The Role of Parental Involvement in the Autonomy Development of Traditional-Age College Students

Increased parental involvement in higher education has led to a rise in the number of parent interactions with university faculty and staff. The purpose of this study was to explore how parental involvement influences the process of college student autonomy development and to examine the implications of this process for college administrators. Data were collected from 18 participants through three semistructured interviews and two journal entries. The results suggest the importance of parents maintaining supportive involvement instead of intervening, establishing adult-to-adult relationships with college-age children, relinquishing unnecessary control, and fostering responsibility.