A University of Reading study showed that parental aspirations only help children if they are realistic. While past studies have revealed that parents with high hopes have a positive effect on their children’s education, it seems that over aspiration may damage their academic achievement.
“Empowering pupils to leave school with a high standard of education and excellent exam results is crucial for countries’ and children’s futures,” said Dr Kou Murayama, who led the study.
“Nations need a skilled workforce to compete in a globalised economy – top grades can open doors to higher education and boost job prospects. It’s therefore vital we understand how parents can best support their children to achieve their full potential at secondary school.”
During their research Dr Murayama and his colleagues analysed data from a longitudinal study of more than 3,500 secondary school pupils (aged 11 to 16) and their parents in Bavaria between 2002 and 2007.
The pupils took annual maths achievement tests over five school years while their parents filled in questionnaires at the end of every academic year.
The parental questionnaires assessed parental aspirations (how much they wanted their children to gain a particular grade) and their expectations (how much they believed their children could achieve that grade).
“Our aim was to see if parental aspiration that exceeds realistic expectation could have negative effects on children’s academic performance,” explained Dr Murayama.
“The results were striking. Children of parents with higher hopes achieved statistically better test scores compared to those who aspired less. This is consistent with previous findings that high parental aspiration is good for children.
“However, when we examined the parents whose aspiration exceeded realistic expectation children’s academic performance was damaged. This could be due to children experiencing anxiety, low confidence and frustration brought on by pressure from overbearing parents.”
The researchers also looked at data from a two-year study of more than 12,000 students in the US and their parents. The results matched the German study.