Impact of Helicopter Parents Bob Gonyea & Rick Shoup Helicopter Parents: Examining the Helicopter Parents Impact of Highly Involved Parents on Student Engagement and � Perception by student affairs, promoted in popular media, that some highly-involved parents hover over their student Educational Outcomes in ways that could interfere with learning and development. � Characteristics Rick Shoup � In constant contact with student Bob Gonyea � Closely monitor educational experience George Kuh � “Swoop” in to solve problems Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research 2009 AIR Conference June 1, 2009 Parental Involvement Research Parental Involvement Research � K-12 Research � Postsecondary Research � PI is widely accepted as critical to a student’s intellectual � PI has positive impact on alcohol decision-making, health and emotional development, and academic success issues, and career development � Partnerships, overlapping spheres of influence among � PI positively associated with persistence schools, parents, and community h l t d it � Retention models � Mixed findings on academic achievement � Student development theory � PI promotes persistence in school, and student attitudes and behaviors about their learning (i.e., engagement) � PI declines as children get older, but is particularly emphasized during college preparation and choice processes Parental Involvement Research Parental Involvement Research � Emphasizing Partnerships � Several trends contribute to observed increases in parental involvement, including: � Carney-Hall, K.C., Ed. (2008). Managing parent partnerships: Maximizing influence, minimizing � Demise of in loco parentis interference, and focusing on student success. New Directions for Student Services 122 Directions for Student Services, 122 . � Consumerism � Wartman, K.L., & Savage, M. (2008). Parental � Accountability involvement in higher education: understanding the relationship among students, parents, and the � Technology institution. ASHE Higher Education Report, 33 (6), 1- 125. � Millennials 2009 AIR Conference Atlanta, GA 1
Impact of Helicopter Parents Bob Gonyea & Rick Shoup Research Questions Data Source � What is the frequency and nature of college students’ � National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) communication with their parents? � 2007 administration � What effect do interventions by highly involved parents have on student engagement, learning and development � Annual survey of college students at four-year institutions during college? that measures students’ participation in educational experiences that prior research has connected to valued outcomes � In 2007, NSSE tested 71 items that addressed the support students receive from friends and family Sample Measures: Parental Involvement � 4,532 first-year and 4,652 seniors from 24 selected � Component 1 – Did Student report they are “very often” in institutions contact in-person or electronically with a father, mother or guardian? � Female (65% First-year, 65% Senior) � White (81% First-year, 83% Senior) � Component 2 – Did student report their parents or � Full-time (98% First-year, 91% Senior) guardians “very often” or “often” contact college officials to � First-generation (45% First-year, 46% Senior) help solve problems they are having at the college? � On-campus (82% First-year, 53% Senior) � Comparison Groups � Questions administered as part of the online version of � High Parental Involvement (8%) – Yes to both 1 and 2 survey � Moderate Parental Involvement (64%) – Yes to 1 or 2 � Low Parental Involvement (28%) – No to both 1 and 2 Measures: Student Engagement Measures: Educational Outcomes � Student-Faculty Interaction (6 items; α = 0.75) � Gains in Practical Competence (5 items; α = 0.81) � Supportive Campus Environment (6 items; α = 0.77) � Gains in Personal and Social Develop. (7 items; α = 0.86) � Higher-order Learning (4 items; α = 0.83) � Gains in General Education (4 items; α = 0.84) � Integrative Learning (5 items; α = 0.71) � Self-Reported Grades � Reflective Learning (3 items; α = 0.80) � Satisfaction (2 items; α = 0.77) 2009 AIR Conference Atlanta, GA 2
Impact of Helicopter Parents Bob Gonyea & Rick Shoup Analyses Controls � Descriptive � Gender � Age � Overall frequencies on type, nature, and quality of � Ethnicity contact � Parent’s Education Level � Mean comparisons on the frequency, nature and quality � International Status International Status of contact by level of parental involvement f t t b l l f t l i l t � Transfer Status � Mean comparisons on student engagement and � Enrollment Status self-reported educational outcomes � Live on Campus � Regression � Fraternity or Sorority Membership � Effect sizes with and without controls, with high parental � Student Athlete involvement group as comparison � Major � Separate analyses were conducted for First-year and � Private vs. Public Institution Senior samples Results - Frequency of Contact Results – Engagement and Outcomes � Most college students reported regular contact with their parents, with 7 Students with highly-involved parents reported: of 10 communicating “very often”. � Significantly higher levels of student engagement on all five � Students were in contact with mothers more often than fathers. measures � All topics more frequently discussed with mothers, with personal issues, academic performance and family matters most common. Academic � Significantly greater gains in personal competence, personal and � Significantly greater gains in personal competence personal and performance most common topic discussed with fathers. social development and in general education � Relatively few students reported parents were unsupportive, with average rating of 6 on 7-point scale. � Significantly greater satisfaction with their educational experience � About three-quarters of all students reported frequently following the advice of their parents and guardians. � Significantly lower self-reported grades � Understandably, students of highly involved parents reported more frequent contact on all topics. They also reported higher levels of support quality and were more likely to follow the parental advice. Effect Sizes – First-Year Engagement Effect Sizes – Senior Engagement Supportive Supportive Student-Faculty Campus Higher-Order Integrative Reflective Student-Faculty Campus Higher-Order Integrative Reflective Involvement Environment Learning Learning Learning Involvement Environment Learning Learning Learning 0.00 0.00 -0.07 -0.10 -0.10 -0.09 -0.16 -0.20 -0.20 -0.20 -0.20 -0.22 -0.22 -0.22 -0.26 -0.30 -0.28 -0.30 -0.28 -0.30 -0.31 -0.40 -0.40 -0.39 -0.46 -0.46 -0.50 -0.48 -0.50 -0.50 -0.52 -0.52 -0.60 -0.60 Moderate Inv. Low Inv. Moderate Inv. Low Inv. 2009 AIR Conference Atlanta, GA 3
Impact of Helicopter Parents Bob Gonyea & Rick Shoup Effect Sizes – First-Year Outcomes Effect Sizes – Senior Outcomes Practical Practical Competence Personal & General Competence Personal & General Gains Social Gains Education Gains Satisfaction Grades Gains Social Gains Education Gains Satisfaction Grades 0.30 0.30 0.17 0.16 0.17 0.20 0.20 0.12 0.10 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.10 -0.05 -0.10 -0.07 -0.11 -0.20 -0.20 -0.18 -0.17 -0.24 -0.30 -0.30 -0.28 -0.28 -0.30 -0.32 -0.40 -0.40 -0.36 -0.50 -0.50 -0.49 -0.51 -0.60 -0.56 -0.60 -0.57 -0.58 -0.70 -0.70 Moderate Inv. Low Inv. Moderate Inv. Low Inv. Discussion Discussion � Frequency and nature of PI � Effects of high involvement � Student interaction with parents while in college is frequent. � Parental involvement is associated with higher levels of � Topics discussed with parents were diverse engagement and self-reported gains in college � Parents and families continue to be an important support network � High parental involvement is associated with lower for students grades � Results show no evidence that high parental involvement is problematic for students Implications For More Information � Though the positive effects on engagement are observed, more research is needed to test whether PI is associated directly with achievement outcomes. � Sweeping generalizations about students (e.g., Bob Gonyea (rgonyea@indiana.edu) “Millennials”) and parents (e g Millennials ) and parents (e.g., Helicopters ) may not “Helicopters”) may not George Kuh (kuh@indiana.edu) G K h (k h@i di d ) be useful for promoting student learning and Rick Shoup (tshoup@indiana.edu) development � Partnerships: Colleges and universities should explore Copies of the paper available on our website at: creative ways to leverage the involvement of parents for nsse.iub.edu the enhanced learning and development of their students. 2009 AIR Conference Atlanta, GA 4
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