Doing well in school is one of the important goals that Singaporeans want their children to achieve. How involved are parents in their children’s education and what are their parenting styles/approaches? To find out more, RySense surveyed 419 parents with school-going children from our online panel, HappyDot.sg, in February 2023. Here are our key findings:
Parents play an active role in their children’s academic achievement
Parental involvement is a critical component in a child’s education. 8 in 10 (80%) parents agree/strongly agree with the statement “It is important for me to help my child to achieve good grades to succeed in Singapore.” When asked for their desired minimum level of education for their child to complete, 7 in 10 (71%) indicated a university degree or higher (Figure 1).
In helping their children keep up with school, parents adopt a combination of interventionist and ‘carrot’ approaches. 7 in 10 (67%) frequently/very often check or provide help with their child’s homework and ensure that nothing interferes with it. 6 in 10 (63%) control the amount of time their child watches television, plays computer games or speaks on the phone on school days frequently/very often. Additionally, parental encouragement plays a crucial role. 7 in 10 (73%) praise their children for how well they perform in school frequently/very often and 8 in 10 (79%) do so similarly for their children’s efforts to do well in school (Figure 2).
Less physical forms of discipline preferred
When their children do not meet their academic expectations, disobey or get out of hand, parents often implement disciplinary measures. The most preferred form of discipline is verbal warning/scolding (68%), followed by taking away privileges (67%). Corporal punishment emerged lower on the list, at 1 in 5 (20%). Interestingly, there is a minority who feel that children should not receive any corrective discipline (3%) (Figure 3).
Acceptance for alternative education pathways
Despite the emphasis placed on academic achievement, 8 in 10 (81%) would support their children if they wanted to pursue a different path in education (Figure 4).
Even as expectations to succeed academically are high, it is encouraging to see broad acceptance for realising potential in more diverse areas.
For more insights on Singaporean parenting, drop us an email at insights@rysense.sg.
