From helicopter parent to valued partner: Shaping the parental relationship for student success

Abstract

Parents of college students influence the transition experiences of their sons and daughters, and they also experience significant transitions of their own.

College Students’ Perceptions of Relations with Parents and Academic Performance

“…Program sessions could include students and parents discussing how the young adults plan to initiate support requests and maintain positive relations with parents and family while gaining independence and taking on more personal responsibility as they enter college. Colleges can assist with these efforts by holding parent orientation sessions, sponsoring student-parent events, and providing resources for parents such as websites, parent policy handbooks, and a clear listing of appropriate personnel to contact to resolve specific issues [3]. Open communication and a positive partnership between parents and university personnel may provide an integrated support system that facilitates college student success.…”

“…Professionals in higher education believe that compared to previous generations there has been a substantial increase in parental involvement in young adults' lives during the college years for the Millennial Generation, the cohort of students born after 1982 [3,14]. These highly involved parents have often been referred to as "helicopter parents" [11,13] suggesting that they 'hover" over their adult children waiting to swoop down and assist them at any moment.…”

Parent and Family Engagement in Higher Education

“…Some literature argues that orientation programs represent an opportunity for colleges and universities to partner with parents and family members in fostering the success of students (Dennis et al., ; Lombardi et al., ; Ward‐Roof et al., ). More specifically, colleges and universities can use orientation programs as venues to develop clear channels of communication with parents and families, educate them on campus resources, and provide information about campus contacts and information disclosure policies such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA; Cutright, ). Orientation programs for parents have evolved over time, with some recently renamed to include the word “family,” primarily to acknowledge the fact that family involvement may not be limited to parents but may extend to grandparents, siblings, and other extended family (Mayer, ).…”

Reducing perceived stress through an orientation program for nursing students entering their first nursing course

“…Family members and significant others were considered an important component of this study since their involvement can enhance success for students. [34] The demographics of the student population for this class consists of 13 Caucasians, 8 Hispanics/Latinos, 7 Pacific Islanders, 5 Blacks, and 5 Asians. The age range was 21-52 years and there were 28 females and 8 males.…”