What is Parental Perceptions

The aim of this chapter is to discuss parent-child stress among different cultures in relation to parents' perceptions and their involvement in mathematics homework and children's academic achievement. Several decades of research have demonstrated that parental involvement in children's achievement is associated with a variety of positive and negative academic and motivational outcomes. It is argued that parents' involvement may matter more for some children than for others and parents are active participants rather than passive observers in children's education. This chapter provides insights on how parental involvement in homework can make a difference and why excessive involvement of parents can cause stress for both parents and children. Further, it is discussed how the cultural differences between Asian and European groups appear to narrow down with acculturation over the years.