Wellbeing and distractions the top barriers to educational success

If your child is struggling to manage stress and digital distractions when it comes to their education, they are not alone, according to the recently released ASG Parents Report Card.

Written and analysed by professors from the Faculty of Education at Monash University, the report investigated the state of education in Australia from the parents’ perspective.

Surveying more than 3000 parents and guardians from every state and territory, the report revealed that while parents’ confidence in the school curriculum remains high, many are concerned with their child’s wellbeing. The key findings included:

• Almost half of parents (49 per cent) feel that their child is not taught how to manage stress at school very well.
• More than half (57 per cent) of parents believe their child becomes angry when they feel they cannot control things.
• Some 28 per cent of parents believe their child has poor problem-solving abilities.
• More than half (55 per cent) of parents struggle to limit their child’s screen time.
• Over one third of parents do not always know what their child is watching.

In addition, the report found that while 96 per cent of parents are confident their child can speak to an adult if they need help, almost one fifth state that they don’t believe their child has friends they can call on should they need support.

Distractions are becoming increasingly problematic

The ASG Parents Report Card also highlights that while parents’ aspirations and children’s motivations to succeed continue to drive success, distractions remain an area of concern.

Parents believe that their daughters (44 per cent) tend to focus better on completing schoolwork compared to their sons (32 per cent), and six out of 10 parents have to continually prompt their child to study.

Parents also feel that time management is one of three greatest challenges facing their child’s learning with three in 10 parents particularly concerned with their child’s ability to balance time spent learning and time participating in extra-curricular activities.

“Influences such as the use of digital technology and access to screen time have now become part of everyday life for children. They have also become part of a daily struggle for parents to balance homework and extra activities,” says Associate Professor Shane Phillipson, of Monash University.

Cost of education a concern for parents

The findings also reveal that parents worry about not having enough money to fully support their children’s educational needs.

The ASG Parents Report Card has shown that 85 per cent of parents wish they had more money to pay for their child’s education, and more than a quarter of parents (27 per cent) admit they must work two jobs to ensure a successful education for their children.

Who is ASG?

ASG’s mission is to support the education needs of all individuals from children to adults at any stage of their lives. ASG believes all individuals deserve equal access to education regardless of wealth, status and capability.

They achieve this mission by providing a range of financial products to help offset the cost of education and by providing valuable educational resources.

The ASG Report Card was commissioned by ASG and written and analysed by Associate Professor Sivanes Phillipson and Associate Professor Shane Phillipson at the Faculty of Education at Monash University.