Relationship of parent involvement and post-divorce adjustment to the academic achievement and achievement motivation of school-aged children

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The American family has changed dramatically from the two-parent nuclear family common prior to the late 20th century. Along with a dramatic increase in divorce rate, there has been an escalation in children involved in divorce. Children from divorced families have a greater likelihood for referral for psychological treatment. Familial variables have been shown to have a large influence on the divorce adjustment of children. The goal of this study was to examine the role of parent post-divorce adjustment and parent involvement on the school performance of children, namely their academic achievement and motivation. 107 parents and teachers of third to fifth grade children in Oklahoma and Texas participated in the study. Parents completed questionnaires including the Parent Child Relationship Inventory and the Divorce Adjustment Scale. Teachers completed the Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation. In addition, standardized achievement test data was collected for participating children.

Findings and Contributions: The results of this study indicated that divorced children have lower motivation and achievement than children from intact homes. Specifically, children from divorced families were less likely to complete work unprompted, persevere with difficult tasks and master academic material. Math and language scores were lower in divorced children. These finding were mostly unchanged when SES was covaried. The study also found children with uninvolved parents were less likely to complete academic work than those with involved parents. In divorced families, low cognitive skills, work completion and math achievement scores were associated with uninvolved and poorly adjusted parents across socioeconomic levels. This study shows the importance of encouraging parental involvement and promoting positive post-divorce parent adjustment. School psychologists should consider the findings of this study when intervening with children from divorced homes.