Parental Beliefs and Education

Abstract

Abstract Parental influence on children’s learning and education has received continued interest in educational research. This chapter synthesizes research findings and presents parents’ beliefs that guide parents’ support for children’s schooling and education in sociocultural contexts, especially demonstrating research on Japan and the United States as examples of cultural models. First, the chapter focuses on parents’ valuation of learning, including parents’ motivation and goals for supporting their children’s education. It then delineates parental aspirations and expectations of their children’s education, beliefs about children’s abilities and how children learn (e.g., attribution), as well as parents’ beliefs about their roles. The chapter also demonstrates variations within culture, especially concerning socioeconomic status, to highlight parents’ agentic processes to adapt to and negotiate cultural beliefs.