Investigating the Bidirectional Relationship Between Hispanic Parental Expectations and Student Academic Achievement

Abstract

Parental involvement has become a popular approach to addressing the achievement gap between various racial/ethnic groups. Given the burgeoning presence of Hispanic children in public schools, the purpose of this study was to examine the causal influences between one dimension of parental involvement, parental expectations, and academic achievement (measured by standardized and teacher-reported measures). A sample of 293 first-grade Hispanic students from a larger longitudinal study examining the impact of retention on academic achievement was included in the study. Cross-lagged and autoregressive path modeling tested causal associations between parental expectations and students’ academic achievement over the course of three years. Differences were also examined among gender and English language learner (ELL) status.

Findings from this study indicate an inconsistent relationship between parental expectations and academic achievement, moderated by gender, achievement measure, and year of assessment. Specifically, results indicated a stronger relationship for male participants and for teacher-reported achievement indicators. More causal relationships were also noted in the later years of assessment. Additional analyses reveal Hispanic parents have lower educational expectations for ELLs than non-ELL students, regardless of academic abilities. Limitations, future directions, and study implications are discussed.