Parental Influence on Students’ Achievement: Findings from TIMSS 2003 in Serbia

There are conclusions of many authors who studied parental influence on student achievement and educational aspiration that there is significant influence in the domain. These conclusions and essential characteristics of parental influence on students' achievement in mathematics and science obtained from the TIMSS 2003 in Serbia are the main topics of the study. The objectives of this study are to determine correlations between: (1) parental level of education and achievement of Serbian eighth grade students in mathematics and science; (2) parental support to teaching and learning mathematics and science and students' achievement in mathematics and science; and (3) students' educational aspiration and their achievement in mathematics and science. The hypotheses established accordingly to these objectives are confirmed in the research. General conclusion, based on the findings, is that there is significant correlation between parental influence and students' achievement in mathematics and science, in all areas of the research. Moreover, it also can be concluded that this kind of influence is very complex, with many specific characteristics that cannot be easily separated and explored, independently from its complexity.