Effects of the Educational Level/Status of Parents on their Children

1089 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays parental involvement v parental engagement

What effect does the educational level/status of parents have on the post-high school graduation aspirations of their children? The hypothesis is that the educational status of parents does affect their children’s post-high school aspirations. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the educational status of parents impacts the educational/work choices/future aspirations of their children. The assumptions of this study are that students whose parents have achieved a higher level of education will have higher aspirations for their own future. Tangential assumptions are that parents with a higher educational status will be more involved in their children’s education and will be of a higher socioeconomic status.

The study will consist of a survey which will be administered to current English IV students at a local high school. The survey will consist of questions asking about the educational levels of both parents, the marital status of the parents, the aspirations the parents have for their children, and the students’ own plans and aspirations in their education and future work goals.

It has been a long standing question as to whether a parent’s educational status can influence their children’s future educational or work aspirations. In this research study, the terms "educational level/status" will mean the highest educational level or degree achieved by either parent, and the term "post-high school aspirations" will mean the plans students have for after their high school graduation.

The influence of the educational status of parents on the future goals of their children is one which this writer has often been curious about and reflected upon. There has been research on similar topics, which this paper will examine. ...

... middle of paper ...

...rs of Adolescents' Academic Performance. [S.l.]: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.

Otto, L. B. & Haller, A. O. (1979). Evidence for a social psychological view of the status attainment process: Four studies compared. Social Forces 57(3):887-914.

Sewell, W. H., & Shah, V. P. (1968). Parents' education and children's educational aspirations and achievements. American Sociological Review. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/publications/files/public/Sewell-Shah_Parents.Education.and.Childrens.Educational.Aspirations.and.Achievement.pdf

Sewell, W. H. & Hauser, R. M. (1975). Education, occupation, and earnings: Achievement in the early career. New York: Academic Press.

Wilson, P. M. & Wilson, J. R. (1992). Environmental influences on adolescent educational aspirations: A logistic transform model. Youth & Society. 24(1):52-70.

Show More
Related

  • Social Hierarchy in Under the Lion’s Paw by Halim Garland

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kraus, Michael W. "Status Hierarchies: Do We Need Them?" Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Psychology Today, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Unequal Childhoods Chapter Summary

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    For such families, “sustaining children’s natural growth is viewed as an accomplishment” (Lareau 34). Lareau also reported that many working class and poor parents feel that educators hold the expertise, and usually fear doing the “wrong thing” in school-related matters (Lareau 357). What this usually leads to is trying to maintain a separation between school and home (Lareau 358).

    Read More

  • College as the Pathway to the American Dream

    2356 Words  | 5 Pages

    For the purpose of this paper, the American Dream will be defined as the idea that you can achieve financial stability through hard work, which often means going to college. The term “college” refers to any undergraduate or graduate program at a secondary institution. This paper aims to examine the relationship between attending college and one’s ability to achieve the American Dream. Attending college is thought to be an important step in obtaining the American Dream, primarily because receiving a higher level of education tends to lead to a higher paying job and furthermore a financially stable future. However, this isn’t always the case due to an increase in the need for students to take out loans and increase their debt in order to afford college expenses.

    Read More

  • Active Parent Participation in IEP Meetings

    2273 Words  | 5 Pages

    3: What is the potential effect of active parent participation in the Individual Education ...

    Read More

  • Difference Between A Child And Child-Centered System

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Mannes (2001), the primary characteristics that influences responsibility for education is an individual relatives’ positions, inspiration, contribution, and demonstration. When I was growing up, education was always emphasized in my family. Even when we were poor, my parents did not let that hinder us. They tied education to success and my dad always voiced that he desired better for me than he had for himself, even though he became quite successful despite not having a high school diploma. Consequently, it was quite natural for me to pursue college after high school as that was the subject of numerous discussions in my

    Read More

  • How Divorce is Affecting the American Culture

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deplanty, Jennifer, Duchane, A Kim, Kern-Coulter Russell (2007). Perceptions of Parent Involvement in Academic Achievement. The Journal of Educational Research. Vol 100, No. 6, 361

    Read More

  • Excessive Pressure to Take Advanced Placement Courses

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parents play a huge part in the decision making process in their children’s education. The parents almost always want what they think is best for their children and sometimes the parents do not know where to draw the line between assisting their child and controlling their children’s lives. When discussing course choices in hi...

    Read More

  • Effects Of Adoption Disruption

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mother’s with higher education had a high rate of disrupt. It is suggested that this is due in part because the higher the education of the mother the more likely she works outside of the home. Also, the mother with higher education has less parenting experience. It was also suggested that if both prospective parents work, there was a higher chance of disruption due to the child having a difficult time adjusting to the family dynamics. Also, the college educated parents could have higher expectations of the child than with parents of less

    Read More

  • Effects Of Single Parent Household

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s day and age, the percentage of monitories attending college decrease more every day. Many studies indicate that there are more African Americans with high school diplomas then college degrees. The question being asked reputably amongst many people is why African Americans still face huge challenges in terms of accessing and completing higher education. The answer to this argument is that single parent household can have a huge effect on how they prosper down the road. Single parent households can influence a child drive for pursuing higher education by failing to push or ensure them that it’s possible to achieve higher than a high school diploma

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography Of A College Education Is Worth The Costs

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rodney K. Smith’s mere opinion of his publication is that children with a higher level are more like to secure a job rather than those with no or little education. His view is upheld by the statistics of bureau that gives a clear statistics of the percentage of the salary earned by students with higher education and that of lower education. This makes his claim more reliable and credible because the bureau of labor and statistics is a reputable institution in the United States that deals with the percentage of people who work in United State. Smith’s own personal anecdote appeals to the feelings of the audience in which it ignites them with feelings of possibility.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In The American Dream

    1991 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, living the American Dream is not just a matter of working hard. A higher education is becoming a necessity to have if one wishes to rise above his or her station. Egan mentions that years prior, a degree was not necessary to having a comfortable life, but nowadays without a degree, it is nearly impossible to earn a wage that can support all the ideals of the American Dream (106). Because of this, a person born into a family with money has a much better chance of continuing to live a comfortable life, while a person who is born into poverty or the lower class might not have the means to receive an education and is therefore left out of the American

    Read More

  • Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Children

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    Schmitt-Wilson, Sarah (2013). Social Class and Expectations of Rural Adolescents: The Role of Parental Expectations, Career Development Quarterly. Volume 61, pages 226-239.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Attending College and Receiving an Education`

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    My parents have this perfect life for me pictured in their heads, and the first thing they see me doing is going to college. They expect the best of me, and so by going to college, I will not only have fulfilled their goals for me, but I will have accomplished one of the goals I have set for myself. In our culture, when parents come to the age where they can’t support themselves, it is the duty of the children to look after them.

    Read More

  • Family Nativity Patterns Paper

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    The focal question in this topic is, “Are families influential, and if so, in what ways?” (Yingyi Ma, 2009) This perspective branches off into our main idea in our research topic. A family’s socio economic status plays a crucial role in a child’s college major choice. This specific topic also branches out to family SES similarities and differences on male and female and on whites and other races/ethnic groups. They also identified how a parent’s involvement in the school influences a child’s major

    Read More

  • Importance Of Family And Academic Achievement

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    Family factor such as parental expectation seems to have an enormous impact on children’s educational achievement. As illustrated by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, family has a direct influence on children’s life. Schools should encourage parents to become actively involved in their children’s education by promoting the importance of being supportive and having high expectations on their children’s educational attainment. Government, through its policy should provide monetary support to the impoverished family to reduce poverty and increase their socioeconomic status as from the research, it is evidenced that parents with higher socioeconomic status hold higher expectation towards their children’s academic achievement which lead to academic success in schools.

    Read More

More about Effects of the Educational Level/Status of Parents on their Children

Open Document