Educational success among elementary school children from low socioeconomic status families: A systematic review of research assessing parenting factors

Prior research has focused primarily on the educational benefits of high socioeconomic status (SES). Little is known about educationally successful youth from low-SES backgrounds, and no published review has systematically evaluated the methodological characteristics of research in this area. The primary aim of this report was to systematically review methodological characteristics of research identifying parenting factors conducive to the educational success of low-SES youth. A secondary aim was to briefly summarize the substantive findings of research in this area. A bibliographic search of 11 electronic databases, a manual search of two journals, and reference harvesting yielded 30 English-language studies published between 1994 and 2014 employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs that met a-priori study eligibility criteria. Studies of parent–school involvement, parental expectations for current and long-term academic performance, and warm, responsive, and consistent parenting styles identified the strongest predictors of academic achievement among low-SES elementary school children. Findings for parent–school involvement differed depending on whether the parent behaviors were performed in the home (e.g., helping with homework) or school environment (e.g., attending parent–teacher conferences), with home-based parent-involvement activities found to have stronger positive associations with children's academic achievement. Further investigation of parenting behaviors and beliefs that are positively associated with the academic success of children from low-SES families is needed.

Duke Scholars

Author Charity S Watkins Obstetrics and Gynecology