School adjustment and academic achievement: Parental expectations and socio-cultural background

Primary school pupils adjustment and academic achievement and the effects of their socio-cultural background on their parents expectations were conducted on a group of 216 high or low status Italian children, used to speaking Italian or in dialect at home. The parental forecast was expressed in October using the same scale as adopted by the teachers in June, aimed at evaluating both dimensions. A significant relationship emerged indicating that there is a significant similarity between adjustment and achievement; moreover, it appears that the parents, compared to the teaching staff, were considerably more indulgent in judging their children's achievement compared to their capacity to adjust. For both, however, the agreement limits between initial expectations and final judgements were higher in the case of upper class pupils or those speaking Italian as opposed to lower class ones or those speaking in dialect. Parental influence on the capacity to adjust and academic achievement is discussed.