Parent Involvement and Student Academic Performance: A Multiple Mediational AnalysisDavid R. Topor, Susan P. Keane, Terri L. Shelton, and Susan D. Calkins

Numerous studies have shown a clear positive relationship between the involvement of a parent in a child's education, and the academic performance of the child. This particular study seeks to explore the mechanisms of the said association. On that front, only two potential mechanisms are taken into consideration. These, according to the authors, include; 1) the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the student, and 2) the child's perception of cognitive competence. A total of one hundred and fifty eight 7-year-olds participated in this study. The sample also included their teachers and mothers. It is important to note that data was in this case sourced from three key centers; the child, their mothers, and teachers -- with the gathering of data from the first two centers taking place during two laboratory visits, and from the teacher taking place during a single school visit. When it comes to data collection, this study made use of structured techniques. The approaches used were observation and the utilization of questionnaires, with teachers in the latter case completing a questionnaire packet that included...

In the authors' own words, "findings from the present study demonstrated that increased parental involvement, defined as the teacher's perception of the positive attitude parents have toward their child's education, teacher, and school, was significantly related to increased academic performance, measured by both a standardized achievement test and teacher ratings of a child's classroom academic performance."
Section 2: Critical Analysis of the Article

It is important to note that the findings of this present study does generate a number of opportunities for future research. To begin with there is need for a more critical assessment of the various approaches and methods that promote achievement -- particularly in middle school. A study of this nature would be particularly necessary as it has been shown that academic performance during this stage suffers as a result of the various transitional changes taking place in…