A study on the influences of parental involvement on the adaptation of college freshmen

Abstract

Many studies claim that high level of parental involvement in higher education may inhibit individual development. However, there is little empirical evidence on the effects of parental involvement during the college years. The study analyzes survey data collected from 72 colleges in China and find that different types of parental involvement have different impact on freshmen’s adaptation. Students’ perceived parental support in times of stress can most effectively promote individual academic and social adaptation. Advice and experience sharing, as well as non-excessive intervention also have significant positive impacts on academic and social adaptation. Parents’ concern for students’ daily life has no significant impact on academic adaptation, and has a significant negative impact on social adaptation. Parent-student contact has a significant positive impact on academic adaptation, but has a significant negative impact on social adaptation. In addition, there is a nonlinear relationship between parental involvement and freshmen’s adaptation. Non-excessive intervention can only benefit freshmen with higher levels of academic and social adaptation. It has no significant impact on freshmen with lower levels of social adaptation, and has a significant negative impact on the academic adaptation of freshmen with lower levels of academic adaptation. This study helps higher education institutions understand the impact of parental involvement on freshmen’s adaptation and provides policy implications, emphasizing that higher education institutions should take intervention measures, such as active guidance and cooperation with parents, to help students solve adaptation problems. What’ more, future research could be undertaken in different directions, including conducting similar studies in different types of higher education institutions, and analyzing how this influence varies among freshmen of different genders and family structures.