The Role of Parental Involvement in Shaping Academic Achievement: Evidence from Secondary Students in Balasore District

Abstract

Parental engagement is widely regarded as an important factor in promoting students’ academic success by strengthening collaboration between families and educational institutions. This study aimed to analyse the extent of parental engagement among secondary school students in Balasore District, Odisha, and to examine its relationship with their academic achievement. Specifically, the study examined variations in parental engagement according to students’ gender, school type, and locality, and analysed its association with academic achievement. A quantitative descriptive survey with a cross-sectional design was employed. Using stratified multistage random sampling, 200 secondary school students were selected from eight government and private schools. Data on parental engagement were collected using a self-developed and validated Parental Engagement Scale, which demonstrated good internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of .84. Academic achievement scores were obtained from official school records. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Cohen’s d were used for analysis. No statistically significant differences in parental engagement were found by gender, t (198) = 1.12, p = .264, d = 0.15; school type, t (198) = 0.88, p = .381, d = 0.12; or locality, t (198) = 1.58, p = .116, d = 0.25. However, parental engagement was significantly and positively associated with academic achievement, r (198) = .34, p = .001, accounting for 11.56% of the variance (r² = .116). The findings indicate that parental engagement was consistent across the examined demographic categories and was positively associated with academic outcomes. Strengthening school–family collaboration may therefore support students’ academic performance and the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020.