Why do children so often follow their parents in education: genes or upbringing? Written Lay Summary

Children often reach similar education levels as their parents, shaping their future health, jobs and opportunities. But why? Is it the genes we share or the environments we grow up in? Scientists examined how parents’ affect how much education their children complete.

What we know so far

For decades, researchers have tried to untangle this puzzle. They’ve focused on two kinds of parental skills. Cognitive traits are thinking abilities such as reasoning and memory. Non-cognitive traits are qualities like motivation and emotional balance that help people keep trying when things are difficult. Both seem important, but earlier studies were unclear about how much each one counts.

It’s hard to separate genes from upbringing, since families share both. Also, past studies were hard to compare because they measured these traits differently.

This study addressed these problems by using genetic data from thousands of families to study both traits separately. The result is a clearer picture of how parents’ abilities and motivation shape education beyond the DNA they pass on.

The research question

Researchers from several universities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Norway wanted to find out whether parents influence their children’s education only through genes, or also through the home environment they create. To find out, they used modern genetic tools and family gene comparisons to measure how much of parents’ influence comes from what children inherit and how much from the environment parents provide.

How the study was made

They did an observational study, meaning they looked at information about families. They studied genes and education records across thousands of families in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, using information from parents and children: brothers and sisters, twins, and adopted children. For a smaller group, both parents and children had their DNA studied together. Everyone also had records of education levels or test results.

Researchers used small differences in DNA to create two “genetic scores” linked to different abilities. One score was linked to thinking and problem-solving skills (cognitive traits). The other was linked to motivation and social abilities (non-cognitive traits).

They then compared these scores across different family types: 1) comparing siblings showed differences within the same home, 2) adoptees showed what parents pass on through upbringing, and 3) parents-child pairs showed how unpassed genes still shape children’s lives.

Looking at all three groups gave the clearest picture yet of how much of parents’ influence comes from genes and how much from the home they create.

Key findings

The study showed that both genes and family life matter for how far children go in education. Parents pass on DNA that can influence learning, but their everyday habits and support also make a big difference. Together, genes and family life explained about a third of the reason children often reach similar education levels as their parents, showing that the home environment plays a major part.

They saw that much of the similarity between parents’ and children’s education came from what happens at home, like helping with schoolwork and showing that education matters. Parents’ motivation and persistence were almost as powerful as their thinking skills in helping their children succeed.

This finding held true for brothers and sisters, adopted children, and parent–child pairs. Adopted families showed the same idea but on a smaller scale, showing that family life matters even without shared genes.

When the researchers looked at the two countries, family influence appeared stronger in the United Kingdom, which may reflect differences in grading systems and how much they depend on teacher judgment and family background. In the Netherlands, this influence was smaller, possibly because all students take the same national test, which reduces the role of teacher assessments and family background.

The same pattern appeared in adulthood: parents’ traits continued to influence their children’s education over time.
Together, the results show that genes and upbringing work hand in hand. Parents’ values, support, and motivation can shape their children’s learning just as much as the DNA they pass on.

Why it matters

These findings matter because they show that both what children inherit and what they experience at home shape education. Parents’ genes don’t just pass traits down; they also influence the kind of home and habits their children grow up with. Motivation and a positive attitude toward learning proved almost as important as thinking skills.

Understanding this matters for families and schools alike. It suggests that giving parents and children support to build persistence and healthy study routines could help more children reach their potential. It also shows why fair, standardised grading (less affected by social background) is important for giving every child an equal chance to succeed.

Overall, the study helps explain why family environments matter for education and support fairer opportunities for children.

Strengths and limitations

As with all studies, this one had limitations. The way the researchers measured parents’ motivation and social skills grouped many things (confidence, persistence, and emotional balance), so it couldn’t show which of these traits mattered most for children’s learning. Future studies could look at these traits one by one to get a clearer picture.

Another limitation is that most of the families were highly educated, living in the United Kingdom or the Netherlands. Families from other backgrounds might have different experiences, so these results can’t automatically be applied to everyone.

Still, this study gives one of the clearest pictures so far of how parents influence their children’s education. It included a very large number of families, which makes the findings more trustworthy. The researchers also compared siblings, adopted children, and biological families, allowing them to check their results in several different ways.

To sum up

This study shows that parents shape their children’s education in more ways than genes alone can explain. Both thinking skills and motivation matter, and the attitudes and support parents provide at home help children go further in learning. While the details vary between families and countries, the main message is clear: nature and nurture work together, and helping families build strong learning environments can give every child a fairer chance to succeed.

Funding and conflicts

This research was funded by national research councils and foundations in the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The researchers said they had no conflicts of interest.

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