Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an unprecedented shift to remote learning, dramatically altering the landscape of primary education. This change placed new, significant demands on parents, requiring them to assume enhanced roles in their children’s education. While the link between parental involvement and academic achievement is well-established, the specific capabilities and challenges parents faced during this unique period, and how they influenced student outcomes, remain underexplored. This study aims to analyze the relationship between various dimensions of parental involvement capabilities (such as digital literacy, time availability, and self-efficacy) and the academic performance of primary school learners during the pandemic.

Methods: A descriptive-correlational research design was employed to examine a sample of parents and their primary-aged children in a specific region. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that measured parental involvement capabilities, socio-demographic factors (including socio-economic status and family structure), and student academic performance using school records. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis to determine the predictive influence of parental capabilities on academic outcomes, while qualitative insights were gathered from open-ended questions.

Results: The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between parental involvement capabilities and student academic achievement. The analysis further highlighted that socio-economic status acted as a powerful moderator, with parents from higher socio-economic backgrounds demonstrating greater digital and psychological capabilities to support their children's learning, leading to more favorable academic results. The data underscores the exacerbation of pre-existing educational inequalities during the crisis.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the ability of parents to effectively support their children’s learning during the pandemic was highly dependent on a complex set of capabilities that are often associated with socio-economic status. These findings provide critical insights for developing targeted educational policies and support programs that empower all parents to engage in their children's education, particularly during times of widespread disruption, to mitigate learning loss and promote equitable academic outcomes.

Parental Involvement, Academic Achievement, COVID-19 Pandemic

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