Parent’s educational status honing up interest in studies of early adolescents

In a country like India, the rearing of children depends largely on the mother. Girls and women were only responsible for doing traditional household works until the middle of nineteenth century. But now, the society is witnessing changes in the role-status of women and there is greater prominence on educating girls in the same manner as educating boys. The modern-day parents also desire to fulfill their children’s aspiration without gender parity. In the present study, mothers’ and fathers’ educational status in addition to their sons’ and daughters’ academic interests were examined. The goal of this study was to determine whether the gender of the parent and their educational status moderated the links between these factors and their youth’s academic interests. So for the study, data were systematically collected by survey method from a sample size of 326 early adolescent students studying Class VIII, during the academic year 2016-2017, aged 12 - 14 years, in various types of schools namely Government, Aided, Matriculation and CBSE in Tirunelveli district through direct solicitation of a self-made ‘Interest in Study Questionnaire’. There was no significant difference in early adolescents’ interest in studies and for its dimensions individual interest and situational interest with regard to father’s educational status. But there was a significant difference in the early adolescents’ interest in studies with regard to mother’s educational status. The early adolescents’, whose mother’s educational status is post graduate, have better mean scores than their counterparts with qualifications UG and up to higher secondary education. The post graduate mothers have better mean scores than the mothers who have completed their under graduations and school education. Thus this study revealed that mothers’ educational status promoted their early adolescents’ level of interest in studies as their education motivates their wards to have better academic outcomes by participating in their youths’ educational activities which improve their learning in an interesting way.