Africa Knowledge Hub for Children

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex16 Jun 2025

Early Maternal Parenting Profiles and Subsequent Child Well‐Being in an Asian Cohort

ABSTRACT Objective To identify parenting profiles among Singaporean mothers of young children and to examine the longitudinal implications of these profiles for children's well‐being during middle childhood. Background The universality of traditional parenting styles (e.g., authoritative, authoritarian), established in Western contexts, and their implications for child well‐being, has been called into question, with studies conducted with Asian populations suggesting these styles may not be universally applicable. Method Our sample consisted of 411 mother–child dyads drawn from a prebirth cohort in Singapore, where mothers reported on their parenting at child age 4.5 years, and children reported on their evaluation of their mothers' parenting and their own depressive symptoms at ages 9 and 10 years, respectively. Results Three latent class profiles of maternal parenting emerged at child age 4.5 years: Supportive (high use of supportive practices and low use of harsh practices), Supportive‐Harsh (high use of both supportive and harsh practices), and Unsupportive (moderate use of both supportive and harsh practices). Children of Unsupportive mothers reported greater maternal indifference at age 9 years and depressive symptoms at age 10 years compared to children of Supportive or Supportive‐Harsh mothers. Children's evaluation of maternal indifference mediated the association between early maternal parenting profiles and later child depressive symptoms. Conclusion Our findings highlight the variation in parenting profiles in Singapore from well‐established parenting styles, and the greater implications of supportive, compared to harsh, parenting practices for children's well‐being.

Claramae Seow, Mioko Sudo, Yena Kyeong et al.

Development

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex1 Apr 2022

Child Marriage and Its Association with Reproductive Health Status of Women and Their Child Well-being In Bangladesh

Child marriage has adverse reproductive health outcomes of women and mothers’ poor health status which affects the well-being of their children. Despite this, much less is known regarding this interrelationship among Bangladeshi women. Objectives: In this study we examined the effect of age at marriage on reproductive health status of women and the impact of the mother’s reproductive health status on child well-being. Data and methods: To meet the objectives we used the most recent 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data. Both bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were employed to analyze the data. Results: Overall, 78% of the women were married-off before they reach their eighteenth birth day, of which, 36% were married before the age of 15. The mean age at first marriage and first birth were 15.8 and 17.9 years respectively. The findings of this study reveal that early age at marriage had adverse effect on the reproductive health status of women and child well-being. The women married at age 18 or later and those married-off at age 15-17 were 4.74 times (95% CI=4.25-5.29) and 1.72 times (95% CI=1.58-1.87) as likely as to have better reproductive health than those who were married-off before age 15. The children belonging to mother with high RHI were significantly (p<0.01) less likely than children of women with poor RHI to suffer from stunting (OR=0.70, 95% CI=0.39-0.83), underweight (OR=0.59, 95% OR=0.40-0.86) and wasting (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.38-1.06) and any failure of anthropometric measure (OR=0.56, 95% CI=0.38-0.82). The under-five children with poor reproductive health of mothers were significantly at increased risk of any anthropometric failure including stunting, wasting and underweight and had lower risk of survivorship. Early marriage and early childbirth are common in Bangladesh that adversely affects both mother and child health. Program should aim to retain girls in schooling for a longer period by the government as well as guardians, not only to raise their education level but also for their sound health and overall societal development.

S. M. Mostafa Kamal

SurvivalDevelopmentProtectionPractitionerBDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex14 Feb 2026

The impacts of migration on child well-being in Vietnam: The mediating role of household welfare

• A high rate of immigration positively impacts household welfare, thereby enhancing children's wellbeing. • Utilizing the comprehensive wellbeing index to measure the overall happiness of children, aiming for long-term significance while ensuring relevance when researching in developing countries. • Using the asset index to measure household welfare aims to represent long-term living standards in a volatile economic context. • Using the MICs 6 dataset for the study, which was conducted by UNICEF and the General Statistics Office (GSO). This research assesses the effects of migration on child well-being in Vietnam through the mediating role of household welfare at the cluster level. To give an overall picture of these above relationships, the authors use the Ordinary Least Squares regression model (OLS) and the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to examine the mediating relationships, based on the secondary data collected from Vietnam Sustainable Development Goal Indicators for Children and Women survey in the period 2020-2021 by the General Statistics Office (GSO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The results show that migration increases household welfare, which in turn has a positive effect on child well-being. This research proposes several recommendations with the expectation of supporting the Government in managing and improving child well-being in high-migration areas.

Hue Thi Hoang, Phuong Thi Xuan Ngo

SurvivalDevelopmentPractitionerVNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Jan 2026

Does parental involvement improve learning outcomes of children? Evidence from India

In recent decades, parental involvement has gained attention to address the learning crisis faced by children in the Global South. This paper examines whether parental involvement improves learning outcomes of children in India, with a focus on those enrolled in government schools. Using data from the India Human Development Survey (2011–12) and employing ordinary least squares and instrumental variable regression, we find that parental involvement is positively associated with learning outcomes. Children perform better when parents attend parent-teacher association meetings, discuss schoolwork with teachers, and supervise homework. We highlight two potential mechanisms underlying these findings: reduced school absenteeism and increased time spent on homework. Notably, learning outcomes of children in government schools improve more with parental involvement. However, involvement is lower among government school children and parents with lower socio-economic status, which may contribute to achievement gaps. These findings call for action from policymakers to address this disparity.

Rajalaxmi Singh, Thiagu Ranaganathan

DevelopmentPractitionerINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex31 Jul 2019

Revisiting the Role of Private Schooling on Children Learning Outcomes: Evidence from Rural India

In the view of increasing preference of private schooling in India, this article assesses its impact on learning outcomes for rural children from 8 to 11 years. Despite earlier attempts to study the issue, this article stands out in two ways. Firstly, it addresses the problems arising because of non-random selection of children attending private schools. Secondly, it also presents an all-India estimate unlike most studies which have dealt largely with few states. Our results show the performance of children attending private school to be significantly better than those from public schools. This difference is evident among ‘low-fee’ private schools as well. However the private schooling premium differ across regions and groups, and there are several other concerns regarding affordability, access and segregation which require further deliberation and debate. JEL: I2, I21, I28

Karan Singhal, Upasak Das

DevelopmentPractitionerINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex1 Jan 2023

A Systematic Review of Literature on Parental Involvement and Its Impact on Children Learning Outcomes

It has long been thought that parents and their involvement in their children's academics impact both the learning outcomes and cognitive development of their children.The objective of this comprehensive review of literature is to explore influence parental involvement in children's studies has on performance academically.This review included empirical studies that matched the study's objectives and were published between 2018 and 2022 in English in scholarly journals (Web of Science and Scopus databases) that met the inclusion criteria.Initial stage of search resulted into a total of 621 research articles which were identified through searching with different keywords of parental involvement, parental practices, learning outcomes, academic achievement and performance.After careful assessment and analysis of each record based on objective of the study, 24 scholarly articles were retained for this review by following the 2020 PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols Statement).The first presentation of the results was a synthesis of studies that reported how parental involvement's dimensions are associated with and has impact on students' learning success.This review defined parental involvement based on Epstein's parental involvement model which includes 3 dimensions: home, school, and community-based involvement.Through the lens of existing literature, we further reviewed and critically analyse study findings on how individual student level characteristics play a role to moderate parental involvement's effect on children academic success.As per results, parental involvement dimensions like: learning at home, homework assistance, and schoolfamily communication is found to positively impact children's academics, whereas other dimensions such as strict parenting and high expectation for children's performance might negatively influence children's studies.This review was restricted to limited databases, time frame, and language which may be the direction for other research studies in the future.

Irene Musengamana

DevelopmentCNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex1 Oct 2025

The Influence of Classic Music Therapy on Learning Concentration in School-Age Children

Introduction: School-aged children are in the developmental stage of concrete operational thinking, where they begin to think logically and solve problems in a structured way. However, many children at this stage still experience difficulties in subjects which often requires high levels of concentration and problem-solving skills. This study aims to determine the effect of classical music therapy on learning concentration in school-aged children. Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group design. Population consisted of 42 school-aged children, a sample of 38 was obtained using a non-probability sampling. Classical music therapy was used as the independent variable, while learning concentration served as the dependent variable. Learning concentration was measured before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to determine the effect intervention. Results: The results of the Wilcoxon statistical test yielded a ρ value of 0.00, which is smaller than the predetermined significance level (α = 0.05). This finding indicates that classical music therapy has a statistically significant effect on improving learning concentration in school-aged children. The outcome supports the notion that classical music stimulates cognitive, focus, and learning atmosphere. Conclusion: This study concludes that classical music therapy has a significant positive influence on learning concentration. The intervention was shown to enhance students’ ability to maintain focus and sustain attention during learning activities, suggesting that classical music supports environment for academic engagement. Results reinforce the importance of innovative educational interventions that address cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors in the learning process.

Aura Lailatul Febriani Krisvianti Putri, Widiharti Widiharti, Diah Fauzia Zuhroh et al.

DevelopmentPre/postIDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex8 Apr 2024

Teachers’ well-being, home learning environment and children learning outcomes in emergencies: a case of Afghanistan

Teachers’ well-being and a conducive home learning environment play a pivotal role in improving children learning outcomes, but little is known about this in a humanitarian setting. This article assesses the role of teachers’ well-being and home learning environment on children learning outcomes in Afghanistan. A cross section endline survey was conducted among 1407 primary school children, 1407 parents and 315 teachers in seven provinces of Afghanistan. Population-based two stage-cluster sampling was used. Children taught by teacher’s who received professional development support were 3.19 and 4.0 times more likely to attain higher literacy and numeracy levels. Children taught by teachers with adequate teaching and learning materials were 1.60 and 1.83 times more likely to achieve higher literacy and numeracy levels. Children from teachers with ability to voice up and be consulted by school management attained higher social-emotional learning competencies. Children experiencing violent home learning environment had lower odds of achieving higher literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning competencies. Children with parents that helped them with learning were 1.85 and 1.94 times more likely to have higher literacy and numeracy levels. There is scope for public sector and development partners to promote a package of interventions aimed at promoting teacher’s professional development, provision of teaching and learning materials, teacher recognition and voice to improve children’s literacy, numeracy, social and emotional learning skills. Parents need to ensure a safe and conducive home learning environment. Parent should be actively involved in children’s learning activities to nurture strong parental-child bond and parental-school partnership.

Conrad Murendo, Zahra Azemi, Than Zaw Oo et al.

DevelopmentProtectionPre/postAFRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex28 Mar 2026

STAD Learning Model and Learning Styles: Learning Outcomes of Fifth-Grade Students at Primary School

Use of less diverse learning models and neglect of students' learning styles can lead to inferior social studies learning outcomes in elementary school children and a lack of classroom participation. This study examines how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) learning model and learning styles affect fifth-grade social studies learning results in Primary School 2 Latihan Ambon. This experiment used a 2x3 factorial analysis and a posttest-only control group. All Primary School 2 Latihan Ambon pupils were studied, with 42 students divided into an experimental class (22 students) using the STAD model and a control class (20 students) using the TGT model, which stands for Teams Games Tournament, another cooperative learning model. A validated learning style questionnaire and learning outcome test were employed. Data was evaluated with a two-way ANOVA. The research findings showed that: (1) The STAD learning model had a significant effect on student learning outcomes (Sig. 0.000 < 0.05), with the average score of the experimental class (81.667) higher than the control class (63.267). (2) Learning styles have a significant influence on learning outcomes (Sig. 0.000 < 0.05), where students with visual learning styles achieved the highest score (84.400), followed by kinesthetic (69.800) and auditory (63.200). (3) There is a significant interaction between learning models and learning styles on student learning outcomes (Sig. 0.002 < 0.05). This study helps educators map student learning styles before choosing a model. These findings also support the STAD cooperative model's ability to boost primary school social studies material achievement.

Jela A. Rahawarin, Samuel Patra Ritiauw, Leonid Ritiauw

IDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex17 Dec 2023

The correlation between parental guidance and mathematics learning outcomes in elementary school

The COVID-19 pandemic was a big challenge and parental guidance was needed in student learning to help carry out the learning process at home. Mathematics is one of the subjects that must be taken by elementary school students. Most children think mathematics is a difficult subject even though many children do not like it. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between parental guidance and mathematics learning outcomes in online learning environments in Elementary Schools. This research used a quantitative design. The research designs using a correlational study with parental guidance and mathematical outcomes. The sample taken was . Data collection techniques included tests and questionnaires. The analysis data using person correlation analysis. The results of this research show that there is a positive relationship between parental guidance and mathematics learning outcomes. The contribution of parental guidance variables to mathematics learning outcomes was higher than the remaining factors. Keywords: Elementary school; learning outcomes; mathematics; parental guidance.

Ridho Alfarisi

DevelopmentPractitionerIDRead at source

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