Parental Involvement in the Education of Russian University Students

Abstract

The involvement of parents in the education of their children-students is a growing trend, linked to later socialisation. However, the question of how parents demonstrate their involvement at the university level is not well researched. This paper aims to identify the types of parental involvement in the education of university students and describe their distinctive features. The article presents the results of an empirical study on parental involvement in the educational process of university students. Based on cluster analysis of survey data from first-year students at nine Russian universities across different regions of the country (N = 5012), three types of parental involvement were identified: ‘restless’, ‘liberal’, and ‘passive’. ‘Restless’ parents are characterised by a higher level of control, monitoring academic performance and attendance. Parents who are considered ‘liberal’ tend to give their children more autonomy and take an active interest in their achievements and problems at university. On the other hand, ‘passive’ parents are not involved in the educational process at university. The study analysed the types of parental involvement based on family characteristics, experience of school graduation, and university enrolment.

Keywords

• students
• parents
• higher education
• university
• parental involvement