Parents aiming too high can harm child's academic performance

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/apa-pat111715.php

Public Release: 17-Nov-2015
Parents aiming too high can harm child's academic performance
Aspiration can help academic achievement only if it is realistic, study says
American Psychological Association

When parents have high hopes for their children's academic achievement, the children tend to do better in school, unless those hopes are unrealistic, in which case the children may not perform well in school, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

"Our research revealed both positive and negative aspects of parents' aspiration for their children's academic performance. Although parental aspiration can help improve children's academic performance, excessive parental aspiration can be poisonous," said lead author Kou Murayama, PhD, of the University of Reading. The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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They found that high parental aspiration led to increased academic achievement, but only when it did not overly exceed realistic expectation. When aspiration exceeded expectation, the children's achievement decreased proportionately.

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