Aaron Dumfeh is motivated to study hard because his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana to ensure he had the best opportunities.

Aaron’s parents are among the approximately 36 percent of foreign-born residents in the Bronx, according to statistics from the New York City Department of City Planning.

The Dumfehs are not alone in their high expectations for their children.

Immigrant parents with good intentions often push their children to succeed. But at what cost? As some teens complain about the lack of a social life and limits on watching TV or using digital devices, researchers have cited that the emotional costs may be even higher.

“They believe I can achieve a great education,” said the senior at Cardinal Spellman High School. Aaron is an 80-and-above student and after graduating in 2016 he wants to attend Union College in Schenectady, New York.

Yet, according to research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in November, there are positive and negative aspects of parents’ aspirations for their children’s academic performance.

“Although parental aspiration can help improve children’s academic performance, excessive parental aspiration can be poisonous,” writes lead author Kou Murayama, PhD, of the University of Reading in England. “Unrealistically high aspirations may hinder academic performance.”

Yet, despite parents setting high aspirations, not all children’s academic abilities reach such expectations.

Stephanie Hernandez, 15, attends school at the Bronx Center of Mathematics and Science. Stephanie said that, overall, she knows she’s been prepared for life’s difficulties.

Many immigrant parents arrive in the U.S. to escape the hardships of their home countries. As they nurture their children, they emphasize education as a vital aspect of their lives. As they strive for their children to be successful, they are unapologetic about their expectations.

According to the Secretary for Church of Saint Luke for the Ghanaian community in the Bronx, who went by Mr. Danso, achieving success is unconditional. “I want the best. Not 50 percent, not 70 percent, but 100 percent. As a parent, if I set the standard low, they perform poorly,” said Danso.

Murayama’s study warns that “simply raising aspiration cannot be an effective solution to improve success in education.” She and others suggest parents should develop better ways to set realistic expectations for their children.

But some children accepted their parents being hard on them.

The pressure is “equally a burden and a help,” said Meagan Owusu, 14. The student at Holy Cross School admitted that the parental pressure is “overwhelming, but it also motivates me to do better.”

Many immigrant parents like Danso might also have led decent lives in their home country, but like Danso, may have left it knowing their children couldn’t lead better lives there. The trick to that would be educational attainment.

Rosemond Serwah is the mother of boy and girl 15-year-old twins. She was a teacher in Ghana. When asked why she moved, she responded: “My country was falling; the opportunities were dwindling; and the fate of my children was at stake.”

Although there might be miscommunication between teens and their immigrant parents, the slight show of encouragement in their children seems to do the trick. The support parents seem to put on them in their education, might seem unrealistic, but it teaches the value of hard work and resilience.

And some students understand that reality.

“They expect me to get good grades and prepare for my high school and college stuff. You try to do it, but sometimes it’s a challenge for me so I have to go step by step,” said George Danquah, 13. “It is helpful to me because my parents have to make sure I become better and not become a burden on them.”