. Cowan & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.),Advances in family research: Vol. 2-Family transition (pp. 111–163). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Dornbusch, S., Ritter, P. Leiderman, P., Roberts, D., & Fraleigh, M. (1987). The relation of parenting style to adolescent school performance.Child Development, 54, 1244–1357.
Dye, J. (1989). Parental involvement in curriculum matters: Parents, teachers, and children working together.Educational Research, 31, 20–35.
Hale-Benson, J. (1990). Visions for children: Educating Black children in the context of their culture. In K. Lomotey (Ed.),Going to school: The African-American experience (pp. 209–222). New York: State University of New York Press.
Lee, C. (1984). An investigation of psychosocial variables related to academic success for rural Black adolescents.Journal of Negro Education, 53, 424–434.
Peters, M. (1985). Racial socialization of young Black children. In H. P. McAdoo & J. McAdoo (Eds.),Black children: social, educational, and parental environments (pp. 159–173). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Reynolds, A. (1989). A structural model of first-grade outcomes for an urban, low socioeconomic status, minority population.Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 594–603.
Reynolds, A. (1991). The middle schooling process: Influences on science and mathematics achievement from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth.Adolescence, 26 (101), 133–158.
Snodgrass, D. (1991). The parent connection.Adolescence, 26, 83–87.
Steinberg, L., Elmen, J., & Mounts, N. (1989). Authoritative parenting, psychosocial maturity, and academic success among adolescents.Child Development, 60, 1424–1436.
Terry, K. & Harackiewicz, J. (1986). The effects of perceived parental expectations on Chinese children's mathematics performance.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 32, 383–392.
Thompson, M., Alexander, K. & Entwisle, D. (1988). Household composition, parental expectations, and school achievement.Social Forces, 67, 424–451.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taylor, L.C., Hinton, I.D. & Wilson, M.N. Parental influences on academic performance in African-American students. J Child Fam Stud 4, 293–302 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233964
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233964