Implementing Parental Involvement to Improve Student Achievement in Hungary Schools: Patterns of Hidden Resources

Abstract

Purpose: Educational institutions face an increasing challenge when looking at ways to implement parental involvement to improve student achievement at school. This study aimed to review the diverse web of relationships between parental involvement and schools based on studies along various indicators and determinants. Method: The Hungarian National Assessment of Basic Competencies (NABC) databases were analyzed to examine parental involvement, which impacts academic achievement in grades 6 and 10 in Hungarian schools, and its associations with students' family background, age, and gender. The NABC contains data for all students in each grade, so the results of a full query were used to examine patterns, meaning that the reliability of our results is high. The principal component analysis and cross-tabulation analysis were carried out using the SPSS 22 software package. Findings: Considering the results of the study, it was concluded that although the level of parental involvement decreases with advancing age, it does impact outside-of-school-home-based parental involvement. Implications for Research and Practice: The practical significance of these results is that they highlight the need to find ways of engaging with parents in secondary schools that are most appropriate for them. The study implications made evident that higher-status parents are more involved in their children's home and school life, and thus particular attention should be paid by those involved in educational decision-making processes and by schools to involve and prepare families of lower socioeconomic status for school life.