In spite of evidence indicating the benefits of parental engagement for children's achievement, little is known about the factors that contribute to parental engagement in countries outside the United States. In this study, we addressed this gap in the literature by examining teachers' outreach in addition to maternal psychological elements…

Numerous studies have investigated the utility of the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (HDS) model for predicting parents' involvement in students' education. Yet, the model has yet to be thoroughly evaluated with respect to youth who are (a) in high school and (b) from sociodemographically diverse families. Using a nationally representative sample of…

Studies conducted in the US consistently demonstrate that parenting self-efficacy and construction of the parent role are critical elements associated with parents' involvement in their children's elementary school education. Less is known about the dynamics of parent involvement during the preschool period, or in nations outside the US. This…

Interviewed Japanese preschool staff about mothers' child-rearing strategies and the home-school relationship. Found that most respondents believed mothers should prioritize spending time with their children and should provide firm behavior guidance, but did not view cognitive stimulation as important to the maternal role. Few believed mothers…

Examined 14 low-income mothers' socialization goals for their preschool children and the role of child-care providers in achieving those goals. Subjects' views of preschool learning were not entirely congruent with a constructivist approach to learning, and were linked to other cultural models of childrearing, including respecting authority,…

A study of 91 Japanese and American preschool children and followup at grade 5 or 6 focused on the effects on academic achievement of 2 sets of variables: mother's early microlevel parenting behaviors and interactions with child, and mother's values concerning child's achievement and school legitimacy. Contains 38 references. (SV)

Studies of causal attributions among elementary school children and their mothers in Japan and in the United States indicate that the Japanese are more likely to cite effort as the primary cause of school achievement. In the United States, ability is more frequently selected as a key factor. The characteristics of Japanese mother-child interaction…

This qualitative study investigated mothers' views about their role in their children's education and their expectations of their child's preschool. A particular focus of the study was to contrast the views of mothers with differing degrees of parenting self-efficacy and to contrast the perceptions of working-class and middle-class mothers.…