Attitude and acheivement: A study of parent and student attitudes towards education and their effects on achievement

Thesis (M.A.T.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Curriculum and InstructionThe purpose of this research is to determine if there is a correlation between parents' and their third grade students' attitudes towards education and if these attitudes and beliefs affect student motivation and academic achievement. A review of the current literature examines parental involvement in four sections: what parental involvement looks like, the benefits of parental involvement, factors affecting parental involvement and why parental involvement is important for schools. The literature also examines students' attitudes and motivation towards education and discusses types of motivation, causes of motivation and the timing of the student's life at which motivation can be studied. To conduct the research, surveys were given to parents and students in the third grade of an urban elementary school in a large Midwestern city to determine if there was a correlation between parental beliefs and attitudes about involvement and students' attitude and motivation. Student achievement data was gathered from the program used by the school for progress monitoring. Results indicate that parental decisions to be involved are statistically related to invitations from school, role construction, and self-efficacy. Additionally, results indicated that achievement data are positively correlated with role construction and invitations from the child. Findings are discussed and compared to research in which the current study supports and refutes. Limitations to the study, future research, and classroom implications are also discussed