Parent- and Student-Reported Parental Learning Support as Predictors of Biology Learning Outcomes among Junior High School Students

Abstract

Parental learning support may be perceived differently by parents and students, and the predictive value of each report for biology achievement may vary across contexts. This exploratory secondary analysis examined whether parent- and student-reported parental learning support were associated with Grade VIII biology outcomes in one public junior high school in Sigi, Indonesia. The matched sample comprised the entire available cohort of 30 student-parent pairs, while biology outcomes were obtained from school records. The multiple-regression model was not statistically significant, F (2, 27) = 0.977, p = .389, R² = .068, adjusted R² = -.002. The parent-report estimate was positive but imprecise (B = 1.358, 95% CI [-0.844, 3.560], β = .255, partial R² = .056, p = .217), whereas the student-report estimate was near zero (B = 0.082, 95% CI [-2.567, 2.731], β = .013, partial R² < .001, p = .950). Thus, these data did not provide evidence that either report independently predicted biology achievement. The wide confidence intervals, small single-school sample, dichotomous response format, and unavailable psychometric evidence require cautious interpretation. The findings are exploratory and do not demonstrate that parental support is unimportant. Larger multisite studies using validated multidimensional measures are needed.