The Impact of Parental Educational Expectations and Parental Education on Adolescent Academics

Abstract

In today's rapidly developing era, an increasing number of parents hope that their children will have good academic performance and a bright future. Both parental expectations and educational attainment can influence a child's academic level. Excessive expectations can have a negative impact on a child's academic performance, and higher educational attainment can also affect intergenerational expectations. This study is based on data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), using correlation analysis and ANOVA to explore the effects of parental educational expectations and parental educational attainment on the academic performance of adolescents. The results of the study revealed that there is a significant positive correlation between parental expectations and academic performance. However, the impact of parental educational attainment differs between fathers and mothers, with only the mother's educational attainment having an influence on a child's academic performance. We recommend that parents should maintain a moderate level of expectation to ensure that their child's academic performance is at a high level. At the same time, there should be a balance between fathers' and mothers' investment in education.