TITLE:
Determinants of Parental Support for Learning among 3- to 4-Year-Old Children in Mali
AUTHORS:
Habibou Ouedraogo, Yaya Sangare
KEYWORDS:
Explanatory Factors, Parental Support, Learning, Children, Mali
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study analyzes the factors explaining parental support for the learning of 3- to 4-year-old children in Mali. Although parents are their children’s first educators and play a crucial role in creating a learning-friendly environment, their educational involvement remains influenced by several sociodemographic, economic, and cultural factors. Using data from the 2015 MICS Mali survey, the analysis employs a descriptive approach using the chi-square test and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), supplemented by an explanatory analysis based on binomial logistic regression to identify the determinants of parental support for the learning of 3- to 4-year-old children. The findings show that parental support for learning is influenced by several factors, including geographic area, ethnicity, the child’s relationship to the school principal, the mother’s media exposure, and the household’s standard of living. These results contribute to a better understanding of the determinants of parental support for early childhood learning and highlight the need for policies aimed at reducing geographic disparities and strengthening awareness campaigns to promote greater parental involvement in early childhood learning. They also provide a basis for future research to analyze the mechanisms by which these factors influence family parenting practices and children’s developmental trajectories.