The role of parental involvement in academic and sports achievement.

According to previous research results and our systematic review on this topic (Kovács et al., 2022), the positive impact of parental involvement on academic achievement was revealed. However, it is unclear how parental involvement in sports contributes to sports performance and academic achievement. In this study, our main questions are about the differences in academic achievement, in participation in sports activity, and in sports results among pupils of parents involved or not involved in sports and education. To answer these questions, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 7th and 8th-grade students learning in three primary schools in a Hungarian city (N = 121). Based on the scale of parental involvement, three groups were differentiated: 1) children of parents not involved in either education or sports (N = 33), 2) children of parents involved in education only (N = 38), and 3) children of parents involved in both education and sports (N = 47). In order to examine this data, cluster and factor analysis, a Chi-square test and ANOVA, and linear regression were used. Our results showed, children of parents involved in both sports and education are overrepresented among students who received awards because of their sports performance (59.6%), among members of sports talent management programs (29.8%), and among those who achieved first place in national sports competitions (47.8%). They also seem to be the ones most intent on staying engaged, in the future, in regular and competitive sport activities (57.4% and 55.3%). On the contrary, the highest percentage of children of parents involved in education belongs to those who were given awards because of excellent academic achievement (71.1%). As far as personality traits are concerned, obsessive passion (OP) is the most characteristic of pupils with non-involved parents (M = 0.37, SD = 0.95) and least characteristic of children with parents involved in education (M = -0.17, SD = 0.94). Belonging to both groups with involved parents can be considered a negative predictor of OP (ßt = -0.259* [-1.019, -0.078], ßt + s = -0.237* [-0.930, -0.030]). In conclusion, it can be detected that there exists a positive interrelation between parental involvement in sports and education, and the academic and sports performance of their children.

Correction: Kovács et al. The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge Gap: A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 12859.

In the original article [...].

Family-SEN School Collaboration and Its Importance in Guiding Educational and Health-Related Policies and Practices in the Hungarian Minority Community in Romania.

Special education practice allows for the educational principles of parental involvement, pointing to a common dialogue on health issues and general well-being. Special education professionals primarily empower the families of children with atypical development by relying on the organizational factors of individual support and services. The decision-making/partnering factors of the educational and general health processes, on the other hand, receive less attention. The present study aims to explore the place of the parent-school relationship within the framework of a special educational institution in Romania. Involving Hungarian special education teachers (N = 12) from Romania, we analyze the school involvement of the parents of students with special educational needs in Bihor County, Romania, concerning their children's academic achievement and well-being. The qualitative research data were recorded through semistructured interviews and were organized through deductive categorization, as well as being analyzed thematically using Atlas.ti. The results highlighted the essential elements of the parent-school relationship, e.g., communication practices, active inclusion programs, support services, and peer acceptance plans. We believe it is important to emphasize that, in the study, families frequently better understood their child's situation and health-related issues and advocated more effectively for the recognition of their rights. However, as an active player in everyday education, the teacher can better organize development activities for the child's specific needs and plan complex habilitation/rehabilitation. To sum up, a parent-educator team approach can result in more successful educational and health outcomes, as well as a more accepting social image in the cognitive, emotional, and social development fields.

The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge Gap: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Health-related behaviours and attitudes acquired in childhood significantly shape health behaviours in adulthood and play an important role in preventing children from becoming overweight. Interventions incorporating parental involvement can provide outstanding support in shaping a child's health-related behaviour. However, parental involvement has not been investigated from the perspective of efficacy except for obesity. Therefore, this systematic review investigates school-based physical activity intervention programmes incorporating parental involvement. We aim to explore the impact of these programmes and the parental involvement they provide on behaviours that influence child health, which are essential for preventing children and adults from becoming overweight and promoting health-conscious lifestyles. METHODS: This systematic literature review follows PRISMA guidelines. The EBSCO Discovery Service Search Engine was used for searching for literature. Papers included met the following inclusion criteria: (1) reported original, empirical research or systematic review published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) primary or secondary school age (6-18 years) as the target population; (3) examined school-based sport or health prevention and intervention programs; (4) only healthy children and youth in the indicated age group; (5) school-based prevention or intervention program; (6) examines parental involvement; (7) in the English language, and (8) in disciplines of education, psychology, social work, sociology, social sciences and humanities. RESULTS: An extremely limited number of interventions of sufficient quality address the role of parental involvement (N = 17). The forms of parental involvement show a huge variety, ranging from leaflets, home packs, sports organisations "forced" by the pandemic, parent meetings, programmes, courses, and school programmes with diverse children over several months (cooking together, gardening, playing sports together, etc.). Therefore, it is difficult to measure their effectiveness and impact. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of parental involvement on children's health behaviour, especially physical activity and nutrition, as two of the most important factors in preventing them from becoming overweight, are unclear, and other correlations, e.g., academic achievement, are scarce.

Sport Motivation from the Perspective of Health, Institutional Embeddedness and Academic Persistence among Higher Educational Students.

Regular physical activity from an early age is an important part of a healthy life because if we incorporate exercise early into our lifestyle, we are more likely to maintain our commitment to sport into adulthood and even throughout our lives. In our research, we used the PERSIST 2019 database, which contains data from students at higher education institutions in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia. We used factor analysis to isolate four sports motivation factors (intrinsic, introjected, extrinsic, and amotivation). Factors influencing the different types were measured using linear regression analysis, involving the variables in four models. The results show that the effects of the sociodemographic variables are significant for gender, country, and mother's job, especially in terms of intrinsic, introjected, and extrinsic motivation. The role of coping is salient for health awareness factors, with a positive effect on intrinsic motivation and a negative effect on the other types. The impacts of quality of education and support are typically negative, while the positive effect of satisfaction with infrastructure is noteworthy. The effect of persistence in sport on intrinsic and introjected motivation is positive. Frequency of training increases intrinsic motivation, while practical sport embeddedness generates extrinsic motivation. In terms of relationships, a mainly teacher-oriented network within the institution typically has a negative effect on intrinsic motivation, while peer relationships outside the institution typically increase intrinsic and extrinsic sport motivation. Academic persistence has a positive effect on intrinsic motivation and a negative effect on introjected motivation. Our research highlights the complexity of factors influencing sport motivation and the role of coping, which typically remains strong when relationship-related variables are included. In addition, we must emphasise the dominant role of relationship network patterns, which may even reduce commitment to sport.

Administrative data analysis of student attrition in hungarian medical training.

BACKGROUND: There is numerous empirical evidence supporting that college students studying in fields with rigorous curriculum and high requirements, such as medical training, are characterized by a higher risk of attrition than their peers. Since Hungarian medical training attracts more and more international students every year, the issue of dropout can have a global impact. Our study aimed to examine attrition risks of local and international students in Hungarian medical training. METHODS: In our study, we examined the dropout behaviour of all medical students who started their studies in 2010 in Hungary (N = 2391) by analysing longitudinal administrative data of those who studied between 2010 and 2017. Doing this, we conducted descriptive statistics and uncovered the risks of dropout using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Our results indicate that the danger is primarily increased by factors directly linked to or indicating poor academic performance (slow pace of credit accumulation, tuition-based forms of finance). Individual characteristics, namely gender, and citizenship, also have a moderate but significant effect on the latter. CONCLUSIONS: Thus a policy proposal can be formulated consisting of making the training network less rigid, devoting more educational attention to and providing targeted mentoring for students with learning difficulties and academic hardships. Foreign medical students studying in Hungary comprise a large group that has a high attrition rate, making it a prime target for dropout-reducing programs.

The effect of volunteering and voluntary group membership on student's persistence.

In the literature on higher education, civic involvement is discussed in connection with civic education or as a protective factor against attrition. In a series of surveys, we have followed higher education students' volunteering at several higher education institutions of Central and Eastern Europe since 2005. Based on Wilson (2000), we distinguish between formal volunteering and volunteer work which does not require organizational membership. Among young people, volunteer work is rather a program-centered, personally motivated, and individual activity (Inglehart 2003). In this study, however, we also examine students' voluntary group membership, which could provide a potential framework for volunteer work. Through a stepwise linear regression model, we analyze the effect of volunteering and voluntary group membership on students' higher education persistence. The analysis is carried out on data from the PERSIST 2019 survey (N = 2199). We find that persistent academic progress is more common among women, individually well-off students from objectively less affluent families, those who pray regularly, those who have a close relationship with their parents, professors, and peers, and those have done volunteer work during their higher education studies.

[Empirical study of learning success among first-year students in health education]. / A tanulás sikerességének vizsgálata egészségügyi tanulmányokat folytató elsoéves hallgatók körében.

Introduction: Comprehensive predictors of first-year students' academic performance, including pre-university experience, can be found at both individual and infrastructural levels that can be measured and used to increase academic performance and contribute to student mental health. Aim: To study the characteristics of students who are beginning their studies in medical, dental, pharmacy and health care organization. Method: Analysis of a database obtained through questionnaire data among first-year Semmelweis University students (n = 550). Significant explanatory variables influencing student performance were determined by logistic regression. Results: Different faculties and prestige channels have different success factors and student needs, the fulfillment of which also serves the maintenance of student mental health. Two groups were defined: (i) factors independent of age (perseverance value, religious belief, WHO value of well-being, importance of sport, trust), (ii) faculty-specific factors (Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry: parental influence on learning; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences: the importance of relationships is high; Faculty of Health Sciences: parental qualifications are decisive). Conclusion: At the start of a student's life, measurements can uncover factors that, if learned, can facilitate later successful studies, preventing early school leaving. During the course of studies, these features can be monitored continuously, so that the necessary interventions can be made to ensure student success. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(4): 139-150.

[Dropout risk among medical students]. / Lemorzsolódási kockázat az orvostanhallgatók körében.

Introduction: From 2015, medical education has introduced a cost-reimbursement for medical students who do not reach the yearly rising weighted average. Aim: The authors examine the dropout behaviour of Hungarian medical students. Method: Analysis of the Higher Education Information System based on the database of those who started their medical studies in 2010 (n = 1046). Results: Early retardation of credit accumulation, the use of passive semesters are typical for dropouts. 83.6% of those who started their studies studied in state-funded education, with 9.4% dropouts among them, 50% among cost-reimbursement students. Multivariate analysis revealed the factors affecting dropout. Conclusion: The chances of dropping out are increased by the low credit number, the number of passive semesters, the cost-reimbursement financing form. A dormitory residence is safety net, the student can make social capital that can support the success of his studies. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(21): 829-834.

[Use of the short (5-item) version of the WHO well-being questionnaire in first year students of Semmelweis University]. / Az Egészségügyi Világszervezet öttételes jól-lét kérdoívének vizsgálata a Semmelweis Egyetem elsoéves hallgatóinak körében.

INTRODUCTION: Studies on well-being of students in higher education are in the centre of international research interest, because adult health as a value plays an important role in the life of future generation. AIM: The authors studied variables that affect the value of well-being (satisfaction with life, student success, satisfaction with academic infrastructure, sports and financial situation of parents) among medical and health science students starting their studies. METHOD: The Hungarian version of the Word Health Organization WBI-5 (General Well-Being Index, 5-item version) were used. This questionnaire has a high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.778). RESULTS: The unrotated principal component analysis of the questionnaire survey confirmed the homogeneity of the database utility (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin-index = 0.748; Bartlett test<0.0001). On the basis of stepwise linear regression (R = 0.458, R2 = 0.21, F = 16.33, p = 0.001, VIF values around 1) showed (i) a positive relationship with explanatory variables such as faculty and sport activity, satisfaction with life scale and university infrastructure, and (ii) a negative relationship with gender and parental substance. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that short Well-Being Index is a reliable and valid instrument to measure positive quality of life of medical students. Furthermore, the Well-Being Index can help university faculties and lecturers to deploy the student facilities and to eliminate the harm of stress situations. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(44), 1762-1768.