Villiger, Caroline; Niederbacher, Edith (2026). Modifying Parental Learning Beliefs and Self-Reported Behaviors by a Short-Term Training. Social Education Research, 7 (2), pp. 371-390 Universal Wiser Publisher. 10.37256/ser.7220269925

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Background: It is widely acknowledged that parents have a strong influence on students’ learning. However, some parents may not always support their children’s learning in constructive ways due to structural constraints or lack of knowledge. Aims: This study implemented a short-term parent training focused on supporting children’s learning at home and examined its effects seven months later. The training targeted both parent beliefs and behaviors. The study also investigated differential responsiveness of parent subgroups. Sample: Participants were 662 parents (intervention group: N = 157; control group: N = 505) of fifth and sixth Grade primary school students. Methods: Thirteen classes were randomly assigned to receive a 1.5-hour parent training, while 27 classes served as controls. In total, 157 parents (62.3% of those invited) actively participated in an onsite training. During the training, parents reflected on their beliefs and behaviors related to their child’s learning, shared experiences with peers and were provided with practical strategies for support. All participants completed questionnaires before and seven months after the training, assessing their learning-related beliefs and behaviors. Results: Training participants differed significantly from the control group in the change of their growth mindset and controlling behavior. No main effects were found for failure mindset and autonomy support. However, significant interaction effects emerged: Fathers and parents with lower educational levels showed notable gains in failure mindset, while parents with medium educational levels increased their autonomy support more than those with lower educational levels. While the main effect on controlling behavior appears robust, the evidence for an effect on growth mindset is less robust and therefore requires further investigations. Conclusions: The study highlights the potential of parent trainings to effectively change relevant learning-related beliefs and behaviors and help parents to adopt supportive styles for their children’s learning.

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