CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 84Higher Education Research StudiesParental Involvement in EducationFamily Dynamics and Relationships

Parental Engagement and Contact in the Academic Lives of College Students

Open access
Wolf, De'Sha S, Sax, L, Harper, Casandra E·2009·NASPA Journal
DOI 10.2202/1949-6605.6044
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Information on the various forms of parental involvement in higher education is lacking. This paper investigates parental engagement in college students’ academic lives, the mode and frequency of student-parent communications, and how all of this varies across different student populations (by race/ethnicity, social class, parental immigrant status, gender, and year in school). Drawing from the 2006 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), results revealed parental contact and engagement in college students’ academics to be greatest among women, freshmen, and wealthy/upper middle-class students. Comparisons by race, ethnicity, and parental immigration status revealed above-average levels of parental contact among Mexican American, Latino/Other Spanish, Japanese/Japanese American, American Indian/Alaska Native students, and students of foreign-born parents, but below-average ratings of parental engagement in these same students’ academic lives.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.2202/1949-6605.6044

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 54

  1. Auerbach, S. (2007). From moral supporters to struggling advocates reconceptualizing parent roles in education through the experience of working-class families of color. Urban Education, 42(3), 250-283.
  2. Auerbach, S. (2004). Engaging Latino parents in supporting college pathways: Lessons from a college access program. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3(2), 125-145.
  3. Barnett, M. (2004). Qualitative analysis of family support and interaction among black college students at an ivy league university. Journal of Negro Education, 73(1), 53-68.
  4. Ceja, M. (2006). Understanding the role of parents and siblings as information sources in the college choice process of Chicana students. Journal of College Student Development, 47(1), 87-104.
  5. Charles, C .Z., Roscigno, V. J., & Torres, K. C. (2007). Racial inequality and college attendance: The mediating role of parental investments. Social Science Research, 36(1), 329-352.
  6. Chavkin, N. F. (Ed.) (1993). Families and schools in a pluralistic society. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
  7. Coburn, K. L., & Treeger, M. L. (2003). Letting go: A parents' guide to understanding the college years (4th ed.). New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
  8. Elkins, S. A., Braxton, J. M., & James, G. W. (2000). Tinto' s separation stage and its influence on first-semester college student persistence. Research in Higher Education, 41(2), 251-268.
  9. Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students' academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13(1), 1-22.
  10. Fiske, A. P., Kitayama, S., Markus, H. R., & Nisbett, R. E. (1998). The cultural matrix of social psychology. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (vol. 2, pp. 915-981). New York: Oxford University Press.
  11. Freeberg, A. L., & Stein, C. H. (1996). Felt obligation towards parents in Mexican-American and Anglo-American young adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13, 457-471.
  12. Gonyea, R. M. (2005). Self-reported data in institutional research: Review and recommendations. New Directions for Institutional Research, 127, 73-89.
  13. Grotevant, H. D., & Cooper, C. R. (1998). Individuality and connectedness in adolescent development: Review and prospects for research on identity, relationships, and context. In E. Skoe & A. von der Lippe (Eds.), Personality development in adolescence: A cross national and life span perspective. New York: Routledge.
  14. Herndon, M. K., & Hirt, J. B. (2004). Black students and their families: What leads to success in college. Journal of Black Studies, 34(4), 489-513.
  15. Hurtado, S., Carter, D. F., & Spuler, A. (1996). Latino student transition to college: Assessing difficulties and factors in successful college adjustment. Research in Higher Education, 37(2), 135-157.
  16. Josselson, R. (1988). The embedded self: I and thou revisited. In D. K. Lapsley and F.C. Power (Eds.), Self, ego, and identity. New York: Spring-Verlag.
  17. Kalsner, L., & Pistole, M. C. (2003). College adjustment in a multiethnic sample: Attachment, separation-individuation, and ethnic identity. Journal of College Student Development, 44(1), 92-109.
  18. Kenny, M. E., & Donaldson, G. A. (1992). The relationship of parental attachment and psychological separation to the adjustment of first-year college women. Journal of College Student Development, 33(5), 431-438.
  19. Kenny, M. E., & Stryker, S. (1996). Social network characteristics and college adjustment among racially and ethnically diverse first-year students. Journal of College Student Development, 37(6), 649-658.
  20. Kenny, M. E., & Perez, V. (1996). Attachment and psychological well- being among racially and ethnically diverse first-year college students. Journal of College Student Development, 37(5), 527-535.
  21. Kibria, N. (1998). Household structure and family ideologies: The case of Vietnamese refugees. In K. V. Hansen & A. I. Garey (Eds.), Families in the U.S.: Kinship and domestic policies (pp. 55-68). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
  22. Kim, B. S. K., Yang, P. H., Atkinson, D. R., Wolfe, M. M., & Hong, S. (2001). Cultural value similarities and differences among Asian American ethnic groups. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 7(4), 343-361.
  23. Lapsley, D. K., Rice, K. G., & Shadid, G. E. (1989). Psychological separation and adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36, 286-294.
  24. Lareau, A., & Weininger, E. B. (2008). Class and the transition to adulthood. In A. Laureau & D. Conley (Eds.), Social class: How does it work? New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
  25. London, H. B. (1989). Breaking away: A study of first-generation college students and their families. American Journal of Education, 97(2), 144-170.
  26. Lopez, F. G., Campbell, V. L., & Watkins, E., Jr. (1986). Depression, psychological separation, and college adjustment: An investigation of sex differences. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 33(1), 52-56.
  27. Maton, K. I., Hrabowski, F. A., & Greif, G. L. (1998). Preparing the way: A qualitative study of high-achieving African American males and the role of the family. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26(4), 639-668.
  28. Merriman, L. S. (2006). Best practices for managing parent concerns: A mixed methods study of student affairs practice at doctoral research institutions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
  29. McCarron, G. P., & Inkelas, K. K. (2006). The gap between educational aspirations and attainment for first-generation college students and the role of parental involvement. Journal of College Student Development, 47(5), 534-548.
  30. McDonough, P. M. (1997). Choosing colleges: How schools and social class structure opportunity. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
  31. Mena, S., & Guardia, J. R. (2007). No parent left behind: A primer on understanding Latino parents. Leadership Exchange, 5(1), 19.
  32. Moller, N. P., Fouladi, R. T., McCarthy, C. J., & Hatch, H. D. (2003). Relationship of attachment and social support to college students' adjustment following a relationship breakup. Journal of Counseling and Development, 81(3), 354-369.
  33. Pearson, C., & Dellmann-Jenkins, M. (1997). Parental influence on a student' s selection of a college major. College Student Journal, 31(3), 301-313.
  34. Perna, L. W. (2000). Differences in the decision to attend college among African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites. Journal of Higher Education, 71(2), 117-141.
  35. Pope, D. C. (2001). Doing school: How we are creating a generation of stressed out, materialistic, and miseducated students. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  36. Ratelle, C. F., Larose, S., Guay, F., & Senecal, C. (2005). Perceptions of parental involvement and support as predictors of college students' persistence in a science curriculum. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 286-293.
  37. Rice, K. G., Fitzgerald, D. P., Whaley, T. J., & Gibbs, C. L. (1995). Cross-sectional and longitudinal examination of attachment, separation-individuation, and college student adjustment. Journal of Counseling & Development, 73(4), 463-474.
  38. Rodriguez, N., Mira, C. B., Myers, H. F., Morris, J. K., & Cardoza, D. (2003). Family or friends: Who plays a greater supportive role for Latino college students? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9(3), 236-250.
  39. Samuolis, J., Layburn, K., & Schiaffino, K. M. (2001). Identity development and attachment to parents in college students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(3), 373-384.
  40. Sax, L. J., Bryant, A. N., & Gilmartin, S. K. (2004). A longitudinal investigation of emotional health among male and female first- year college students. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 16(2), 39-65.
  41. Smedley, B. D., Myers, H. F., & Harrell, S. P. (1993). Minority-status stresses and the college adjustment of ethnic minority freshmen. The Journal of Higher Education, 64(4), 434-452.
  42. Sneed, J. R., Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P., Gilligan, C., Chen, H., Crawford, T. N., & Kasen, S. (2006). Gender differences in the age-changing relationship between instrumentality and family contact in emerging adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 787-797.
  43. Steinberg, L. (1990). Autonomy, conflict, and harmony in the family relationship. In S. Feldman and G. Elliott (Eds.), At the threshold: The deveIoping adolescent. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  44. Teranishi, R. T., Ceja, C., Antonio, A. L., Allen, W. R., & McDonough, P. (2004). The college-choice process for Asian Pacific Americans: Ethnicity and socioeconomic class in context. The Review of Higher Education, 27(4), 527-551.
  45. Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P. M., Pascarella, E. T., & Nora, A. (1996). First generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Research in Higher Education, 37(1), 1-22.
  46. Tierney, W., & Auerbach, S. (2005). Toward developing an untapped resource: The role of families in college preparation. In W. G. Tierney, Z. B. Corwin & J. E. Colyar (Eds.), Preparing for college: Nine elements of effective outreach (pp. 29-48). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
  47. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89-125.
  48. Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  49. Triandis, H. C. (1990). Cross-cultural studies of individualism and collectivism. In J. Berman (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (pp. 41-133). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
  50. Triandis, H. C. (1993). Collectivism and individualism as cultural syndromes. Cross Cultural Research: The Journal of Comparative Social Science, 27, 155-180.
  51. Trusty, J. (1998). Family influence on educational expectations of late adolescents. Journal of Educational Research, 91(5), 260-272.
  52. Villalpando, O., & Solorzano, D. (2005). The role of culture in college preparation programs: A review of the research literature. In W. G. Tierney, Z. B. Corwin, & J. E. Colyar (Eds.), Preparing for college: Nine elements of effective outreach (pp. 13-28). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
  53. Wartman, K. L., & Savage, M. (Eds.). (2008). Parental involvement in higher education: Understanding the relationship among students, parents, and the institution. ASHE Higher Education Report, 33(6), 1-125.
  54. Wintre, M. G., & Yaffe, M. (2000). First-year students' adjustment to university life as a function of relationship with parents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 15(1), 9-37.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wolf, D. S., Sax, L., & Harper, C. E.
Affiliations
University of California, Los Angeles (US)
ORCID
Venue
NASPA Journal
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2009-04
Volume
46
Issue
2
Pages
325-358
ISSN
  • 0027-6014 (ISSN-L)
  • 1559-5455
DOI
10.2202/1949-6605.6044
OpenAlex
W2005630115
Cited by
84
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 2
FWCI
7.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NASPA Journal (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Education › Parental Involvement in Education
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
Keywords
parental involvement, university students, student-parent communication, parental engagement, race and ethnicity, social class, gender differences, first-year students, higher education

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review