parents motivation essay

Parents’ motivation influences students’ academic outcomes

Whether parental help has positive or negative effects on students' academic outcomes depends on the motivation and involvement of their parents. Results of a study conducted by the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology suggest that students whose parents are interested in math and perceive their own math competencies to be high perform better than students with parents who show a low interest in math and regard their competencies in the domain as equally low -- regardless of the intensity of the help students receive at home. The results have now been published in Child Development.

Family background plays a crucial role in the development of students' academic motivation and achievement. Previous research suggested that parents' academic involvement is, on average, associated with better academic outcomes, but the pattern of results was far from being unequivocal and it also remained unclear what kind of help is actually helpful and what is harmful. For example, excessive parental involvement may be perceived by students as controlling behavior. This can have a detrimental effect on their academic confidence and correspondingly on achievement. Thus, researchers at the University of Tübingen set out to investigate which family characteristics have a positive effect on academic outcomes and which characteristics can be more of a hindrance. To this end, they collected data from more than 1,500 ninth-grade students and their parents.

Parents answered questions on the degree of their academic involvement in math such as homework help, family math interest, their math competencies, their child's need for support in math, and the time and energy they invest in their child's academic life. Students filled out questionnaires at the beginning as well as five months later, in which they reported on their own competencies, their effort, and their interest in math. In addition, their math grades and their achievement in standardized achievement tests were assessed.

The results confirmed the researchers' assumption that parental involvement per se does not result in higher academic outcomes. Instead, there are very specific family characteristics that promote high achievement. "A favorable pattern of students' academic outcomes was found when families were interested in math and perceived their own math competence to be high, regardless of their amount of academic involvement," says Isabelle Häfner, lead author of the study. Thus, it would be problematic to attribute high or low achievement solely to whether parents help students with their homework or not.

The most unfavorable conditions for academic achievement were found for students from deeply involved families who considered their child needed support in math, showed low levels of family math interest, and perceived their own math competencies as low. Students from these 'involved but unmotivated' families not only performed poorly in math, but also showed low levels of motivation. "Helicopter moms can impair their child's performance if they are not themselves interested in the subject they want to support their child in," explains Häfner. This complex interplay of favorable and unfavorable factors with regard to students' academic achievement will be investigated in further studies.

• K-12 Education
• Educational Psychology
• Educational Technology
• Mathematics
• Mathematical Modeling
• Math Puzzles
• Special education
• Early childhood education
• Intellectual giftedness
• Illusion of control
• Perfectionism (psychology)
• Autistic spectrum

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Materials provided by University of Tübingen . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Isabelle Häfner, Barbara Flunger, Anna-Lena Dicke, Hanna Gaspard, Brigitte M. Brisson, Benjamin Nagengast, Ulrich Trautwein. The Role of Family Characteristics for Students’ Academic Outcomes: A Person-Centered Approach . Child Development , 2017; DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12809

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We entered this world because of our parents. It is our parents who have given us life and we must learn to be pleased with it. I am grateful to my parents for everything they do for me. Through my parents essay, I wish to convey how valuable they are to me and how much I respect and admire them.

My Strength My Parents Essay

My parents are my strength who support me at every stage of life. I cannot imagine my life without them. My parents are like a guiding light who take me to the right path whenever I get lost.

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While my mother is always working at home, my father is the one who works outside. He is a kind human who always helps out my mother whenever he can. He is a loving man who helps out the needy too.

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I love both my parents with all my heart. They are kind people who have taught their children to be the same. Moreover, even when they have arguments, they always make up without letting it affect us. I aspire to become like my parents and achieve success in life with their blessings.

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The role of parents’ beliefs in students’ motivation, achievement, and choices in the STEM domain: a review and directions for future research

• Published: 16 April 2020
• Volume 23 , pages 701–719, ( 2020 )

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• Mara Šimunović 1 &
• Toni Babarović 1  

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In the domain of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, the family still presents an untapped resource for promoting students’ motivation and achievement. Based on the premises of the Eccles’ model of parental socialization and the expectancy-value theory, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature on the socializing influence of parental beliefs in the STEM educational domain. More specifically, we discuss the role of parents’ values and self-efficacy in STEM, parents’ perception of children’s ability in STEM, and parents’ expectations for children’s STEM achievement. Reviewed studies show that all of these beliefs have a potential in explaining variations in students’ achievement motivation, performance, and career choices related to STEM. Parents’ child-specific beliefs and messages have shown to be the crucial socializing factors in this area. We further integrate and discuss the research findings on the gender differentiation in parents’ child-specific beliefs in STEM, possible explanations of this differentiation, and its importance for students’ gender-role socialization in STEM. The review also points out that the behavioral mechanisms through which parents may convey their STEM-related beliefs to their children are still unclear, presumably since the quality of parent–child interaction in STEM is often overlooked by researchers. Lastly, we present parent-oriented interventions aimed at fostering parents’ self-efficacy and utility value in STEM and at changing stereotypical images of STEM careers and STEM professionals. Based on this comprehensive review, methodological and conceptual implications for future research are discussed and improvements for parental intervention programs are proposed.

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Šimunović, M., Babarović, T. The role of parents’ beliefs in students’ motivation, achievement, and choices in the STEM domain: a review and directions for future research. Soc Psychol Educ 23 , 701–719 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09555-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09555-1

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Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation Essay

Introduction.

Parent participation in the students’ education is a very important concept that keeps the child attached to school and therefore learning made as successful as possible. The educators have recommended that parents should take active roles in assisting their children to learn.

This is especially important for those students who present learning disabilities and therefore need special program that go beyond the normal school curriculum. However in general, all students require the participation of their parents. There are a number of ways that parents can be involved and this has been addressed in a number of researches.

This project is an examination of these studies concerning the role played by parents as they get involved in the school activities on the motivation of the students. There are a number of parent involvement styles that have been assessed by previous studies. They include volunteering, meeting with staff, attendance of parent classes, and home involvement among others.

Literature Review: The Role of Attitudes, Beliefs, and Perceptions in Student Learning

The studies show that parent involvement is a very important variable and that it has a positive correlation with performance of eh students. As a result, more and more schools are now considering the important of this variable and they are developing programs that encourage parents to get involved more in their children’s (student’s) education.

Based from the recent trends, it is imperative to recognize what entails parent involvement and in what manner does it influence the academic performance of the children. In this paper, parent involvement is simply looked at as the relationship between the parent and the school.

In a study by Deutscher and Ibe 2003, p. 2, under the review of the Epstein paper, the study discusses that children learn and grow in three overlapping spheres of influence.

These spheres include the family where they are born and brought up, the schools they attend to learn new life skill and the larger community where they stay. These there sources of influence need to be in partnership so that they can evoke the best out of the child (Deutscher & Ibe 2003, p. 2).

Still the paper discusses six kinds of involvement that can be drawn from the association of the family school and the community. They include parenting skills, communication, learning at home, working together with the community, volunteering and decision making. This is why the teachers’ and administrators’ attitude and beliefs have been that parent involvement is very important.

As the importance of parent involvement continues to be witnessed, the parents themselves have also growing to like being involved. Many parents now take a keen interest in the academics of their children as well as in the activities of the schools that their children go to (Deutscher and Ibe 2003, p. 4).

More and more parent s are now working with their children on their homework and many more often talk to their children concerning topic that are related to school work. Some parents even volunteer to accompany student s on school fieldtrips.

The authors present the outcomes in a manner that shows that there is a positive attitude and belief regarding their involvement in school activities. Besides, the school administration also appreciates involvement of parent because of the outcomes that have been observed over the past years.

There is an ever growing interest in the performance of students in relation to the role their parent’s involvement play (Castello & Pepe, 2008, p. 2).

In the past two decades, the have been a number of scientific papers and reports done about the implication of the school administrations and how families or parent are included in the education systems. Most of the findings are considered subjective impression because many of the studies were qualitative. (Castello & Pepe 2008) carried out a bibliometric study to assess the school-parent relationships.

There has been increased study of psychology paper that deal with parent involvement in school. This means that the important of this subject is significantly expressed in research. Parent involvement is important for better performance of students according to Castello & Pepe, 2008, p. 6.

Hill and Tyson, 2009, carried out a research using meta-analysis methods on the current papers addressing the impact of parent-school relationship of the Middle school children.

This was set to assess whether there was significant relationship between the parental involvement methods and performance. In over 50 papers assessed, the outcomes indicated that there was a very strong positive correlation between parent school relationship and the performance of the students.

The relationships that entailed academic socialization had the best positive association with academic performance (Hill & Tyson, 2009, p. 745). Teacher and parents perception are based on current studies and therefore they all tend to work together for the deemed positive outcomes.

Jeynes, 2007, p. 84, conducted a meta-analysis for 52 studies on parental involvement in school activities and the outcome on the students in the urban high schools. The results of these studies indicate that there is significant relationship to specific components involved (socio-economic status and race). The most positive correlation rates were observed among the white families and the minority families.

Application

Based on the observation and the interviews conducted with the teachers, school administrators and the parents, it is evident that the parents’ attitude towards the school and the teachers is often influenced to determine how active they get involved.

Even thought the teachers and the parent both value the participation of parents in the school activities and program in an active manner, the two groups’ perception and beliefs were affected by different factors (Driessen et al., 2005, p. 513).

In the case of the parents, their involvement in the school activities was influenced based on their personal beliefs and feelings towards the teachers and other parents. It was very hard to determine how these personal feelings came up but one major presumption is that probably some parent did not just respect the profession or disliked very powerful and strong character of other parents.

Most of the parents who did not want to be involved with the parent council due to person reasons towards the teachers or another parent involved also avoided other activities that would bring them together (Driessen et al., 2005, p. 513).

In terms of evaluating the attitude, this kind of behavior was an indication of a very strong impact of the parents’ perception of the school leadership, its capabilities and therefore participation in school activities (Pena, 2003, p. 13).

One of the responses was quite mesmerizing and it was about comparing how conflict between teacher and parent was resolved. This was to evaluate the conflict management abilities and methods used. The outcomes of the study did not find any significant differences in terms of the arguments presented.

The school-parent relationship has not been very good in the past decades but parents and teachers are realizing that working together makes managing students easier.

The teacher can have better understanding of the students since they exchange a lot of information with their parent (Pena, 2003, p. 13). Parent on the other hand can understand how their children behave when they are not watching or when they are under the watch of teachers at school.

School-based involvement of teachers presents very good opportunity for their children to learn and perform much better. This is because this type if interaction can include visits to classroom and socialization amount the teacher students and parents.

These interaction are effective in increasing the knowledge of parents concerning the school curriculum, what the student should always do, enhances social capital and therefore the result is that involvement at home will be optimal (Jeynes, 2007, p. 745).

As the child goes through the school, further interaction between the parents and the teachers builds mutual respect and positive perception of teachers concerning the degree to which the parents valued their children’s education. With such attitude from both sides, there will be mutual respect.

Parent will respect the teachers, the profession, the school and the teacher will perceive parents as supporters and partners in the provision of education to the students (Jeynes, 2007, p. 745). With mutual respect and relationship, the students are at an advantage position to benefit from support offered by parent and teachers. Their opportunities to learn are therefore enhanced.

Based on the findings of the study, I can suggest that there needs to be a continuous education program for the teachers and not strictly the administration. This will enable them to learn intentional methods of handling and resolving conflicts.

The conflict could be among the teaching staff or between a teacher and a parent. Essentially, this is because, the parents come from a very wide range of background and all of them cannot get the training to make them socialize well (Jeynes, 2007, p. 745).

However, the teachers who constantly have to deal with parent because of the nature of their career, they have a role to ensure that they can handle conflict because that is what they will have to do for the next 5, 10, 20, or 30 years they are in teaching profession.

This means that that will be their life, to deal with difficult parents. The intentional means of resolving conflicts will teach the parent better ways of managing conflicts based on the prevailing situations.

Teachers will be better positioned so that instead of viewing conflict with parents are evidence of lack of support from parents, the teacher will be able to appreciate the benefits of assessing conflict as a normal and acceptable occurrence. In fact this is healthy and necessary as parent and teachers work towards common goals of achieving the best performance among the students.

Parents will help in classroom efficiency by since student will come to school better prepared for class. Most students will get to do their home works and they will also learn to respect and appreciate teachers and parents when they work together. This way, they are likely to pay more attention to class work.

As a result, they will have better performance because of the unique experience resulting from the cooperation between the parent and the school. In a very short span of time, the students will even be more independent and develop attachment to the school. Cases of absenteeism will reduce significantly.

My plan as a future teacher will entail ensuring that the students in the class have opportunity and access to learn. This means that I will encourage parent participation even in times of conflict since they are opportunities for the teacher and parent to learn and grow.

I will set up a program for parents to visit the school to discuss their children’s (students) performance. In case there is a challenging relationship with a parent, then I will chose to compromise and cooperate since parents as providers and protectors of their children have to objectively take concern in the things the school wants to do.

References List

Castello, S., & Pepe, A. (2008). School-parents Relationship: A Bibliometric Study on 40 years of scientific publications. International Journal of Parents in Education , 2(1), p. 1-12

Deutscher, R., & Ibe, M. 2003. Relationship between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation. Apple Valley, California: Lewis Center for Educational Research.

Driessen, G., Smit, F., & Sleegers, P. (2005). Parental Involvement and Educational Achievement. British Educational Research Journal, 31, pp. 509 –532

Hill, N.E., & Tyson, D.F. (2009). Parental Involvement in Middle School: A Meta-Analytic Assessment of the Strategies That Promote Achievement. Developmental Psychology , 45(3), pp. 740–763

Jeynes, W.H. (2007). The Relationship between Parental Involvement And Urban Secondary School Student Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. Urban Education, 42, pp. 82–110

Pena, D. (2003). Parent Involvement: Influencing Factors and Implications. Journal of Educational Research , 94(1), pp. 13

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IvyPanda. (2019, August 12). Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation. https://ivypanda.com/essays/school-parent-relationships-essay/

"Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation." IvyPanda , 12 Aug. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/school-parent-relationships-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation'. 12 August.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation." August 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/school-parent-relationships-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation." August 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/school-parent-relationships-essay/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Children’s Motivation." August 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/school-parent-relationships-essay/.

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Throughout my entire life thus far, I have constantly been worried about failure. I try my hardest to push myself to succeed academically and mentally. Everyone says you are your worst critic. I am extremely hard on myself and suffer through a lot of self-doubt. My parents, act as my life raft. When I spiral and sink down to the deepest, darkest parts of self-doubt, my parents are there to keep me afloat. When I first began going to school, I was terrified of leaving my family. I am almost 100% sure I cried when my parents dropped me off for my first day. I remember being more excited as my younger years of education progressed. I would work hard and try my best to get good grades. I tried my best to be on my highest behavior and to never act out. This continued through my elementary years. I studied hard for tests and always brought home excellent grades. I had been in the GATE program, gifted and talented education, from first grade up until my eight grade year. School had always been easy for me, but this was just the beginning. After fifth grade, I began seeing which specific subjects I struggled in. The two I had the most struggles in were math and science. I took advanced math classes, much higher than my other friends, and began struggling with the concepts. I would sit at the table and cry because of how dumb I felt. My parents were always there to comfort me to the best of their abilities. They would sit down with me and talk me through the problems I could not finish. Once I got into higher math, my parents could no longer help me well enough. They would wait an hour after school for me to get homework help when I needed. They also ended up getting me a personal tutor to help me with my math struggles. My parents did anything they could in order to make sure I felt confident in my education. Once I moved on to high school, I became more confident in myself. I still have my days where I am way too hard on myself and I struggle with my own thoughts. My parents always tell me they are so proud of how far I have made it already and that they are not worried about my grades. They are the reason I have made it this far. All in all, I am extremely lucky to have the parents I do. They mean so much to me, and I would not be this successful without their help.

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• Published: 15 February 2024

Parent involvement and student academic motivation towards science in 9th grade

• Lundon Pinneo   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8548-5451 1 &
• Amanda Nolen 2  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  273 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Science, technology and society

Parents’ beliefs and behavior act as both explicit and implicit ways of communicating the value of science and their confidence that their child can be successful in science-related classes. Using the NCES High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09), we examined how parent beliefs and behaviors regarding their 9th grader’s science education predicted the students’ motivation in science. Using multiple regression indicates that the combination of parental education, beliefs, and involvement in science-related activities with their child are weak but significant predictors of students’ academic motivation in science ( adjR 2  = 0.04, F (6, 14,933) = 26.32, P  < 0.001). In particular, parent education and parent involvement have positive and significant effects on students’ science identity and science self-efficacy. These findings suggest that students may have a stronger academic motivation in science with parents who have higher levels of education, more confidence in their ability to help their child in science, and who engage in more science activities with their child.

Introduction

With increasing concern about student disengagement from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), parental engagement is viewed by researchers, educators, and educational administrators as an important factor in the educational success of their children in these disciplines (An et al., 2019 ; Castro et al., 2015 ; Harackiewicz et al., 2012 ; Simpkins et al., 2015 ). However, not all parents possess the necessary knowledge and skills to support their children’s academic efforts. This especially applies to STEM content where parents might have limited STEM-related skills, knowledge, or vocabulary. Parents might also have negative attitudes about their children studying STEM (Kaya and Lundeen, 2010 ; Perera et al., 2014 ; Sha et al., 2015 ; Thomas and Strunk, 2017 ). These barriers can restrict parents’ ability to support their children in meaningful STEM learning. Therefore, it is important to examine how parents can meaningfully engage in their children’s education, especially in STEM areas. Using the High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09), this study examines how parents’ STEM-related activities, beliefs, and values influence their child’s academic motivation and academic self-efficacy in STEM.

Expectancy-value theory suggests that students make choices about whether or not to engage in an academic task based on the interaction between their expectation of success and the subjective value of that task (Wigfield and Eccles, 2000 ). The theory emphasizes that the students’ perception of expectancy of success and task value are constructed through socialization with significant others and situated within environmental and temporal factors (Eccles and Wigfield, 2020 ). As powerful influencers of students’ expectancy-value beliefs, parents communicate their beliefs and values both implicitly and explicitly through their interactions and behaviors regarding academic topics. The influence of parents’ beliefs and values on their child’s motivation, particularly in science, has been historically under-investigated (Lee et al., 2019 ; Wigfield and Eccles, 1992 ).

Between 2009 and 2019, the number of students taking AP mathematics and science exams has increased in every STEM subject area (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), 2019 ). However, the gender distribution represented by AP STEM areas remains unchanged from the previous decade (NSF, 2012 ). Female students took over half (56%) of the total number of AP exams in several STEM areas including biology (63%), environmental science (56%), statistics (52%), and chemistry (51%). However, for the majority of STEM AP subjects, female students accounted for less than half of the test takers (NCSES, 2019 ).

Students identifying as male (55%) were more likely than those identifying as female (48%) to report that they took a science course because they “really enjoy science” (NCES, 2021 ). On the other hand, students identifying as female (29%) were more likely than those identifying as male (26%) to report taking a science course because their “parents encouraged me to take it” (NCES, 2021 ). Further, male and female-identifying students varied in their perceptions of their math and science identity and ability. For example, about half of male students saw themselves as a “science person” compared to 46% of their female counterparts. Male students (71%) were more likely than female students (62%) to be confident in their “ability to do an excellent job on science tests” (NCES, 2021 ).

The influence of parents’ beliefs and behaviors on students’ expectancies and task values have been widely examined across a variety of academic content areas. For example, Simpkins et al. ( 2012 ), using the Childhood and Beyond Study, provided a comprehensive, longitudinal study of the connections between mothers’ beliefs and behaviors in elementary school and youths’ beliefs and behaviors in adolescence across sports, music, math, and reading. They found that while mothers’ behaviors predicted youths’ value in sports, music, and math, they did not predict youths’ reading beliefs or math self-concept. Lee et al. ( 2019 ) explored gender differences in the effects of parents’ beliefs on their children’s motivation, achievement, and career aspirations in STEM-related careers. They found that parents’ beliefs strongly predicted their sons’ science motivation, but did not predict their daughters’ science motivation suggesting that socializers beyond parents’ beliefs were required to influence their motivation. Finally, Harackiewicz et al. ( 2012 ) found that an intervention which focused on increasing communication around the utility value of math and science courses between parents and their adolescent children, increased parents’ value of STEM courses and increased the number of STEM courses the students took during their last two years of high school. However, a subsequent study found significant gender differences in the effectiveness of the same intervention and low-achieving daughters benefited the least (Rozek et al., 2015 ).

With current national and state level educational policies and initiatives focusing on improving the performance of students, particularly in areas of science, technology, engineering, and math, student course-taking behaviors in high school and college major choice is of particular concern (NSF, 2012 ). It is important to develop understanding about how parents influence students’ decisions at consequential educational markers in order to best target effective interventions. The purpose of this study is to focus on specific parental behaviors and beliefs that influence students’ motivational profiles in science, including science identity, utility, and competency.

Following is a brief overview of the current literature, specifically in regards to the parental factors that have demonstrated to influence high school students’ science motivation.

Parental involvement defined

The definition of parental involvement is complex and multifaceted. Some researchers’ definitions rely upon parent behaviors (An et al., 2019 ; Castro et al., 2015 ; De Silva et al., 2018 ; Sha et al. ( 2015 ), Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ) while others interpret parents’ science-related beliefs (Harackiewicz et al., 2012 ; Lee et al., 2019 ; Rozek et al., 2015 ; Simpkins et al., 2018 ; Vedder-Weiss and Fortus, 2013 ). Castro et al. ( 2015 ) and De Silva et al. ( 2018 ) define parental involvement as being actively involved in every aspect of their child’s development. In addition to involvement in their academic development, specifically reading support, parents should also be involved in their emotional and social growth (Castro et al., 2015 ).

In contrast, Rodriguez et al. ( 2013 ) divided the different aspects of parental involvement into three major categories: “home environment, parents and school/community, and students and school/community” (p 51). Examples of the home environment include, assistance with homework, monitoring, peers/siblings as role models, and parental expectations (Rodriguez et al., 2013 ). When it comes to parents and the school/community, parents have multiple routes of communication, participating in the decision-making, volunteering at their child’s school, and receiving support for parenting (Rodriguez et al., 2013 ). Parental engagement, as discussed by Shumow and Schmidt ( 2014 ), occurs at home (homework, rules, and routines), at school, and through educational planning. This view aligns with Vedder-Weiss and Fortus’ ( 2013 ) parental involvement definition which places an emphasis on the achievement of goals.

Another aspect of parental involvement which was explored by Castro et al. ( 2015 ) was communication between students and parents on school activities. Here, parental involvement goes both ways. To involve parents, schools need to ensure that their curriculum and teaching is student-centered, socially relevant and culturally appropriate (Rodriguez et al., 2013 ). By providing homework that is culturally and socially appropriate, parental involvement may be increased (Rodriguez et al., 2013 ). Supporting the use of homework as an effective tool for parental involvement, Karaçöp et al. ( 2016 ) insists that although parents may not feel comfortable assisting students in science homework, they can encourage curiosity, the openness to learn, and consistent homework habits. In addition, the role played by parents during science activities may depend upon the parents’ educational background and science literacy (Eș et al., 2019 ).

In contrast to using parental behaviors as their definition, other studies defined parental involvement as parents’ science beliefs, specifically, parents’ expectancy for success (Thomas and Strunk, 2017 ) and expectancy value of science (Harackiewicz, 2012 ). Uniquely, Rozek et al. ( 2015 ) defined parental involvement as the mothers’ utility value for their student. As this overview has demonstrated, there exists a wide variety of definitions of parental involvement within the limited number of studies. Thus, defining parental involvement, especially in science, involves many interpretations.

The complexity of parent involvement and indicators of student science motivation and success

In general, parents are less involved in their student’s science education than other subjects such as reading and math, due to low science self-efficacy and lack of school communication (Kaya and Lundeen, 2010 ). Students’ motivation to learn science also declines as they progress through school, particularly during fifth through eighth grade (Vedder-Weiss and Fortus ( 2013 )). But it is difficult to compare the relationship of parental involvement and student science motivation across grade levels due to the limited studies and the ranges in which they were explored. Across all ages, the indicators for student science motivation and success were also diversely defined.

Similar to the various perspectives of parental involvement, the definition of student motivation also fell within two broad categories, 1. student behaviors and 2. student beliefs. Karaçöp et al. ( 2016 ) assessed student success and motivation through school attendance and their positive attitudes towards school. In contrast, Vedder-Weiss and Fortus ( 2013 ) categorized indicators of science student motivation into three groups, extracurricular engagement, personal mastery, and classroom engagement. Sha et al. ( 2015 ) assessed student motivation in science through academic achievement on a pre and post test and their self-reported science self-efficacy. Test scores were also used by others to assess student motivation, but these test scores were collected from exams associated with the course and or grade-level (An et al., 2019 ; Castro et al., 2015 ; Lee et al., 2019 ; Thomas and Strunk, 2017 ). Two studies assessed academic achievement through student GPAs (Rozek et al., 2015 ; Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ). In addition to GPAs, Rozek et al. ( 2015 ) also assessed student motivation through the number of science and math courses taken the junior and senior years, similar to Harackiewicz et al.’s study in 2012 . Uniquely, Shumow and Schmidt ( 2014 ) defined student motivation as science homework completion as well as GPA. In contrast to the studies with student motivation assessed through observable behaviors such as grades, test scores, the number of science courses taken, etc. some researchers explicitly assessed students’ motivational beliefs (De Silva et al., 2018 ) the value of science (Lee et al., 2019 ), the child’s self-efficacy (Sha et al., 2015 ; Thomas and Strunk ( 2017 ); students’ in-class beliefs (Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ), and career aspirations (Lee et al., 2019 ). In summary, the few studies that exist do not all agree upon one definition of parental involvement nor upon the indicator for student academic science motivation and success.

Associations to parental involvement and student science motivation

A meta-analysis conducted by Castro et al. ( 2015 ) revealed that high expectations of parents have a strong and positive association with student academic achievement in all subjects and school grades. Parental involvement is also positively associated with school attendance and positive attitudes towards school (Karaçöp et al., 2016 ). Thus, parental involvement is important. This is especially true in elementary grades (Sha et al., 2015 ). In their meta-analysis of K-12 schooling of all subjects, Castro et al. ( 2015 ) found a strong association between parent aspirations and academic achievement. But, they declared the two science-specific studies’ effect inadequate for interpretation because it contained a relatively large error (Castro et al., 2015 ). The literature on the associations to parental involvement and student motivation is limited, specifically within science. Within the limited literature specific to science, and in contrast to Castro et al. ( 2015 ), researchers agree that parental involvement is an indicator of student science motivation and or achievement (Harackiewicz et al., 2012 ; Perera et al., 2014 ; Sha et al., 2015 ; Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ; Thomas and Strunk, 2017 ; Vedder-Weiss and Fortus, 2013 ). Notably, Thomas and Strunk ( 2017 ) found that parents have an influence on elementary students’ achievement over and above children’s own self-efficacy beliefs about science.

Parent attitudes about science (Perera et al., 2014 ), parents’ expectancy (Thomas and Strunk, 2017 ), their engagement at-home and at-school (Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ), and parent beliefs (Simpkins et al., 2018 ) are each a positive and significant indicator of students’ science achievement. Additionally, students’ personal mastery goals and extracurricular science engagement (Vedder-Weiss and Fortus, 2013 ), and students’ interest in science, self-efficacy, and engagement (Sha et al., 2015 ), were also positively related to parental involvement. Both Harackiewicz et al. ( 2012 ) and Rozek et al. ( 2015 ) found that when parents received science-related content to assist with the support of their students, students were more likely to take an additional science course compared to students whose parents did not receive the information. Since assistance with homework is another way parents are able to be involved, it is also important to note that homework assistance decreases as students reach higher levels of science (Karaçöp et al., 2016 ). Moreover, Shumow and Schmidt ( 2014 ) found that the time parents spend with students working with science outside school was negatively associated with students’ GPAs. If an increase in involvement with homework was due to a call home from the school to the parents in order to express concern, the call could lead to negative feelings in both parents and students (Shumow and Schmidt, 2014 ). Thus, it may be important to establish parent connections within the schools early in the school year to avoid communication only after a students’ poor academic performance. Another way to involve parents before an academic or behavior issue prompts a call home is through positive science learning experiences such as “Family Science Night” (Kaya and Lundeen, 2010 ). These studies demonstrate that although the impact of parental involvement upon student science motivation and performance is complex, parents are indeed important.

Gender and socioeconomic status (SES)

When considering population characteristics, findings indicated that there is a drop in effect size (Castro et al.’s, 2015 ). However, Simpkins et al.’s ( 2018 ) found potential differences between gender and familism values in regards to parents and student science motivation. They found that although parents’ have an impact on student beliefs, especially when students exhibit high familism, this is particularly true for males (Simpkins et al., 2018 ). Similarly, Lee et al. ( 2019 ) stated, “while parental perceptions of the value of science for their child was a significant predictor of their sons’ value in science, they did not predict their daughters’ value in science” (p 95). This was evident in the boys’ higher selection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career aspirations as well (Lee et al., 2019 ). Uniquely, Rozek et al. ( 2015 ) “…hypothesized that gender differences might emerge once we consider students’ past performance” (p 3). When girls had performed well in 9th grade, the intervention increased their likelihood to take STEM courses in 12th grade (Rozek et al., 2015 ). The opposite was true for boys. The intervention led boys to take more STEM courses in 12th grade when they had not done well in 9th grade (Rozek et al. 2015 ). Regarding socioeconomic status (SES), Perera, et al. ( 2014 ) found that families with low SES benefit from parental involvement as much as families with high SES. Specifically, parents’ expectations had a significantly positive impact on student achievement across all SES areas (An et al., 2019 ).

Purpose of the study

Using the NCES High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09), we examined how parent beliefs and behaviors regarding their 9th grader’s science education predicted the students’ motivational profile towards science. Specifically, the research questions for this study are:

How do parents’ participation in their 9th grade child’s academic science activities both at home and at school affect their child’s academic motivation towards science?

How do parents’ beliefs about their own confidence in helping their 9th grade child with their science homework affect their child’s academic motivation towards science?

By conducting a multiple, linear regression we were able to measure the predictive quality of these parent variables on the 9th grade students’ academic motivation towards science.

Data source

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) (Image 2) surveyed a nationally representative sample ( n  = 24,600) of ninth-graders in the fall of 2009. Follow-up surveys reported data from 2012, 2013, and 2016. The final follow-up in 2016 surveyed the participants eight years after high school graduation when they were either in the workforce or continuing their education at the graduate level.

What makes HSLS unique from other NCES longitudinal survey initiatives (e.g., Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, High School and Beyond, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, etc.) is its focus on students’ academic and career trajectories with an emphasis on STEM-oriented motivational beliefs. The sampling process was a two-stage stratified design (Ingels et al., 2011 ) and collected data in four waves: Wave (1) base year survey in 2009; Wave (2) first follow-up in 2012; Wave (3) 2013 update; and Wave (4) second follow-up student interview from 2016. The present study used the HSLS’s public-use dataset from base year. Among other components, the base-year HSLS:09 survey included questionnaires for students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and school counselors. This project included data from both the base year parent and student questionnaires.

All variables are defined using the HSLS:09 base-year documentation (Ingels et al., 2011 ). A summary of the items, response sets, and descriptive output is provided in Table 1a–d .

Parent education

The parent education variable [X1PAREDU] indicates the highest level of education achieved by either parent living in the student’s home. It is constructed from two composite variables that describe the highest level of education achieved by “Parent 1” and “Parent 2”. The data range from “less than high school” to a “Ph.D./M.D/Law/other high level professional degree”. If either of the two input variables are imputed and the highest level of education could not be inferred from non-imputed data, then the variable is flagged for that case.

Parent beliefs

Parent beliefs for this study included two variables: parent science efficacy [P1E04B] and beliefs about boys’ and girls’ aptitude for science [P1E05B]. Specifically, parents were asked how confident they were in helping their 9th grader with their science homework. Response options were “Very confident,” “Somewhat confident,” and “Not at all confident.” Parents were also asked to compare females’ and male’s abilities in science. Response options were “Females are much better” or “…somewhat better,” “Females and males are the same,” and “Males are somewhat better” or “…much better.”

Parent behaviors

Parent behaviors for this study is a composite variable derived from a set of items related to science-related activities the parents engaged in with their 9th grader. These items were dummy-coded (1 = participated; 0=not participated) and then added together to create an overall score of participation ranging from 0 to 6, with 0 indicating the parent participated in none of the science-related activities and 6 indicating the parent participated in all of the science-related activities. The activities included:

Visiting a science or engineering museum with their 9th grader in the previous year (P1E07A);

Worked or played on computer with 9th grader in the previous year (P1E07B);

Built or fixed something with 9th grader in the previous year (P1E07C);

Attended a school science fair with 9th grader in the previous year (P1E07D);

Helped 9th grader with a school science fair project in the previous year (P1E07E); and

Discussed STEM program or article with 9th grader in the previous year (P1E07F).

Outcome variables and weights

The HSLS:09 include items that reflect the many influences on students’ values and expectations that factor into their most basic education-related choices. The student questionnaires gathered data on self-efficacy, identity, value, and interest in science. The science identity [X1SCIID] variable reflects the degree to which the students agreed with the statements “You see yourself as a science person” and/or “Others see me as a science person.” The utility value of science [X1SCIUTI] is a scaled score of the students’ perceptions of how useful science is to their lives, college goals, and career goals. The students’ science self-efficacy [X1SCIEFF] reflects the students’ confidence that they can do well on science tests, understand science textbooks, master science skills, and excel on science assignments. Finally, the students’ science interest [X1SCIINT] reflected the students’ description of their science classes as enjoyable, stimulating and useful. These composite variables were created through principal components factor analysis (weighted by W1STUDENT) and standardized to a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.

Data analysis and results

Using HSLS:09 base year, the data included 14,028 9th grade students. The analysis for this project was conducted in two parts. The first part includes the descriptive analysis for parent characteristics, beliefs, and behaviors. These variables were cross-tabulated to further examine how parent beliefs and behaviors varied by parent education. The second part of the analysis included a multiple linear regression to examine the combinations of factors that predict student science motivation. The description of the analysis also includes checking all assumptions for multiple regression analysis (i.e., multicollinearity, outliers, and homogeneity of variance).

Parent characteristics

Parent or Guardian’s highest level of education was by each parent or guardian on the parent questionnaire. As Table 1a shows, 41.2% of the students’ parent or guardian had a High School Diploma/GED or less. The remaining students’ parent or guardian (58.8%) had received a post-secondary degree. Over 15% in the sample received an Associates degree, which NCES defines as a “sub-baccalaureate program of study, usually requiring 2 years (or equivalent) of full-time college-level study.” (Ingels et al., 2011 ). Approximately one-quarter of the respondents’ parent or guardian had a Bachelor’s degree and another 19% had a Master’s degree or higher. This indicates the sample differs slightly compared to the US population at the time when 32% of the population age 25 or older held a Bachelor’s degree and another 7% held a Master’s or higher degree (NCES, 2021 ).

When asked about their confidence level in helping their child with their 9th grade science homework, over 57% indicated that they were either “somewhat confident” or “very confident”. When cross-tabulated with parent/guardian education level, it is clear that parent education interacts with that confidence (Table 1c ). Over 61% of the parents who indicated that they were “not at all confident” when helping their child with their science homework held a High School diploma or less. Conversely, over 57% of parents who indicated that they felt “very confident” when helping their child held a Bachelor’s degree or higher; another 27.5% held a High School diploma/GED or less.

When asked to compare males’ and females’ abilities in science, overall 72% of the parents indicated that they believed that “females and males are the same”. Parents with higher levels of education agreed with this statement in slightly greater proportions than parents with less education. Although this belief was consistently high across parents’ education levels, the distribution slightly skewed towards the belief that males are “somewhat better” or “much better” (Table 1d ).

Items pertaining to parents’ behaviors are summarized in Table 1e and also broken out by education level of the parent. As a group, parents “went to a science or engineering museum with their 9th grader” (53%), “worked or played on a computer with their 9th grader” (86%), and discussed “STEM program or article with their 9th grader” (66%). These parents less often “built or fixed something with their 9th grader” (45.2%), “attended a school science fair with their 9th grader” (17.6%), or “helped their 9th grader with a school science fair project” (39.3%).

When examined by the education level of the parent, there was considerable variability across these behaviors. For example, parents with a Bachelor’s degree or higher more often visited science and engineering museums (between 58.5% and 68.5%), attended school science fairs (between 20.4% and 22.9%), and discussed a STEM program or article with their 9th grader (between 71.1% and 80.3%). Parents with less than a High School Diploma presented as outliers on going to museums (36.6%), working or playing on a computer (66.7%), and discussing a STEM program or article (43.2%).

When examined by the 9th grader’s sex, parents’ behaviors were evenly distributed across the male- and female-identifying students with one exception. The majority (54.8%) of parents indicated that they did not build or fix something with their 9th grader, but when examined by gender, 58% of parents of male students but only 32% of parents of female students indicated that they did engage in this behavior ( Χ 2  = 145.69, P  < 0.001) (Fig. 1 ).

High school longitudinal study of 2009 (HSLS:09).

Multiple regression analysis

Testing the assumptions of multiple regression included testing for multicollinearity, outliers, and homogeneity of variance. Multicollinearity occurs when two or more predictor variables are highly correlated to each other. Such a relationship indicates that the predictor variables would not provide unique or independent information in the regression model causing difficulty in interpreting the resulting model. Variance inflation factor (VIF) is a measure that detects multicollinearity in a regression with resulting scores greater than 5.0 indicating a moderate correlation between the predictor variables. The VIF across the predictor variables ranged from 1.07 to 1.13 indicating a weak correlation thus meeting the assumption for regression. An analysis of standard residuals indicated the presence of seven outliers that were removed from the data. The Durbin-Watson estimate determines the independence of residuals and ranges from zero to four. Values hovering around two indicate that the data points were independent. Values near zero indicate strong positive correlations and values closer to four indicate strong negative correlations. The data satisfies the assumption of independent errors with Durbin-Watson estimates (d) between 1.69 and 1.82. Finally, the scatterplot of standardized residuals showed that the data met the assumptions of homogeneity of variance and linearity (Figs. 2 and 3 ).

Histogram distribution of standardized residuals.

Scatterplot of regression standardized residuals.

Multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict the overall student academic motivation in science from their parents’ background, beliefs, and behaviors. The results of this analysis indicated that parent background, beliefs, and behaviors accounted for a significant amount of the students’ academic motivation towards science, adjR 2  = 0.04, F(6, 14,933) = 26.32, P  < 0.001. These findings indicated that students may have a stronger academic motivation in science with parents with higher levels of education, with more confidence in their ability to help their child in science, and who engage in more science activities with their child (Tables 2 – 4 ).

All of the predictors of student academic motivation in science were significant and added to the predictive power of the resulting model with parent education as the stronger predictor (Δ R 2  = 0.023), followed by parent behaviors (Δ R 2  = 0.01), and parent beliefs (Δ R 2  = 0.005). Multiple comparisons of the students’ science motivation and parents’ education, behaviors, and beliefs showed that parent participation in three or more activities had a significant and positive effect on students’ science identity (S1SCIID; P  < 0.001) and on students’ self-efficacy (S1SCIEFF, P  < 0.001). Furthermore, the parents’ education level at or greater than a Bachelor’s degree had a significant and positive effect on students’ science identity (S1SCIID; P  < 0.001). Students’ science self-efficacy was positively and significantly affected with every additional level of parent education. In other words, with each level of parent education, students’ confidence that they would do well on science tests, understand science textbooks, master science skills, and excel on science assignments increased significantly. The main effects of parent education and parent behaviors had no significant effects on students’ science utility or on students’ interest. Although there were significant main effects of parent education and behaviors, there were no significant main effects of parent beliefs about student competency based on gender nor about their own confidence to help students with their science work on any of the four student science motivation outcome variables.

Significance of the findings

Multiple perspectives frame the importance of science in education. One focus is on the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers (Harackiewicz et al., 2012 ; Sha et al., 2015 ; Simpkins et al., 2015 ) and a second focus is on the role and importance of science literacy. For example, Perera et al. ( 2014 ) focused on science literacy, the ability to use evidence-based reasoning and science knowledge to ask questions and understand the natural world, thus preparing societal members’ to understand, interpret and utilize scientific information and scientific methods in their everyday lives. Regardless of the perspective, science education is an important area of study. This is particularly true given the decreased interest in science for upper-level high school grades and a less diverse group of students within STEM college courses and STEM careers in the United States (Harackiewicz et al., 2012 ; Simpkins et al., 2015 ). Students in high school selected fewer science courses in their junior and senior years, unless, as Harackiewicz et al. ( 2012 ) suggest, parents were recruited to motivate students to take additional courses. If students are not motivated to learn science in high school, this may contribute to diminished interest in STEM-associated college majors and career pursuits. However, even if students develop an interest to pursue STEM-associated college majors once in college, they would lack the foundation knowledge students are expected to have upon entering the major and thus would experience difficulty catching up. The factors that influence high school students’ motivation to learn science are thus an important area of study for both perspectives.

The findings of this study indicate that the combination of parental education, beliefs, and involvement in science-related activities with their child are weak but significant predictors of students’ academic motivation in science. In particular, parent education and parent involvement may have positive and significant effects on students’ science identity and science self-efficacy. Parents’ beliefs and behavior act as both explicit and implicit ways of communicating the value of science and their confidence that their child can be successful in science-related classes. Therefore, by emphasizing outreach and science programming directed at parents, science teachers and school administrators may see an increase in student engagement in science throughout high school and into college.

Future research

The findings of this study raised additional questions about parental involvement in students’ STEM education that would invite further research. The item that asked parents if they had “built or fixed” something with their child raised the prospect of the effect of gendered signaling in the way that we talk about STEM disciplines and activities. For example, cooking involves mathematics and science while also socially normed as a female pursuit. Considering cooking as a STEM activity may have increased the number of parents who indicated that they had interacted with their child in a STEM pursuit. More research is needed on the effects of inclusive messaging on parental attitudes towards and participation in their children’s STEM education.

Another needed line of questioning around parental involvement could employ inductive strategies to learn from parents what activities they have engaged in to support their child’s STEM education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, during the pandemic, museums were closed to the public but increased their effort to digitize their archives and create volumes of science education content online. Has this increased accessibility influenced parents’ science literacy and/or attitudes towards their child’s STEM education? There may be patterns of factors that influenced whether and how parents attempted to engage their child in both formal and informal STEM activities when they have been constrained by finances, location, health, or schedules.

Implications and recommendations for science teacher educators

Science teachers should be prepared to involve their future classroom parents during their educator preparation programs. To do so, science teacher educators should model these strategies, specifically, how to plan and coordinate field trips. By connecting preservice science teachers to local community organizations, they will begin to build the necessary relationships and confidence to coordinate future field trips for their students. Preservice science teachers should also be assisted in creating student handouts and/or parent emails which include student-friendly science content and easy, hands-on science activities. By preparing preservice science teachers to engage their future students’ parents, science teacher educators may increase the likelihood of their future science teachers’ strategies to connect families with the classroom. Students’ science appreciation should also be cultivated, specifically within a real-world context. Science educators should model this strategy with their preservice science teachers by using media resources that disseminate current event information tied to science and require them to share what they learned with their peers. This may foster an appreciation for science in the preservice science teachers while also providing a strategy for their future classrooms.

Limitations

The data in this study were focused on students who completed the NCES HSLS:09 survey questionnaire. The limitations of this study are related to the measurement of parental involvement in their child’s STEM activities, interests, and education. First, the parental involvement ratings were obtained through self-report. Although garnering self-report regarding parental support may provide useful data, self-perceptions are limited in scope and potentially introduce several sources of bias including social desirability bias and recall bias. A related limitation is that the items on the survey regarding parental involvement are rather general. In particular, the items primarily focused on parents’ responses of how often they engaged in activities and discussed course and career selection with their child. Therefore, the data do not provide any information about the specific content nor the depth of those discussions. Finally, the overrepresentation of highly educated individuals in parents and guardians sample may introduce a bias. This bias can skew the outcomes by favoring perspectives, behaviors, that are more prevalent among those with higher levels of education.

In agreement with previous research, this study explored the complex connection between parental involvement and student science motivation. Parental involvement, to summarize previous research, is defined through behaviors and or beliefs. Just as the multifaceted definition of parental involvement, student science motivation definitions also vary greatly. For this paper, the definition of parental involvement remained broad. But the definition of student science motivation was interpreted as student science academic achievement and science self-efficacy as reported in the NCES High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09). Overall, the educational level of the parents warrant a deeper understanding due to its connection woven throughout the definition of parental involvement.

This research found that the parents with higher the education had children with higher science motivation and students science self-efficacy (Tables 2 – 4 ). This could be due in part to the increase in parental confidence to aid with science homework and engage in science activities. This aligns with the findings of Eș et al. ( 2019 ) that the role parents play within science activities may depend upon their educational background and science literacy. However, parents who engaged more with their child in science activities corresponded with higher science motivation of their child. This aligns with Karaçöp et al. ( 2016 ) who found that homework is an effective form of parental involvement since parents, regardless of parental education background, can demonstrate curiosity and an openness to new information. This is important to remember because, as Kaya and Lundeen ( 2010 ) discussed, parents help the least when it comes to science, especially without school communication. That is why it is so very important for schools to engage all parents in the science content.

In additional to parental educational level, parents’ beliefs may also positively influence student academic motivation. This aligns with the work of Thomas and Strunk’s ( 2017 ) examination of parents’ expectancy for success, and Harackiewicz’s ( 2012 ) focus on expectancy value of science since, what a parent believes, may impact their child’s motivation. As previous literature discussed, this is especially true for males (Lee et al., 2019 ; Simpkins et al., 2018 ). The present research findings support the previous literature, demonstrating that, regardless of education level, parents hold the view that males are more likely to find success in science (Table 1d ). Perhaps this is why we still see the same trend regarding females in science fields.

Noting that educators cannot directly influence their students’ parents’ educational background, it is still important to increase science motivation. In addition, it is important to increase the number of students involved in science, specifically girls and students of color. One possible way to positively influence students’ science utility, identity, and competency through increased parental involvement is by increasing opportunities for families to attend STEM-related events and discuss STEM activities. This study demonstrated that the participation of parents in three or more activities had a significant and positive effect on students’ science identity (S1SCIID; P  < 0.001). Knowing this, science educators and teachers can intentionally create chances for families to engage with STEM through school-sponsored events and enrichment activities designed for parents, such as reading an engaging article or watching a STEM-related program together. These opportunities are beneficial for students regardless of their parents’ education backgrounds. And, since our study indicates that parents may have significant influence in their children’s motivational beliefs and behaviors in science, these small opportunities may have a large impact on our future STEM field population. Thus, it is important for schools and science educators to ally with parents in the STEM education of their students.

Data availability

Using the NCES High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09): https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hsls09/ .

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The authors confirm their contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: A Nolen; data collection: the NCES High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09) was used; analysis and interpretation of the results: A Nolen and L Pinneo; draft manuscript preparation: L Pinneo and A Nolen. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Pinneo, L., Nolen, A. Parent involvement and student academic motivation towards science in 9th grade. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 273 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02707-0

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Introduction: We have come to this world, because of our parents. We need to be pleased with the entire life, because of this reason. Mother has tolerated so much pain to give us birth. Today I am going to share everything about my father and mother. They are a really awesome and amazing person. I can’t think of my life without them. They have brought light into my life. They are like a guide who is guiding me into the light.  

My Mother : My mother name is Rokeya Begum. She is a housewife. My mother is an educated woman. She was working as a primary school teacher. But she left the job for taking care of us. This is a very big sacrifice for the family. She is forty years old, but she looks much younger. My mother is aware of her health, he wakes up early in the morning and goes for a little walk. And then she starts working.

I have seen that she works almost all the time in a day. We all have rest, but she doesn’t. Sometimes my sister helps her in the kitchen, but she does the main works. She is a very kind and loving woman. She loves poor people and helps them a lot. She is very good with the neighbours. She was keeping a great relationship with our relative.  

My Father: My father name is Jahid Ahmed. He is a businessman. We have two shops in the main market. He used to spend his time there. My father is always busy. But after all of his work when he gets time, we love to spend that time with us. Most of the time he takes us to a small picnic. I love the family picnic a lot. I really enjoy these.

My father is a friend to me. His behaviour is really good. Not only me, but he also behaves well with everyone. He is very popular in the society because of his helping mentality. Lots of people ask for help and he never refuses anyone. That’s why everyone loves him.  

Why My Mother is the Best Mother? Yeah, I consider my mother as the best mother in the world. She is the best. There are so many reasons behind that. First of all, I think she has sacrificed her happiness because of us. She works a whole like a robot, but she never complains. We always try our best to help her.

My father wanted to keep a maid, but my mother is not agreeing to waste money. She is my teacher and guide. When I face any problem she helps me and solves the problem. She is a really highly educated woman. She understands the value of education, and that’s why she is trying her best to make us educated.  

Conclusion: I love my parents very much. They are the best parents ever. I want my parents to live a long whole life. They also love me a lot.

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How to Write the Parent Statement for Private School

Three things you need to know

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Most applications to private schools require parents to write about their children in a parent’s statement or by filling out a questionnaire. The purpose of the parent's letter is to add dimension to the candidate’s statement and help the admissions committee better understand the applicant from the parent’s perspective.

Parent statement is your chance to provide a personal introduction to your child and share details about how your child learns as well as what their interests and strengths are. The following are a few simple steps that will help you write an effective parent letter.

Think About Your Responses

It can be difficult to step back and consider your child objectively, but you need to do exactly that. Think about what your child’s teachers have said over time, particularly the ones who know them well.

Reread report cards and teacher comments. Think about consistent themes that emerge from the reports. Are there comments that teachers have consistently made about how your child learns and acts in school and in extracurricular activities? These comments will be helpful for the admissions committee. 

Consider also your own observations of your child as well as what you hope your child will get out of their private school experience.

Real children aren’t perfect, but they can still be great candidates to private schools. Describe your child accurately and openly. A full, real, and descriptive parent’s statement will show the admissions committee that you are being honest, and when they will read about the amazing sides of your child, they will be more likely to believe them.

If your child has had serious disciplinary actions or other issues in the past, describe them. Let the admissions officers know what happened and draw positive lessons from it. The school is looking for a real kid—not a perfect pupil.

Showing that your child and your family are capable of dealing with setbacks might be even more valuable than presenting a flawless picture. Of course, describe your child’s strengths and don't only feel the need to be negative—but everything you write should be truthful.

Also, helping the committee members understand your child with their strengths and challenges will help them make the best decision for everyone. Your child will be most successful if they attend the school that fits them best , and describing your child candidly will help the admissions committee decide if the school and your child are the best fit for one another. Children who succeed at their schools are happier and healthier and stand in better stead for college admissions.

Consider How Your Child Learns

The parent’s statement is a chance to describe how your child learns so that the admissions committee can decide if they are likely to benefit from being at the school. If your child has moderate to severe learning issues, reveal them. Many private schools grant students with learning issues  accommodations or changes in the curriculum, so that they can best demonstrate what they know.

Students with mild learning issues might be able to wait until they are admitted to the school to ask about the school’s accommodations policy, but students with more severe learning issues should ask about the school’s policies about helping them beforehand. You may also have to do some research into what kind of resources the school offers to help your child—before they attend the school. Being open and honest with the school will help you and your child find the school where they can be happy and successful.

How to Organize Your Letter

Parent statements for private schools are typically composed of three parts: description of your child, description of your family, and the alignment of your values with the school values. The first two or even all three may be blended together, as through descriptions of your child, the nature of your family and your values will come through.

Sometimes, school websites offer useful prompts to guide your letters, and if that is the case, you should definitely make use of them. Some of the frequent questions are:

• What do you hope for your child to accomplish with the help of our school?
• Has your child ever had any intellectual, emotional, or behavioral evaluations? If so, describe their contexts and results.
• In what situations does your child thrive? Describe your child as an individual, with their hopes, values, goals, aspirations, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Has your child been through any adversity? Describe the context and how they navigated it.
• What has your role been in your child's education?
• Does your child require any academic or other support or accommodations?

Ideally, your letter would respond to these questions as thoroughly, yet as succinctly as possible.

The simplest way to go about this is to choose three to five aspects of your child's personality that you would like to highlight and compose the statement around them. Include illustrative anecdotes that will also portray a little about your family life. If it comes naturally to you, feel free to make these funny or quirky, as you are ultimately trying to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

As mentioned, you should also make a point of familiarizing yourself with the school's values and objectives and show in your letter how connected these are to your family. The more natural this is the better. All in all, as long as you provide the admission officers with an honest snapshot of your family and your child's nature and potential, your letter will hold its ground.

Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

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• Essay On Motivation

Motivation Essay

500+ words essay on motivation.

Motivation, the word itself, means positive vibes which push an individual to go through tough times. We all are unaware of what drives one to stay motivated. We have different sources, such as our role models, parents, teachers, etc. Everyone should have some infrequent motivation intervals to move forward in their life.

Meaning of Motivation

Motivation provides us with positive energy to achieve our goals and makes us feel optimistic and enthusiastic. It pushes us to perform our work specifically to get results. In our life, it gives us the energy to stay focused on our work. Every individual needs the motivation to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Human beings have numerous things to motivate themselves, such as encouragement from loved ones, friends, etc. Motivation from our parents makes us feel more confident about the path we pursue. It encourages us to believe in ourselves and make us stronger. Sometimes, we fail to achieve success, and at that phase, we require motivation. Once we get motivated, we start fresh with energy and hope.

Motivation comes with constant practice, meaning getting moved or inspired by someone that will help you achieve your goals. Everyone needs motivation, whether in a workplace, school, institution, etc.

Role of Motivation

Motivation comes with the right mindset irrespective of your goal, too big or long term. It helps us to move ahead mentally and physically. To keep ourselves motivated, we require a driving factor or tool and to become successful; we need to push our boundaries. Also, you need to come out of your comfort zone to reveal your true potential.

Types of Motivation

An individual might have various types of motivation, but in my opinion, motivation can be self-motivation and motivation by others.

Self-motivation: Self-motivation means keeping ourselves motivated without the influence of other people and situations. If you are self-motivated, you can complete the given task without guidance and encouragement.

Motivation by Others: People who lack self-motivation need help from others to keep themselves motivated. They need encouragement from others to maintain their state of motivation. These people also need to listen to motivational speeches for inspiration.

Sources of Motivation

The source of motivation can be anyone, either your school teachers or your parents, depending upon the situation.

From People: When it comes to our motivation, our mothers play an imperative role. Mothers selflessly motivate their children in every stage of life. According to research, it is found that when we communicate with our mothers, our brain releases oxytocin in a reasonable amount. It makes us feel good and motivated. Also, some people are well-known about our goal clearly, so they encourage us.

Famous Personalities: We also get inspiration from our favourite personalities like social workers, writers, political leaders, film stars, presidents, cricketers, etc. We want to become like the person we follow, which indirectly becomes our motivation.

Animals: Animals also motivate us, like dogs, which always make us happy. We can also take the example of an ant who keeps on falling but never gives up, so it teaches us that we should not feel unmotivated by our failure. Similarly, if we look at our surroundings, many animals motivate us.

Nature: The season is the best example when we talk about nature. The season keeps on changing, but we might not like every season, but still, we survive and understand its significance. Rivers also inspires and teaches us to face every problem of our life.

Books: They are one of the best sources of motivation. Many books have beautiful experiences shared with some captivating stories. Books are our best friends and the best motivators.

Conclusion of Motivation Essay

It is not only you who may feel low or sad. People meet different people and get motivated, like an energy drink. Always have your inspiration with you because it will help you achieve your goals. It is good to be optimistic because it helps us achieve our goals and adds peace to our lives.

From our BYJU’S website, students can learn CBSE Essays related to different topics. It will help students to get good marks in their upcoming exams.

Frequently Asked Questions on Motivation Essay

How important is self-motivation.

In today’s competitive world, motivating oneself constantly is necessary to move forward in life and career.

Do teachers play an important role in the ‘motivation factor’ of students?

Students spend maximum time in school, and thus, teachers are solely responsible (after parents) in motivating children towards the right goal.

How do students develop motivation?

Students can keep themselves motivated by setting realistic goals, making note of their progress, following timelines and rewarding themselves for their achievements.

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Counselling

Essay on Parents Love

Students are often asked to write an essay on Parents Love in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Parents Love

Introduction.

Parents’ love is a unique kind of love that children receive. It’s a bond that begins even before we are born.

Unconditional Love

Parents’ love is unconditional. They love their children no matter what, without expecting anything in return.

Guidance and Support

Parents guide us through life. They support us in our endeavors and help us grow into better individuals.

Parents’ love also means protection. They always want to keep us safe from harm.

In conclusion, parents’ love is a vital part of our lives. It’s a love that stays with us forever.

250 Words Essay on Parents Love

The unconditional nature of parental love.

Parental love is an intricate tapestry woven with threads of care, sacrifice, and understanding. It is a unique form of affection that transcends all boundaries, making it an essential pillar in the development of a child’s emotional and psychological well-being.

The Sacrificial Aspect of Parental Love

Parents often sacrifice their needs and desires for the welfare of their children. This sacrifice is not just financial, but also emotional and physical. They give up their time, energy, and sometimes even their dreams, to ensure that their children have the best possible life. This selfless giving forms the bedrock of parental love.

Parental Love as a Guiding Beacon

Parents provide a moral compass to their children, guiding them through life’s labyrinth. Their love is like a beacon, illuminating the path for their children, helping them navigate through the storms of life. They teach by example, instilling values and principles that shape the character of their children.

Parental Love: A Catalyst for Growth

Parental love fosters confidence and self-esteem in children. It acts as a catalyst, promoting their overall growth and development. Children who experience consistent and unconditional love from their parents are more likely to develop into confident, compassionate, and well-rounded individuals.

In conclusion, parental love is a profound and complex emotion that forms the foundation of a child’s life. It is a blend of sacrifice, guidance, and nurturing that fosters growth and shapes the character of the next generation. Despite its challenges, the rewards of parental love are immeasurable and enduring.

500 Words Essay on Parents Love

The unparalleled essence of parental love.

Parental love, often viewed as the purest form of unconditional love, is a powerful force that shapes and molds an individual’s life. It is a love that transcends boundaries, a love that is selfless, and a love that is enduring. The significance of this love cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in the development of a child’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Unconditional Love: The Core of Parenthood

The essence of parental love is its unconditional nature. Parents love their children without any prerequisites or expectations. This love is not contingent on the child’s behavior, achievements, or attributes. It is a constant, unwavering force that remains even in the face of the greatest adversities. Parents continue to love their children even when they make mistakes, fail, or disappoint them. This unconditional love provides the child with a sense of security and belonging, which is essential for their emotional well-being.

The Role of Parental Love in Child Development

Parental love plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of a child. It is the foundation upon which a child’s self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence are built. Research has consistently shown that children who feel loved and cherished by their parents are more likely to develop healthy relationships, have a positive self-image, and exhibit higher levels of emotional intelligence.

Moreover, parental love also influences a child’s psychological development. It helps in the formation of a secure attachment style, which is crucial for the development of healthy interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Children who receive consistent love and care from their parents are less likely to develop mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Parental Love: A Catalyst for Resilience

Parental love also acts as a catalyst for resilience in children. It provides them with the strength to face challenges, overcome adversities, and bounce back from failures. The love and support of parents give children the courage to explore the world around them, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. It instills in them the belief that they are capable of achieving their goals, thereby fostering resilience and perseverance.

Conclusion: The Enduring Impact of Parental Love

In conclusion, the love of a parent is a profound and enduring force that has a profound impact on a child’s life. It is a love that is unconditional, selfless, and enduring. It shapes a child’s emotional, psychological, and social development, and fosters resilience and perseverance. The love of a parent is a gift that continues to give, long after the child has grown and left the nest. It is a testament to the enduring power and significance of parental love.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on How I Help My Parents at Home
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• Essay on Parents

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‘Day from hell’: Parents say their children were treated horribly at early learning center

EVANSVILLE, Ind. ( WFIE /Gray News) - Parents in Indiana say they were horrified to see how their children were being treated at an area learning center.

At the start of the 2023 school year, Evansville-area parents said they were looking forward to sending their children to Culver Early Learning Center.

But that quickly changed after some of their children started behaving differently, WFIE reports.

Victoria Ford said she sent her daughter Scarlett to the learning center.

“She loved going on the bus. She was her normal, happy, singing self,” Ford said.

However, what started as excitement changed to concern when her daughter started acting out.

“My husband and I would sit there and would try to wonder why,” Ford said.

Tara Gore, another mother of a Culver student, said she had a gut feeling that something with her son Brady was off. She said he came home with a bruise on his hand.

“He started collapsing to his knees and having meltdowns he never had before. He was crying, he was just showing signs of depression,” Gore said.

According to Ford, children with autism who are nonverbal have different ways to communicate when they are triggered.

“They may be nonverbal and not be able to communicate verbally, they communicate with behaviors,” Ford said.

Gore told WFIE that she needed to look deeper into what was going on with her son.

“With the America with Disabilities Act a parent of a child with special needs, especially parents with a child that is nonverbal, we have more rights than the average person. So, if we suspect abuse, we have every right to stick a camera on them,” Gore said.

Gore said she decided to take drastic measures to ensure her child was safe. So, a camera that looked like a key fob was attached to her son’s backpack.

“I caught a day from hell,” Gore said. “They were incredibly horribly mean to our children.”

After listening to the audio, Gore said she sent out a message to the parents of the classroom, mentioning that she wanted to connect with them.

Ford said when she saw the message, she knew there was something more to the story.

“I was sent the videos and I stayed up all night, listening, over and over and over again and I was completely devastated. I feel like I let my kid down by sending her to someplace that I was told she would be protected,” Ford said.

Parents Haley and Jeven Keding have a daughter with a rare genetic disorder.

“My daughter I think is the only one in the classroom that has a physical disability, and you can hear her in the audio recording calling her lazy,” Haley Keding said.

Ashley Turner, another parent with a child enrolled at the learning center, said she decided to confront school staff after listening to the audio.

“You don’t just have a rough day like that. It shouldn’t happen at all. You shouldn’t sit there and yell at nonverbal children for crying,” Turner said.

Gore said what was documented on the camera throughout the day was triggering and hated to watch how her son was talked to by his teacher.

The group of parents said they decided to pull their children out of the classroom.

“Sending kids to school in general as parents is scary. And then you add being special needs and nonverbal kids on top of that, it adds a whole new level of fear,” Ford said. “You expect our teachers and administrators to protect our kids and they dropped the ball.”

The parents say their children are now thriving since being removed from the learning center.

Culver Early Learning Center is part of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation.

WFIE reports that EVSC sent the following statement regarding the situation:

“The EVSC is aware of the situation that occurred at one of our early learning centers last fall. We conducted a thorough review of the incident and have taken the necessary actions to rectify the situation. We are not at liberty to provide further comment on any details regarding matters involving students or employees.”

The parents interviewed said they were not satisfied with the school’s response, but also not surprised.

“Our kids are special and they’re perfect and they’re amazing and they didn’t deserve this,” Ford said.

House Bill 1073 would require schools that have the funds to have a recording device in areas of the classroom by July 2025. That bill passed the House of Representatives and is now on its way to the Senate.

Copyright 2024 WFIE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Guest Essay

Ethan Crumbley’s Parents Were Just Part of a Much Bigger Problem

By Elizabeth Spiers

Ms. Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

James and Jennifer Crumbley never anticipated that their then-15-year-old son, Ethan, would use the 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun Mr. Crumbley had bought — ostensibly as an early Christmas present — to kill four students at a Michigan high school. At least that’s the argument their lawyers made in court before Ms. Crumbley, last month, and Mr. Crumbley, almost two weeks ago, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials. Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys did not do enough to secure the gun and ignored warning signs that Ethan was planning to use it.

After every mass shooting by a teenager at a school, there is an instinct to look to the shooter’s parents to understand what went wrong. In the case of the Crumbleys, this seems obvious: Ethan left disturbing journal entries fantasizing about shooting up the school, and stating that he had asked his parents for help with his mental health issues but didn’t get it. His father said the family had a gun safe but the safe’s combination was the default factory setting, 0-0-0.

One factor that’s gotten less attention, however, is how the Crumbleys’ attitudes and actions reflect an increasingly insidious gun culture that treats guns as instruments of defiance and rebellion rather than as a means of last resort.

I’ve been thinking about this case a lot because I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s in a rural part of the Deep South where almost everyone I knew had guns in the house, unsecured, and mental illness was stigmatized and often went untreated. Church was considered a superior venue for counseling, and only “crazy” people sought professional help. If the evidence for criminal negligence is a failure to lock up a gun and ignoring signs of mental illness, many of the adults I grew up around would have been (and still would be) vulnerable to the same charges as the Crumbleys.

It’s convenient and comforting for many people to believe that if it had been their child, they’d have prevented this tragedy. But prison visiting rooms are full of good, diligent parents who never thought their kid would be capable of landing there.

My parents didn’t own a gun safe, but kept guns hidden away from us, which, like many gun owners at the time, they thought of as “secured.” The men in my family were all hunters and the guns they kept were hunting rifles, not AR-15s. (You can’t feed a family with deer meat that’s been blown to bits.) I knew my parents kept a handgun, too, but it was never shown to us, or treated as a shiny new toy.

Gun culture was different then. It would have never occurred to my parents to acquire an entire arsenal of guns and display them prominently around the house, as some people now do, or ludicrously suggest that Jesus Christ would have carried one . They did not, as more than a few Republican politicians have done, send out Christmas photos of their children posing with weapons designed explicitly to kill people at an age when those children likely still believed Santa existed. Open carry was legal, but if you were to walk into the local barbecue joint with a semiautomatic rifle on your back emblazoned with fake military insignia, people would think you were creepy and potentially dangerous, not an exemplar of masculinity and patriotism.

All of these things happen now with regularity, and they’re considered normal by gun owners who believe that any kind of control infringes on their Second Amendment rights. Children are introduced at a young age to guns like the Sig Sauer that Ethan Crumbley used. They’re taught to view guns as emblematic of freedom and the right to self-defense — two concepts that have been expanded to include whatever might justify unlimited accumulation of weapons.

“Freedom” is short for not being told what to do, even though the law very much dictates how and when guns should be used. “Self-defense” is often talked about as a justifiable precaution in the event of home invasion, though home invasions are as rare as four-leaf clovers and do not require an arsenal unless the invader is a small army. (It’s also worth noting that basic home security systems are far less expensive than many popular guns, which suggests that at the very least, some gun owners may be intentionally opting for the most violent potential scenario.) Most important, too many children are taught that guns confer power and can and should be used to intimidate other people. (Relatedly, any time I write about gun control, at least one gun owner emails to say he’d love to shoot me, which is not exactly evidence of responsible gun ownership.)

Mass shooters often begin with a grievance — toward certain populations, individuals they feel wronged by, society at large — and escalate their behavior from fantasizing about violence to planning actual attacks. A study from 2019 suggests that feeling inadequate may make gun owners more inclined toward violence. In the study, gun owners were given a task to perform and then told that they failed it. Later they were asked a number of questions, including whether they would be willing to kill someone who broke into their home, even if the intruder was leaving. “We found that the experience of failure increased participants’ view of guns as a means of empowerment,” wrote one researcher , “and enhanced their readiness to shoot and kill a home intruder.”

The study hypothesized that these gun owners “may be seeking a compensatory means to interact more effectively with their environment.”

Good parents model healthy interactions all the time. If their kids are struggling with a sense of inferiority or are having trouble dealing with failure, we teach them self-confidence and resilience. Parents who treat guns as a mechanism for feeling more significant and powerful are modeling an extremely dangerous way to interact with their environment.

What’s particularly hypocritical here is that the most strident defenders of this culture skew conservative and talk a lot about what isn’t appropriate for children and teenagers. What they think is inappropriate often includes educating kids about sex, about the fact that some people are gay or transsexual and about racism. It’s a perverse state of affairs: Exposing children to simple facts is dangerous, but exposing them to machines designed to kill is not. You can’t get your driver’s license until you’re a teenager, or buy cigarettes and alcohol until you’re 21, but much earlier than that, kids can, with adult supervision, legally learn how to end someone’s life.

Parents can’t ensure that their child won’t ever feel inferior or disempowered, or even in some cases become delusional or filled with rage. Teenagers do things that their parents would never anticipate every day, even if they’re close and communicative. Some develop serious drug habits or become radicalized into extremism or take their own lives.

One thing parents can ensure is that their children cannot get access to a gun in their house. The only foolproof way to do that is to ensure that there’s no gun in the house to begin with. Barring that, parents can make sure they are not reinforcing a toxic gun culture that says that displaying and threatening to use lethal machines is a reasonable way to deal with anger or adversity. That message makes the idea of killing someone seem almost ordinary.

That doesn’t prevent school shooters; it primes them.

Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

Source photographs by CSA-Printstock and John Storey, via Getty Images.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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