Does Parental Involvement Predict Children’s Future Economic Opportunities?

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Does Parental Involvement Predict Children’s Future Economic Opportunities?

Martins Iyoboyi^1*, Abdul Salam S. Ademola², Viashima Luper Veronica^3
1,2Department of Economics and Development Studies, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria
³Department of Sociology, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author

Abstract: In this study, a cross-section of 197 civil servants in Katsina State Nigeria was used to determine whether parental involvement predicts children’s future economic opportunities. Focusing on current employment and two strands of parental involvement, and using the binary logit regression, it was found that both parental status and parental style are good predictors of employment. Family income, child’s education, marital status and age were found to be positively related to employment, while gender and level of parental education were found to be insignificant in predicting the employment potential of their children. The study draws attention to the centrality of parental involvement towards improving the future economic opportunities of their children.

Keywords: Employment, parental involvement, economic opportunities, Katsina State, Nigeria.

I. INTRODUCTION

This study focuses on the imperatives of parental involvement as trajectory of economic transformation and life-long opportunities. Broadly speaking, parental involvement is linked to the family which is the first place of contact for the most children as soon as they are born into the world. Parents exert a lot of influence on the child by providing him/her with initial training. Therefore, home is where most learning begins and parents are the first and important educators of their children. The typologies articulated in the field of parental involvement were summarized by Epstein’s (1995), encompassing parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating with community.
Some definitions consider parental involvement as having to deal with the amount of synergy that parents have with teachers in their joint effort at raising the child. In the light of this, Ndlazi (1999) opines that parental involvement relates essentially to parents willingly making themselves available and to work in conjunction with teachers in such areas as school policy and vision, resource management and governance mechanisms. In the light of this definition, parental involvement encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing a conducive atmosphere for learning at home, and taking active part in the child’s learning in the school, as all of this has direct bearing on their academic achievement (Khan & Haupt, 2006).

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