Parental Expectations, Strong Hope and Successful Children

Parental Expectations Facilitate Childrens Expectations and Achievement

When parents expect their children to succeed academically, they achieve more than they otherwise would have
(Froiland & Davison, 2014; Froiland, Peterson, & Davison, 2013). Many psychologists, social workers, teachers,
principals, and parents are aware that parent involvement is crucial for child development (Froiland, Powell,
Diamond, & Son, 2013; Froiland, 2011a). However, all too often, schools and families dont realize that there is
a powerful psychological side to parent involvement. Numerous studies have found a positive connection
between parents expectations (e.g., expecting that their children will earn a Bachelors degree or more or
expecting them to do well in school) and childrens academic achievement (e.g., Cornelius, 2012; Froiland &
Davison, 2014; Rutchik et al., 2007). The positive effects of strong parental expectations on childrens
achievement have been found in studies that followed children and parents for multiple years, even when
controlling for parents involvement and childrens early cognitive ability (Froiland, Peterson, & Davison, 2013).
Furthermore, these studies span the gamut of kindergarten to 12 grade and have been replicated with diverse
ethnic samples and nationally representative samples (e.g., Zan, 2006). Parents that expect their children to do
well convey that expectation to their children and provide appropriate support at home (e.g., reading with them
frequently prior to and during the preschool years and taking their children to the public library; Powell, Son,
File, & Froiland, 2012), such that their children believe that they can succeed academically. Positive
expectations are contagious, especially between parents and children.
Surmounting Expectation Obstacles that Parents and Teachers Face
While it is understandable for parents and educators to consider childrens current achievement levels when
forming expectations, parents and educators often underestimate childrens potential for success when they are
from a single-parent family, are African American males from the inner-city (Wood et al., 2007), or display
behavior problems (Rutchick et al., 2007). Although parental expectations usually have the longest impact on
children, teacher expectations can also be influential and teachers also underestimate the potential of certain
children to succeed. In applied child and school psychology, a big part of helping children referred for academic
and behavioral problems is helping the school staff, administrators and parents to believe that struggling
children will likely make major improvements (Froiland, 2006; Froiland, 2011b). It is also vital that children
develop a robust belief that they can successfully learn with enhanced motivation, sufficient effort and new
science-based strategies, because intrinsic motivation promotes long-term achievement (Froiland & Oros,
2014), reduced anxiety (Froiland, 2011a) and greater happiness among children (Froiland, 2013a). When
children, parents and teachers have strong positive expectations for children, children usually thrive. This is not
because expectations alone are sufficient for success; but because when people expect to do well, they are

usually motivated to work hard to reach the expectations. Furthermore, those with high hopes are usually
happier, attract support, and exude more confidence (Snyder, 2002).
Parents and teachers reduce the effectiveness of positive expectations by pressuring children to reach
educational goals that society values without highlighting the beauty, purpose or meaning behind pursuing
such goals (Froiland, 2011a; Froiland, 2013b). Rather than coercing children into studying, parents and
teachers are wise to help children see how studying will help them to develop their minds, expand their
horizons, empower them to help others and eventually increase their freedom to pursue their own interests
(Froiland, 2013a). It is also important for parents to actively listen to their children, display empathy and
convey unconditional love, such that their children know that they are loved and accepted regardless of their
accomplishments or failures (Froiland, 2013a). Children then feel safe to pursue ambitious goals, knowing that
their self-worth and acceptance by loved ones is not hanging in the balance every time they enter the academic,
social or athletic arena. It is in the context of a healthy parent-child relationship that children are most likely to
respond positively to the high hopes expressed by their parents and pursue their education with gusto.
Hope in Children
To hope is to carry a confident expectation (Merriam-Webster, 2011), in contrast to the colloquial use of the
term in phrases such as I hope it doesnt rain belied by facial expressions and intonations that suggest doubt.
In positive psychology, hope is considered an enduring character strength that can be enhanced through
autonomy supportive communication with parents, positive education, or high quality psychotherapy and is
more generalized than outcome expectations that have to do with certain situations or aspects of life (Snyder,
2002). Hope is very relevant to helping children succeed in school, college and beyond because it urges one to
develop and passionately pursue goals and to learn from ones mistakes, continually seeking ways of better
pursuing goals. In fact, children, adolescents, and college students achieve more when they have high levels of
hope; and college students with high levels of hope are significantly more likely to graduate from college
(Snyder, 2002). Indeed, Hope fuels the ability of the learner (Dr. Leslie Davison, professor emeritus at St.
Cloud State University, personal communication). You can promote a strong hope for academic and life success
in your child via the following: express a strong confidence that your child will succeed; explain how your
hopefulness has helped you persist in the face of difficulty; in a way appropriate to your childs age, state your
hopes for improvement in your career, fitness, or social life and explain your plan for improvement; treat your
childrens mistakes as opportunities for further growth, as opposed to indications of a long term flaw; introduce
your child to hopeful friends or publications that share stories of hope, overcoming setbacks and enjoying the
journey towards reaching major goals; remind your child that you love him or her, independent of his or her
achievements.
John Mark Froiland, Ph.D., is an international speaker, consultant, and Assistant Professor in the Department
of School Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Froiland worked for two years as an IES

Postdoctoral Fellow at Purdue in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of
Health and Human Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. at Michigan State University, where he specialized in
promoting intrinsic motivation for learning and behavioral improvement. He was also selected as one of ten
Sponsored Research Fellows at the University of Northern Colorado, due to exemplary faculty research
productivity and potential for securing large external grants.

BEING A GOOD CITIZEN AT SCHOOL

What does it take to be a good school citizen? How can students become better citizens at school? Engaging, age-appropriate program
hosts help students understand five pillars of good school citizenship:
1.

being respectful of other people and their property

2.

being respectful of school property

3.

following school rules

4.

displaying good character (responsibility, honesty, good listening, kindness)

5.

giving back to the school community.

Each pillar is accompanied by straightforward examples that show students how they can be good citizens and how to create a harmonious
school environment.
The program includes a comprehensive Teacher's Resource Book written by a certified Special Education teacher. The guide includes
a Differentiated Lesson Plan and extension activities to accompany the video.

Teaching Good Citizenship's Five Themes

Advocating the five themes of citizenship -- honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility, and courage -- is not enough. Exploring those themes, talking about them, and making
connections between those themes and your students' lives are the keys to developing a true understanding of the concepts. The activities below, which will help develop those
themes, are divided by grade levels

But first, let's have a few words about each of the themes:
Honesty is the basic theme of good citizenship. A person must be honest with others, and with himself or herself, in order to be a good citizen.
Compassion is the emotion of caring for people and for other living things. Compassion gives a person an emotional bond with his or her world.
Respect is similar to compassion but different in some ways. An important aspect of respect is self-respect, whereas compassion is directed toward others. Respect is also
directed toward inanimate things or ideas as well as toward people. For example, people should have respect for laws. Finally, respect includes the idea of esteem or
admiration, whereas compassion is a feeling people can have for others they dont necessarily admire.
Out of honesty, compassion, and respect comes Responsibility, which includes both private, personal responsibility and public responsibility. Individuals and groups have
responsibilities. Responsibility is about action, and it includes much of what people think of as good citizenship. You may wish to point out that one of the main
responsibilities of students is to learn. They must educate themselves so that they can live up to their full potential.
Finally, the theme of Courage is important to good citizenship. Human beings are capable of moving beyond mere goodness toward greatness. Courage enables people to
do the right thing even when its unpopular, difficult, or dangerous. Many people---including Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, and
Mohandas Gandhi---have had the courage to change the rules to achieve justice.
ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING THE FIVE THEMES OF CITIZENSHIP: KINDERGARTEN AND GRADE 1
A large part of the learning experience in kindergarten and first grade is socialization. Children are learning to cooperate and share with peers, to take part in group activities and
talks, and to take responsibility for their own actions and for their own learning. For kindergarten and first graders, learning the five themes as distinct concepts is less important
than beginning to recognize that good citizenship behavior is based on certain principles. Here are a few activities that might help promote that recognition among your students.

Classroom Rules (Use as a discussion starter and a writing/drawing prompt.)

Start a discussion about the rules that should be followed in your classroom. Write each rule as it is discussed on the board or a chart. Talk about why each rule is important. If
students don't suggest anything like the following rules, which relate to the five themes, you can add them:
Tell the truth.
Be caring.
Respect others.
Be responsible for what you do and say.
Be brave enough to do the right thing and to ask for help when you need it.
Sharing Stories (Use as a discussion starter.)
One way of exploring the five themes is simply to ask students to tell about their experiences. You may wish to use the following prompts:
Tell a story about a time you told the truth, even though that was a difficult thing to do.
Tell a story about a time you felt happy or sad for somebody or something.
Tell a story about someone you respect.
Tell a story about a time you took responsibility for something you had done or said.
Tell a story about being brave.
What Could Happen Next? (Use as a prompt for discussion, drawing, or writing.)
Ask students to discuss, draw, or write in response to the following questions:
You find a watch on the playground. What could happen next?
Everybody is in a hurry. A kid near you trips and falls down. What could happen next?
Your teacher asks the class to be quiet after somebody said something really funny. What could happen next?
You borrowed a pencil from the teacher's desk and lost it. What could happen next?
You think somebody is being cruel by making fun of a kid on the playground. What could happen next?
ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING THE FIVE THEMES OF CITIZENSHIP: GRADES 2 AND 3
In general, second and third-graders have a pretty firm grasp on what does and what does not constitute good behavior. They should recognize the rights of others, know that
they should work and play by the rules, and make decisions concerning right and wrong with increasing independence.
The following activities may help students further refine their thinking about good behavior by exploring the five themes of citizenship in realistic situations.
The Homework Truth (Use as a discussion starter or a role-playing activity.)
For last night's homework, you were supposed to read a story and be ready to tell it to the class today in your own words. You didn't read a story last night because you were
having too much fun playing video games. You figured you could remember an old story. When your teacher calls on you, you are suddenly nervous and can't remember any
stories at all. What should you do?
Call for Compassion (Use as a writing prompt or a discussion starter.)
A teenage neighbor is responsible for you while your parents go to a movie. Your neighbor wears a hearing aid because he is partially deaf. Tonight, he tells you his hearing aid
isn't working very well. The telephone rings, but your neighbor doesn't hear it, so your parents' answering machine takes a message. When your neighbor isn't watching, you
play the message back. The message is from your parents. They had forgotten to tell your neighbor your bedtime. You realize you can get away with staying up later. When your
parents find out, they'll blame your neighbor for not getting the message. What thoughts go through your head? What do you do?
Respect (Use as a discussion starter or a role-playing activity.)
You're at a school picnic and there's a long line for buying cold drinks. You're really thirsty. You see a friend of yours way ahead of you in line. Should you ask your friend if you
can cut in line? How is the idea of respect for others connected to this situation? How do others in line feel when somebody cuts in line?
Responsibility---Whose Is It? (Use as a discussion starter or a writing prompt.)
You borrow a great book from your classroom. It's a lot of fun to read. By accident, you spill chocolate milk on the book. It's a mess. You take the book out of your book bag as
soon as you get to your classroom. The teacher is busy. You could just take the book back to the shelf and leave it there. What should you do? Why?
Brave on the Ball Field (Use as a discussion starter or a writing prompt.)
You are in a dodgeball game. One kid is throwing the ball too hard. A couple of kids have already quit the game, but most don't want to because they think quitting would make
them seem weak. What do you do? If you say something, what do you say and to whom do you say it? (Note that sometimes a person needs to be brave enough to walk away
from a bad situation.)

20 Ideas for Teaching Citizenship to Children

What are some activities that foster citizenship in children?
1.

Hold a discussion on what citizenship means -- including rights and responsibilities of citizens.

2.

Define a good citizen and have the students share personal stories about when they exhibited citizenship. For example:
o

I was friendly to a new child from a different country.

I helped clean up the park.

My mom and I passed out voter pamphlets.

I collected used toys and clothes for needy children.

I walked away from a fight.

I said "no" when a friend asked me to steal money from another child.

I wear my bike helmet and follow other bike safety rules.

I wait for the signal to cross the street and I stay in the cross walk.

3.

Ask students to describe what would happen if there were no rules or laws at home, in school, in traffic or against stealing, attacking, etc.

4.

Involve them in making classroom rules. Discuss why rules are important and have them define the consequences if they are broken.

5.

Ask the students to interview a veteran, immigrant, or person who lived through the Great Depression. Together make a list of questions they could ask such as:
o

How do you feel about the United States of America?

Tell me about your life?

What was a difficult time for you?

What does being a U.S. citizen mean to you?

Have the children write about or draw what they discovered, report their findings and post the results on a bulletin board.

6.

Have the children write a poem, story, play or song about citizenship. Have them perform their creation for others.

7.

Ask the students to search for local citizens who generously contribute to the good of the community. Thank or honor them in some way.

8.

Have them read, analyze and debate newspaper articles on various topics concerning civic life.

9.

Have the children create a video on "American Life" or another related topic.

10.

Invite speakers to share their knowledge of United States history or portray historical characters.

11.

Read or have the students read stories about extraordinary Americans and then act out the stories.

12.

Teach an understanding of the country's founding documents: Declaration of Independence, U. S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

13.

With an adult's assistance have the students take photographs in their community for a book entitled "Our Freedoms," "Our Citizens" or another related topic.

14.

Attend city council meetings, school board meetings or court sessions. Visit historical museums, monuments, and/or national parks.

15.

Teach the children patriotic songs to sing at a parent program, school or community event.

16.

After researching the significance of American symbols and/or the Pledge of Allegiance, have the children make a bulletin board explaining what they learned.

17.

Have the students create a presentation to teach younger students about the American Flag, its history, symbolism, care and proper display.

18.

Discuss taxes and why our local, state and national governments need income for police, firemen, prisons, roads, etc.

19.

Support a school-wide student council composed of representatives from each classroom.

20.

Encourage students to participate in community service projects such as recycling, picking up litter, and volunteering for other worthwhile projects.

http://www.goodcharacter.com/pp/citizenship.html