Parental involvement in the academic and social lives of academically talented elementary school students

A study was undertaken to determine the nature and extent of parental involvement in the academic and social lives of gifted elementary school students. The participants for this study were the 1994 Belin Elementary Student Talent Search (BESTS) students and their parents. An analysis of responses to questionnaires indicated that overall, students see their parents as appropriately involved in both their academic and social lives. Neither parent was seen as too involved. Where a parent was seen as not involved enough, it was the father. Some differences were found in perception of parental involvement by both gender and ability level.