Gender Differences in Parental Involvement and Adolescents' Mathematics Achievement

Abstract

How does parents' involvement in school differ for sons and daughters, and what difference does it make in the gender gap in mathematics achievement ? This article reports on a longitudinal study of the impact of parental involvement on adolescents' mathematics achievement from Grade 8 to 12. The study found that gender differences in scores on mathematics achievement tests were small but consistent among high school seniors. Gender differences in Grade 8 test scores and gains from Grade 8 to 10 were found only when parental involvement was controlled. The relationship between parental involvement and achievement is similar for girls and boys and diminishes over the course of high school to the point that parental involvement has essentially no relationship to the gains in achievement made by seniors.