Parents’ Support and Achievement in a Mexican Elementary School: Child’s Perception and Parents’ Self-Evaluation

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of family support on the academic performance of 131 fifth graders attending elementary school in Mexico. Perceptions of parental support were assessed using questionnaires administered to students and their parents regarding four components of support: 1) Assisting with homework; 2) Providing time and adequate space; 3) Communicating with teachers; and 4) Carrying out review and assessment activities. Children’s written language was assessed using an instrument linked to the curriculum. Following exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis, an instrument was obtained to measure written language with good convergent and divergent validity for three aspects of written language: ability to reflect on language, text production, and vocabulary communication. Results support the hypothesis that the written language achievement of fifth graders is largely explained by the family support made available to them.