He Said, She Said: How Teenagers and Their Parents View the Learning Experience

Adolescence is an intriguing stage of development filled with complex physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes. During this stage, teenagers assert their independence from parents and develop their own opinions and ideas about a variety of issues, including school and their parents’ involvement in it. The present study examines parent and student perceptions on a broad variety of attitudes and behaviors regarding parent involvement and academic development. Participants are parents and high school students from three states who completed parallel versions of the School Community Survey. Results indicate points of divergence but also points of convergence between parents and adolescents on perceptions, attitudes, and reported behaviors. Discussion of findings and future research implications are presented