Comparing Children Academic Achievement from Different Social Economic Status of the Family

Education increases the potential of an individual to secure a good job, income, and well-being (Barnes & Quaicoe, 2013). Accordingly, it is imperative to study the aspects that hinder students from performing well, and devise ways on how to handle them. There are many factors affecting the academic achievement of children including peer influence, family issues, school environment, and student’s determination. Understanding the impact of these factors is critical to improving the accomplishment of students. This essay focuses on the way family factors affect the educational achievement of children. It will provide a clear analysis of how different parenting styles, parental education, and socio-economic status affect young learners.

Parenting Styles

There are four parenting styles including authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and not involved. In authoritarian parenting, parents have complete control over their children, while in permissive one, kids are subjected to less restrictions. Authoritative child rearing is almost analogous to authoritarian style only that in the former kids have some form of freedom. Not involved childcare as the name implies suggests total freedom to the child (Barnes & Quaicoe, 2013). In Hong Kong, the most cherished and common style is authoritarian one.

Research shows that there is a strong relationship between parenting styles and the achievements of children (Ho & Kwong, 2013). In most permissive families, teenagers perform averagely because of minimal supervision. The few children that perform excellently in the class attribute their success to an individual passion for excelling. While permissive childcare is rare in Hong Kong, not many families have adopted it. Although this style is fruitful, especially, among European countries, in China, it does not yield fruits. The major problem of permissive style, as explained by various Chinese experts, is that it does not stress the significance of education. Consequently, there is a high possibility that a child will demonstrate little concern about learning. Although children from both authoritarian and authoritative styles perform well, those of the latter one outsmart the former. The difference between the two styles is that in authoritarian one, discipline takes precedence while in authoritative, children learn to excel. In other words, children from authoritarian families mostly succeed because of fear of punishment, while those from authoritative excel because they understand the importance of succeeding.

Social and Economic Status

A child’s attitude towards learning heavily depends on the type of family to which he or she hails from (Barnes & Quaicoe, 2013). For example, a child who comes from a household that shows interest in his or her education is likely to outperform a teenager who does not receive any parental support. Parental aspects, such as motivation, incentives, and praises, are important in encouraging teenagers to work hard (Harris, 2012). As children are more likely to imitate their family members, it is advisable that families lay a good foundation for their youngsters. A disjointed family may affect the academic success of the child. Research lucidly indicates that a child needs the support of two parents to succeed.

The economic backgrounds of households greatly determine the performance of the children. Parents with a strong financial base have manifold opportunities to improve the success of their children (Feinstein & Duckworth, 2010). They can take them to good schools, offer them tuition, and provide superior educational materials among others. In contrast, parents with a weak economic background have limited opportunities for their children. In fact, some of them may have their children drop out of school due to lack of school fees. What is also sinificant, their failure to provide essential academic materials may affect the performance of their children.

Children from large families are more certain to suffer from a lack of educational resources (Feinstein & Duckworth, 2010). Mathematically, in most cases, a large family has more expenses as compared to a small one. Accordingly, if that family is not financially strong, it will struggle to meet the ever-increasing needs of its members. That is why a child from such type of families is likely to perform poorly.

Parents Academic Level

There is enough evidence to show that a child’s performance is dependent on his or her parents’ educating level. Parents with a strong educational background tend to utilize their school experience to nurture their children. Their education influences the way in which they interact with their children at home (Hornby, 2011). Accordingly, such children are more likely to excel in school than those of less educated parents. In contrast, unschooled parents are less likely to know the methods of improving the educational achievement of their youngsters. They will mostly rely on the lessons their teenagers receive in school.

 Scholarly parents often talk to their children in various languages and use diverse vocabularies, which, in turn, advance the language and vocabulary skills of their teenagers. Learned parents expect more from their children in terms of education (Meece, 2010). Many of them will desire to behold their children either go past their achievement or come close. For that reason, they will encourage their children to work hard.

Learned parents will expose their children to diverse and manifold educational opportunities. For example, they are likely to admit their children in summer classes, computer lessons, and music programs among others. Additionally, such parents will take them to the best schools due to the fact they not only have the money but also want their children to excel. In contrast, uneducated parents may have no academic opportunities to expose their children and their youngsters will be less informed an aspect that may affect their academic progress.

In general, educated parents earn better than the uneducated hence have the freedom to choose where they live or where to school their children. Research shows that the type of school one studies in greatly determines the performance. A good school will increase the chances of the learner to succeed due to the various learning opportunities it provides.

Children from educated families often hear of talks about numbers and counting and in this way start developing a strong mathematical knowledge. A good foundation in mathematics increases their problem-solving abilities. Consequently, they become critical thinkers in class, an important aspect of education.

In conclusion, parents play an important role in the academic achievements of their children. Research shows that that it is practically impossible to divide the two as they are mutually coexisting. While it is the desire of each parent to see their children succeed, there are certain factors that may hamper their performance. Children from less advantaged families have leaner chances of success as compared to those of the affluent ones. Parenting styles also play an important role in deciding their achievements. Finally, parents with a better education are more likely to have successful children.

References

Barnes, G., & Quaicoe, J. (2013). The influences of selected socio-economic factors of parents and parenting attitudes on the academic achievements of their wards The case of pupils in Archbishop Porter "A" Primary School, Effia Kuma. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.

Feinstein, L., & Duckworth, K. (2010). Education and the family: Passing success across the generations. London: Routledge.

Harris, K. (2012). APA educational psychology handbook. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Ho, E., & Kwong, W. (2013). Parental involvement on children's education what works in Hong Kong. Singapore: Springer.

Hornby, G. (2011). Parental involvement in childhood education building effective school-family partnerships. New York: Springer.

Meece, J. (2010). Handbook of research on schools, schooling, and human development. New York: Routledge.