Influence of Perceived Parental Involvement on Hmong Children's Academic Performance

The purpose of this study was to examine what predicted parental involvement based on children's report and whether parental involvement serves as an advantage to children's math and reading abilities and academic performance. This study included 380 students (179 boys and 201 girls) in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades from five Hmong-focused charter schools in Minnesota. It was found that gender, number of siblings, and temperament were predictive of home-based parent involvement, while ethnicity, temperament, and language spoken with parents was predictive of school-based parent involvement. Subsequently, school-based parent involvement was predictive of children's self-report academic competence and academic performance. Overall, the model explains 8.3% and 21.7% of the variation in home- and school-based involvement, respectively, and explains 11.9% and 4.1% of the variation in reported academic competence and academic performance, respectively. The study ends with some implications and future research with Hmong students and parents. KEYWORDS. Hmong American Families, Parental Involvement, Hmong Education, Achievement Gaps.