Martin Blank

Date of Award

January 2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Economics & Finance

First Advisor

Tan Chih Ming

Abstract

Academic achievement in children is affected by many factors including family income, family structure, class size, parental education, and parental expectations. Recent research on academic achievement has evaluated the relationship between parental involvement in children’s education and academic achievement. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study investigates the socioeconomic and parental factors that affect academic achievement in children. The question of endogeneity between parental involvement and academic achievement is also explored. The statistical analysis performed utilized OLS regression and instrumental variable techniques. OLS regression techniques demonstrate a negative relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement while instrumental variable techniques demonstrate a strong positive relationship. The results of this study provide evidence of the importance of parental involvement in children’s academic achievement and may serve as an impetus for further research into the effect of specific parental factors on academic achievement in children.

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