Sample Mini Project
1. Full Citation of article:
Holloway, S., Yamamoto, Y., Suzuki, S., and Mindnich, J. (2008). Determinants of
parental involvement in early schooling: Evidence from Japan. Early Childhood Research
& Practice; v10 n1 Spr 2008.
2. Brief summary of the article:
This study was conducted to examine how demographic and psychological (parental
cognition) factors effect a Japanese mothers involvement with her child’s education.
The five demographic variables that were studied include: family income, maternal
education, family size, mother’s employment status, and the gender of the child. The
parental cognition factors that were studied were as follows: A mother’s aspirations for
her child, parenting self-efficacy, and her perception of the school. This longitudinal
study focused on 116 Japanese women, 97 of which completed the study, who had
children in preschool and followed those same children and mothers till they were in
second grade. Over the course of the study, various surveys and interviews were
completed by the participants. Analyses of the relationship between the demographic
and parental cognition factors were evaluated. Multiple regression analyses were used
to examine the independent contribution of each of the three parental cognition
indicators. The study’s finding showed that a mother’s aspirations concerning her
child’s occupational future was associated with monitoring homework and
communicating with the teacher (p <.05) and by the financial investment in
supplementary lessons (p < .05). Parenting self-efficacy was negatively related to
investment in supplementary lessons but positively related to engaging in cognitive
stimulation at home. The mothers who perceived the school as supportive and open to
communication were more likely to engage in all three forms of parental involvement.
Also, the mothers who had fewer children, who were more highly educated and
wealthier, were more likely to invest in additional supplementary lessons. The study
also found that there was no association between the mothers work status or gender of
the child as it pertained to their child’s education.
3. Main research questions:
 For the Japanese population, how much of a factor are demographic variables
(family income, maternal education, family size, mother’s employment status, and
gender of the child) and parental cognition (mother’s aspirations for their children,
parenting self –efficacy and perception of the school) in predicting a mother’s
involvement in her child’s education?
4. Primary dependant variable and its type:
The primary dependant variable in this study was the involvement in their child’s
education. The dependant variable in this study was quantitative.
5. Primary independent variable and its type:
The primary independent variable in this study was the mother’s demographic and
parental cognition. These were classified using a 5 point scale which would make this a
quantitative type variable.
6. Statistical technique used in the article:
There were various statistical techniques used in this study. The statistical technique
that I will focus on for the content of this paper is multiple regression.
7. Are the assumptions checked?
The assumptions for multiple regression would be the following: One, does the
regression have a normal distribution? If the variables do not have a normal distribution
in that they are skewed or have outliers, this can affect significance tests. This could
then lead to errors (Type 1 and Type 2) and incorrect conclusions. In this study, they do
not state that they check for a normal distribution. With the information that they
provide in the article, I am unable to determine if there is a normal distribution. Two,
the relationships between the dependant and independent variables need to be linear
in nature. If the dependant and independent variables are not linear in nature, this can
cause one to under-estimate the true relationship. In this study, they do not state is the
variables are linear in nature. With the information provided in this study, I am unable
to determine if the variables are linear. Third, variables need to be verified that they are
reliable. Reliability can be verified by finding alpha (α). In research an alpha level of .7.8 is considered to be acceptable. In this study, they do provide the alpha level for the
following variables: Parenting Self-efficacy (α=.82), Parental Occupational Aspirations
(α=.82), Perception of school (α=.81), Monitoring homework and communication with teachers
(α=.70), and Cognitive stimulation at home (α=.63).
8. Is the technique appropriate for the type of data in the article?
Yes, the multiple regression is an appropriate technique for this type of data. Multiple
regression allows for the simultaneous testing of multiple independent variables. In this
study multiple independent variables were studied and then conclusions were made.
Multiple regression was the appropriate technique to utilize in this study based on its
design.
9. Does this technique address the research questions?
Yes, the use of multiple regression addresses the research questions. Multiple
regression is used then you are simultaneously testing multiple independent variables.
In this study, they are testing multiple variables to determine and to predict what effect
they have on a child’s education.
10. Are the results of the technique interpreted correctly?
Yes, the multiple regression was used properly in this case. They constructed a
regression model for each of the three parent involvement variables: 1. Investment in
supplementary lessons, 2. Monitoring homework and communicating with the teacher,
and 3. Engagement in cognitive stimulation at home. Since gender and work status was
not a significant predictor in the outcomes of the regression they were removed. The
findings for the regression analysis are as follows:
Investment in Supplementary Lessons. Mothers who paid a higher amount for
their children's activities tended to be more educated, p < .05, had a higher family
income, p < .01, and had fewer children, p < .01. They expressed higher aspirations for
their children, p < .01, and were more likely to hold positive perceptions of the school, p
< .05. They expressed lower parenting self-efficacy, p < .05. This model explained 37%
of the variance in the outcome.
Monitoring Homework and Communicating with Teacher. Mothers who were
more involved in monitoring and communicating expressed higher aspirations, p < .05,
and more positive perceptions of the school, p < .05. None of the contextual variables
was a significant predictor of their involvement, nor was parenting self-efficacy. The
model explained 17% of the variance in parental involvement.
Engagement in Cognitively Stimulating Activities. Mothers who engaged more
often in cognitively stimulating activities expressed higher self-efficacy and more
positive perceptions of the school, p < .001. None of the contextual variables was a
significant predictor of general engagement, nor were parental aspirations or perceptions
regarding the teacher. The model explained 21% of the variance in this outcome.
They also provided a table showing their data. A copy of the table is below.
Table 2
Simultaneous Regression Analyses Predicting Investment in Lessons, Involvement in Schooling,
and Cognitive Stimulation
Investment in Lessons
Homework Monitoring
Cognitive Stimulation
and Teacher
Communication
B
SE
β
B
SE
Β
B
SE
β
Contextual Variables
Mother's
education
Family
income
Number of
children
.24
.10
.41
.16
-.47
.19
.23*
.01
.04
.03
.02
.06
.04
-.04
.09
-.06
Self-efficacy -.38
.19 -.18* .06
.07
Aspirations .92
.30 .29** .27
.12
Perceptions of
.20*
.48
.22
.20
.09
school
Constant
-2.67
1.66
-1.36
.65
R2
.36
.17
Note: N ranges from 87 to 91, depending on missing data.
* p < .05.
** p < .01.
*** p < .001.
.09
.25*
.25*
-.22*
.03
.05
.06
.00
.07
.00
-.11
.09
-.13
.25
.22
.06
.09
.10
.14
.29**
.22*
.05
.90
.17
.77
Maternal Beliefs
.24*