Students’ educational expectations: the role of school burnout and parental involvement

Adolescents’ educational expectations shape their futures. School burnout has been identified as affecting these expectations; however, research remains limited. Therefore, this study investigated the associations between school burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) and students’ educational expectations. It also examined parental involvement, offering new insights into how school burnout and parental involvement jointly affect students’ expectations. Additionally, the roles of parents’ educational levels and students’ gender were examined. Data from a 2023 OECD survey in Finland included 275 lower secondary school students, 208 upper secondary school students, and their parents. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings showed that students’ cynicism was negatively associated with their expectations, whereas exhaustion was positively associated with them. Females experienced higher levels of exhaustion and cynicism than males. A positive association was identified between parents’ and students’ educational expectations. The results of this study underscore the importance of promoting students’ school well-being.