Parents play an important role in a child’s academic performance. They may be called upon to perform parenting skills assessments or to help children with their homework.
Parental awareness is a key factor in maintaining STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills. However, there is limited information available on how parents’ awareness is related to demographic characteristics. This study examines parents’ awareness of STEM in the transition from preschool to primary school.
The study used a quantitative approach to assess parental awareness. It surveyed 135 parents in Kerman, Iran. Participants answered a set of five-choice questions to assess their awareness. For each question, participants were given a score between zero and 100. An average score was then calculated for each individual and a general awareness score was also calculated.
Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 23 statistical package program. A multiple regression test was used to investigate the relationship between parents’ awareness and demographic characteristics.
The results indicated that awareness of parents was lower than average. Older parents had a higher level of awareness. Specifically, older parents had a greater level of awareness of their role in the “first thousand days” of a child’s life. Moreover, more parents with academic degrees had a greater level of awareness.
In addition, parents’ awareness of nutrition, digital media, and their family’s socio-economic status were lower than average. Parents also overestimated the PA level of their children. Compared to other groups, parents of boys had a greater overestimation.