Education and Parenting in Italy

Abstract

This chapter focuses on education and parenting in Italy. In the first part of the chapter we describe key political and cultural changes that occurred in Italy from after World War II to the present that influenced the progress of Italian society in the areas of education and family. Then, we describe the Italian education system, specifying its characteristics (in terms of duration, requirements, and admissions) and the portrait of Italian students that has emerged recently from comparative international surveys. In the next part of the chapter, we present a summary of recent studies that have examined the role of parental practices on children's academic achievement in Italy, especially during adolescence, a developmental period characterized by a decline of parental engagement in school activities. Overall, recent studies have corroborated the crucial role that school-related parental monitoring (i.e., supervision and control but also open communication with children regarding school activities), parental academic aspirations, and parental self-efficacy in school-related performance, have on fostering adolescents' academic achievement and school adjustment. Future directions are discussed to face challenges related to improving students' educational outcomes and enhancing the connection between school and family to reduce the percentage of early school leavers.