Measuring the effects between family and teacher characteristics on student achievement

Teachers and parents are two of the most important and valuable resources a child has at his or her disposal during their schooling experience. Family environments are believed to have a significant influence in the development of a child's cognitive abilities and affective characteristics. It is the parents who establish and reinforce certain values and behaviors that effect the educational attainment of a child. The environment established in a classroom affects the learning of a child through the formal and informal structures and procedures developed by teachers. Teachers can establish an environment that facilitates learning and influences certain values and behaviors.Previous educational research has focused on how parents or teachers have singularly contributed to the academic achievement of students. While many of these studies have provided some insightful results on the effects that parents and teachers have on student academic achievement, they have failed to acknowledge the fact that students must interact with both groups simultaneously. This research examines how various educational inputs of parents and teachers, either singularly or jointly, influence certain educational outcomes of students. The specific question which this study addresses is whether students who perceive their parents and teachers as showing high concern for their involvement in school, score higher on standardized tests and receive better grades than similar students whose parents and teachers are perceived as showing low concern for their school involvement.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio