Quality of Parental Homework Involvement: Predictors and Reciprocal Relations With Academic Functioning in the Reading Domain

This study examined predictors of the quality of parental homework involvement and reciprocal relations between the quality of parental homework involvement and students' reading achievement and academic functioning in a reading-intensive subject (German). Data from 2,830 students in nonacademic tracks and their parents who were surveyed in both Grades 5 and 7 were analyzed. The quality of parental homework involvement was assessed via student reports. It was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct and measured by 3 dimensions proposed by self-determination theory: parental control, parental responsiveness, and parental structure. Whereas students' academic functioning in Grade 5 predicted the way parents became involved in the homework process in Grade 7, the quality of parents' help with homework did not depend on their socioeconomic background. Reciprocal relations between the quality of parental homework involvement and children's academic functioning were observed: Low academic functioning of students in Grade 5 resulted in more parental control in Grade 7, and more parental control in Grade 5 was associated with lower academic functioning in Grade 7. Similarly, high academic functioning in Grade 5 resulted in more parental responsiveness and structure in Grade 7, and more parental responsiveness and structure in Grade 5 were associated with better academic functioning in Grade 7.