Effects of parent involvement in isolation or in combination with peer tutoring on student self-concept and mathematics achievement.

The present study examined the effects of a home-based, parent involvement (PI) intervention and the reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) intervention on the self-concept and mathematics achievement of academically at-risk urban elementary school students. Seventy-two 4th- and 5th-grade students evidencing difficulties in mathematics were selected. Students were assigned randomly to 3 conditions: PI?+?RPT, PI, and practice control (PC). Student self-concept reports showed that students in the PI?+?RPT and PI conditions reported higher ratings of scholastic and behavior conduct than controls. Students in the PI?+?RPT conditions perceived themselves as more socially confident than did PI or PC students. Mathematics findings indicated that students who received PI?+?RPT displayed higher levels of accurate mathematics computations on a curriculum-based measure than PI or PC students. PI?+?RPT students also had significantly higher scores on a standardized measure of mathematics computation than PC students. The relationships between the PI intervention components and school adjustment were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)