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Caregiver support
Another crucial factor that the PILNA student assessment captured was caregiver support for students. Caregiver support, in its many forms, is widely recognised as an enabler of success in children’s education.
Students from PILNA 2021 were provided with a list of activities and asked to indicate how frequently someone they lived with provided help or support with the activities. They could respond with ‘Always’, ‘Most of the time’, ‘Sometimes’, or ‘Never’.
Caregiver support by proportion of students
Table STT1.4 shows the proportion of students in both year four and year six who answered with either ‘Always’ or ‘Most of the time’.
The results show that more than half the students reported that their caregivers ‘Always’ or ‘Most of the time’ checked their homework was complete (year four, 50%; year six, 52%) and helped with their homework (year four, 59%; year six, 79%).
There were differences between some year four and year six responses. A large proportion of year six students reported their caregivers regularly asked about their schoolwork, but only a small proportion of year four students reported so (year four, 29%; year six, 78%). Similarly, a large proportion of year six students reported their caregivers regularly supported or encouraged them (year four, 37%; year six, 71%) or gave them advice and guidance (year four, 28%; year six, 66%), but only a small proportion of year four students reported so.
Across both year levels, only a minority of students reported that their caregivers ‘Always’ or ‘Most of the time’ understood their problems and worries (year four, 34%; year six, 53%) or comforted them when they were feeling upset (year four, 27%; year six, 31%). This may be an area to monitor, as these questions may be linked with student well-being.
What does this mean?
Many students are receiving regular support from their parents or caregivers but many are not. Lower proportions of year four students reported their caregivers frequently provided them with support in all areas compared with year six students. This, along with the generally low levels of frequent caregiver support, should be explored further. At the regional level, caregiver support was associated with student performance at both year levels.
