Study of Role of Parenting in Children with Low Academic Performance

Abstract

Parental involvement in school has been demonstrated to be a key factor for children’s academic outcomes.
However, there is a lack of research in Chile, as well as in Latin American countries in general, leaving a gap in the
literature about the generalization of findings outside developed and industrialized countries, where most of the
research has been done. The present study aims to analyse the associations between parental involvement in school
and children’s academic achievement. Cluster analysis results from a sample of 498 parents or guardians whose
children attended second and third grades in 16 public elementary schools suggested the existence of three different
profiles of parental involvement (high, medium, and low) considering different forms of parental involvement (at
home, at school and through the invitations made by the children, the teachers, and the school). Results show that
there are differences in children’s academic achievement between the parental involvement profiles, indicating children
whose parents have a low involvement have lower academic achievement. Findings are in line with international
research evidence, suggesting the need to focus on this variable too in Latin American contexts