Parental Involvement Impact on a Childs Education - 550 Words

Parental Involvement: Impact on a Childs Education (Essay Sample) Content: Parental Involvement: Impact on a Childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s EducationStudentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s NameUniversity AffiliationParental Involvement: Impact on a Childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s EducationProviding for a family is a challenging task in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s world. Parents work long hours to pay bills and ensure that their children live a comfortable life. As a result, most parents return home tired and with little energy or time to follow up on their childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s educational progress. Some parents delegate all educational responsibilities to teachers. However, a child whose parents are supportive and involved in his or her education has a better chance of succeeding in school.Firstly, children whose parents play a critical role in their education score higher grades than those whose parents play a passive role or are absent altogether. This is because active parents encourage their children to succeed in school. They aid their children to do their homework and help teachers to identi fy and solve difficulties encountered in their childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s education. They also help their children choose subjects and courses they can pursue with passion and excellence. The involvement of parents in the education of their child also influences teachers (Jeynes, 2011). Since instructors play a significant role in rating and grading a child, "a high degree of parental involvement likely influences how the teacher perceives and even grades the child" (Jeynes, 2011, p. 55). According to Chance (1997), providing teachers with feedback about a childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s attitude and wellbeing can help the child achieve higher scores in IQ tests and vocabulary competence.Secondly, children with supportive parents are more disciplined than those with unsupportive parents. It is easy for parents who follow up on their childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s school activities to identify weaknesses that may lead to indiscipline. They can then discuss such weaknesses with teachers and develop strategies and mechanisms to rectify the weaknesses. As a result, children with such parents are less likely to develop disorderly behaviors. Children with supportive parents are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol or to be suspended from school (Feuerstein, 2000). A study by Sui-Chu and Willms (1996) concluded that eighth graders whose parents were keen on their childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s schoolwork had reduced absenteeism and were less likely to drop out of school. Schools with many activities that require parental involvement report fewer incidences of violent or antisocial behavior (Connor, 2012).Thirdly, the involvement of a parent in a childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s education increases the childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s self-esteem. A high self-esteem, in turn, improves the childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s general wellbeing and their success in education (Feuerstein, 2000). Amsel (2013), who holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in sociology, wrote that limited parental involvement makes children feel unappreciated because there is no one to remind them that they are admirable, valuable and exciting. Children who feel unappreciated have negative thoughts and feelings about themselves (Amsel, 2013). This hampers the development of the childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s self-confidence and compromises their self-esteem (Amsel, 2013). Parents who want to improve their childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s esteem should not restrict their involvement to activities at school. Rather, "parental involvement in the education of children encompasses education-related activities both at home and school" (Onwughalu, 2011, p. 5). However, Amsel (2013) also warned parents that overindulgence in their childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s life may give the child little room to self-reflect and develop self-esteem.In conclusion, involvement of parents in their childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s education improves the childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s chances of succeedin...