Parents’ Notions of Education Quality in Metropolis and Their Attitudes Towards Parental Control

Abstract

The paper presents outcomes of an empirical study aimed at exploring parents’ notions about the quality of education their children get in Moscow and their attitudes towards controlling the child’s learning process and life. Our hypothesis was that perceptions of the quality of Moscow school education in parents correlate with their control over the child’s education and life. In the study we used a specially developed survey. The sample included 434 subjects. Approximately one third of the respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of their child’s education. Notably, extracurricular activities received higher rates as compared to the regular curriculum. In the parents’ opinion, the study load is so large the children almost have no free time left. As for their children’s future, most parents still relate it with getting higher education. The majority of parents associate success with educational level and therefore place demands on the quality of education. Also, the study revealed a significant positive correlation between the parental evaluations of the education quality and the attitudes towards parental control over the child’s education at all stages of schooling.