Research gives insight into parents attitudes to schooling and success

08 October 2015

A study by the Australian Scholarships Group and Monash University, released on Tuesday, concluded that parents’ aspirations for their children were strongly linked to academic success. The research has shown that private school parents have higher aspirations for their children than those at state and Catholic schools.

The report, based on 1900 parents’ perceptions about education, found 95 per cent of private school parents spoke about higher education with their child, compared with 91 per cent in Catholic schools and 89 per cent in state schools.

“Parents of children attending private schools generally have higher aspirations for their children … It can be concluded that these aspirations reflect an expectation by private school parents for a ‘return on investment’,” the report said.Parents were more likely to to nag their sons to study, believing boys were more distracted at school.

Australian Scholarships Group chief executive John Velegrinis said parents’ views on education were often drowned out, with policy and funding decisions based on testing students, teachers and schools. “We never hear the voice of the parents, who are the most important stakeholder of the group.”

Australian Scholarships Group, a BCCM member, helps state, private and Catholic school parents plan for the cost of their children’s education from early years through to tertiary studies.