The Relationship between Quality of Parental Homework Involvement and Academic Functioning in the Reading Domain among Sixth Grade Students

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between quality of parental homework involvement and academic functioning in the reading domain (reading score, homework effort, and academic procrastination) among students. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all sixth graders in Ardakan, Yazd Province, in school year 2014-15. The sample consisted of 366 students who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. The instruments included the Quality of Parental Homework Involvement Questionnaire (Dumont et al., 2014), Homework Effort Questionnaire (Trautwein et al., 2006), and the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984). In addition, students' reading scores were considered as a dimension of academic performance. To analyze the data, multiple regression analysis was utilized. The results indicated that among the dimensions of parental involvement, the control dimension could negatively predict homework effort and reading scores, while the structure dimension could positively predict reading scores and homework effort. It is worth mentioning that none of the parental involvement dimensions could predict academic procrastination. Hence, it can be concluded that parents can improve their children’s academic performance in reading through reducing their controlling behaviors and creating home environments in which children can thrive.