Understanding the Roles of Parents, Guardians, and Teachers in the Learning of Mathematics

A strong relationship between home background variables and student performance is well documented (Robitaille & Garden, 1989; Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1993). One such variable is the level of parents' involvement in students' education. Researchers have shown that parents who are involved in their children's education contribute not only to higher academic achievement but also to positive behavior and emotional development (Henderson, 1987; Jacobs, 1992; Stevenson & Lee, 1990; Weston, 1989). Although the importance of parental involvement in students' education does not seem debatable, the kinds of parental roles that are most effective are still an open question. Previous research on parental involvement has investigated mainly general kinds of involvement (e.g., in advisory, fundraising, or advocacy activities) aimed at strengthening overall school programs, or aimed at assisting one's own child (e.g., helping with homework). Less research has been done to examine specific kinds of parental involvement aimed at facilitating students' learning of mathematics in home settings. 

Parental Role

Motivator

Resource Provider

Monitor

Mathematics Content Advisor

Mathematics Learning Counselor

Description

Motivator -Parents provide emotional support for

students' learning

Resource Provider - Parents play the role of Resource Provider at

home by providing an appropriate place to

study, relevant reference books, and/or access

to the library

Monitor - Parents monitor their children's learning and

progress at home

Mathematics Content Advisor - Parents provide advice to their children on

mathematics content

Mathematics Learning Counselor - Parents understand their children's current

situation, learning difficulties. potential, needs

and demands, and provide appropriate support

to help their children overcome learning

difficulties 

Since the findings of this study are based on an analysis of data collected from parents and students in middle school, generalizations to all parents are not necessarily warranted. Nevertheless, the results of this study suggest that parental involvement is a significant predictor of student mathematics achievement. All five parental roles together were found to contribute significantly to student achievement. This finding supports the argument that the attitude of parents regarding their children as learners of mathematics is a significant predictor of mathematics achievement (Pedersen, Elmore, & Bleyer, 1986). Of the five parental roles, however, the indirect assistance roles of parents as Motivators, Resource Providers, and Monitors seem to be the most important predictors of students' mathematics proficiency and performance. The direct assistance roles of parents as Content Advisors and Learning Counselors are less important predictors. The finding that parents as motivators, resource providers, and monitors are the most important predictors of students' mathematical achievement has practical implications. Because the emphasis in mathematics education reform is on reasoning, problem-solving, conceptual understanding, and communication, today's students may experience school mathematics that is quite different from the school mathematics 11 Research in Middle-Level Education Quarterly • Spring 1999 experienced by their parents. Mathematics topics such as discrete mathematics, estimation, probability, statistics, use of calculators, and applications of computers have only recently been integrated into the school curriculum. As a result, fewer parents today are able to assume the roles of in-home Mathematics Content Advisors and Mathematics Learning Counselors than in the past. In fact, only about one-third of the parents surveyed in this study felt they knew enough mathematics to help their children solve mathematics problems at home. A majority of the parents felt that learning mathematics is mostly memorizing, and a minority felt they knew strategies for helping students learn mathematics. Therefore, parents, today are probably better able to act as Motivators, Resource Providers, and Monitors of students' mathematics learning at home than they are Mathematics Content Advisors and Mathematics Learning Counselors. Teachers, on the other hand, should be expected to take primary responsibility as Mathematics Content Advisors and Mathematics Learning Counselors in school. However, the positive influence of parental support indicates that the education community needs to help parents understand the what and why of the current reforms so they may help provide consistent support. 

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