I am working on a manuscript relating to the influence of parent education on students' self-regulation in homework (i.e., homework across different subjects versus math homework).
The right to education has been well recognised by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) under Article 26 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR)
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in elementary and fundamental stages ….
Education shall be directed to the full development of human personality and to the strengthening of respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Parents have a right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Only through formal education or can it be less formal education that occurs outside of an academic institution? In other words, Indigenous knowledge systems have a very sophisticated understanding of "math", but it is not learned in a formal institution.
What I have gotten into in my study is that the role of parent education on students' self-regulatory efforts to manage their homework (e.g., managing time, monitoring motivation, and dealing with distractions) in math subject versus their efforts in homework in general. Another aspect is regarding whether the role of parent education on students' self-regulatory efforts in homework management may be mediated by cultural differences (e.g., US versus China).
As far as I understand, self-regulation of children in one or more subject domains might be dependent to a higher degree on parenting styles rather than on the level of parental education. Parents having a high educational level with a negligent or permissive parenting style are more likely to have children with lower levels of self-regulation as compared to less educated authoritative parents. Having parent/s who have attained a high qualification in a particular area, e.g. Maths, and also have a firm and involved parenting style seems to be the strongest equation as far as self-regulation and academic achievement in that subject domain is concerned. I would like to know your opinion in this regard. Do you think that this or other student-related variables might confoud the role of parental education?
Although not focused specifically on parent education, our recent article on parental involvement in student homework may be useful to your work. Please, find it attached.
All the best,
Eleftheria
Article Parental involvement in homework: Relations with parent and ...
You have raised a good point regarding the role parenting styles on students' self-regulation in homework, and it would be interesting to examine in cross-cultural settings.
Parents cannot be behind everywhere and every time
Individuals differ in their capacity for self-regulation and utilize various coping strategies in response to stress. Everyday experiences and emotions are highly variable during adolescence, a time during which self-regulatory abilities may become particularly important for adapting to shifting social contexts. Many adolescents in the U.S. enter college after high school, a context characterized by new opportunities and challenges for self-regulation
Basically, what are the possible explanations for the following findings, that is, students' self-regulation in math homework was positively related to parent education with Chinese students, but not with US students' self-regulation in homework across different school subjects? The issue of domain general versus domain specific? The issue of cultural influences?
I think it is more related to the time and involvement that parents devote to their children's studies and upbringing. In many Asian countries, such as mine, parents have high expectations from their children, consider themselves directly responsible to teach their children, tell them to stop playing and sit to work (self-regulation) and provide them all the required support for studies. In cultures like these parental education has a direct impact on the self-regulation and achievement of children as in addition to parents' resources, they also benefit from their parents' knowledge and experience as well as externally imposed discipline. So to me it seems that it is more culture-specific rather than content or domain specific across different school subjects. However, you know better about how these factors pertain to your own context.
As a Confucian heritage culture, China attaches great importance to education and educational activities (Ho, 1994; Wang, 2004). It believes more in effort exerted (rather than ability inherited) as the route for educational success (Chen & Uttal, 1988; Rao, Moely, & Sachs, 2000; Salili, Zhou, & Hoosain, 2003), emphasizing the value of diligence, endurance of hardship, steadfastness, and concentration (Li, 2001). In addition, Chinese culture places specific emphasis on math learning; doing well in math is embedded with being "Chineseness" (Mu, 2014), which can be traced back in ancient Chinese classics (e.g., one of the six important skills; Siu, 1995). Taken together, those students whose parents with higher education are more likely to internalize or identify their parents' higher education expectation in general, with math and math homework in particular (i.e., importance of effort in the context of math homework). Consequently, they are more likely to take initiative to regulate their math homework behaviors. So it could be a combination of both (i.e., culture and domain). Any other possible explanations?