The Influence of Parental Involvement, Family Income and Learners’ Motivational Beliefs on English Learning Achievement of Primary School Students: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Abstract

This study examined the influence of parental involvement, family income, and learners’ motivational beliefs on the English language learning achievement of primary school students in Thailand, utilising a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. A total of 306 student-parent pairs from Grade 6 participated in the study. Data were collected using parent questionnaires on family income and parental involvement, student surveys on motivation and self-efficacy, and standardised measures of English achievement. The hypothesised model proposed that family income enhances parental involvement, which, in turn, influences students’ motivational beliefs and, subsequently, their English achievement. The results demonstrated a good model fit (χ² = 103.078, df = 85, p = .089; RMSEA = .026; GFI = .958), providing support for the hypothesised relationships. Family income had a significant positive effect on parental involvement (β = 0.463), while parental involvement strongly predicted students’ self-efficacy (β = 0.492) and moderately predicted motivation (β = 0.231). Both motivation (β = 0.221) and self-efficacy (β = 0.201) significantly predicted English learning achievement, whereas parental involvement did not have a direct effect on achievement. Mediation analyses argued that motivational beliefs fully mediated the effects of family and parental factors on English learning achievement. These findings highlight the critical role of learners’ psychological resources as proximal determinants of English learning outcomes. The study also underlines the importance of policies and interventions that promote parental engagement while enhancing students’ motivation and self-efficacy to sustain long-term English achievement.