Effective parental involvement in education: experiences and perceptions of Turkish teachers from private schools

Parental involvement has been associated with numerous student benefits. However, related literature reveals that neither parents nor teachers are content with the scope and depth of parental involvement in schools. This may be partly due to differential understandings that both sides have on the concept of parental involvement. In this study, teachers’ experiences and perceptions of effective parental involvement in the private middle school context of Turkey were examined. Participants are 38 teachers, from five different schools, who were selected by the maximum variation sampling technique. This study provides an insight into how teachers make sense of the educational involvement of the middle to high socio economic status (SES) parents with whom they theoretically share similar cultural capital. The findings of this collective case study demonstrate there are important misunderstandings and related tensions among parents and teachers over the roles of each party. Teachers believe that parents’ educational roles are mostly performed at home. On the contrary, parents are shown as having a higher desire to participate in educational decisions. This divergence between parents and teachers seems to decrease productive partnerships between the two parties. Future studies are needed in order to search for collaboration mechanisms that would work for all actors involved.     

A survey of parental involvement in middle schools in New Zealand

This article reports the results of a survey of parental involvement (PI) policy and practice in middle schools in a large New Zealand city. Principals at all 11 middle schools in the city were contacted and agreed to be interviewed. Interviews were conducted using a schedule that focuses on 11 aspects of PI: encouraging parents into school, policy formation, acting as a resource, collaborating with teachers, sharing information on children, channels of communication, liaison with school staff, parent education, parent support, involving diverse parents, and teacher professional development. Analysis of data from the interviews indicates that there are some common strengths and weaknesses with regard to PI in middle schools. There were also important differences between schools in the types of PI they engaged in as well as some clear gaps in provision. Implications for improving the practice of PI in middle schools and for further research are discussed.     

Digital technologies and parental involvement in education: the experiences of mothers of primary school-aged children

Abstract

This paper makes a contribution to the developing field of the political economy of educational technology and to an understanding of the significance of digital technologies for home-school relations. The digitalisation of social life is increasing and the impact of digitalisation on home-school relations, parents, and children is under-researched. This article draws on a new qualitative study where fifteen mothers were interviewed about parenting a primary school aged child in England with a focus on digital technologies, home-school relations, and parenting. I argue that processes of digitalisation are contributing to a bureaucratisation of home-school relations. Drawing on Weber’s social theory, I argue that managing communications and information is taking precedence over other aspects of parental involvement in education. In this process, digital technologies are contributing to increasing demands for involvement in education that are placed on parents, reinforcing the wider norms of the intensification and professionalisation of parenting.     

Family involvement in creative teaching practices for all in small rural schools

Parental involvement is interpreted as a key form of support that can contribute to the establishment of inclusive practices in schools, but this can be difficult in sparsely populated areas. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation, informal conversations and document analysis, this article therefore focuses on family involvement practices in two small rural schools in Aragón (Spain) that carry out creative teaching practices as a way to encourage parental participation. Our data show that teachers promote parental involvement using strategies such as acceptance, expression and communication in school. These strategies seem to be negotiated in each situation based on the values prioritised by the teachers as a result of their interaction within the context they find themselves in. Factors such as family mobility, dispersion of homes and sociocultural status appear to condition these strategies.     

The relations of parental supervision,parental school involvement,and child's social competence with school achievement in primary school

The aim of this study was to examine the relation of parental supervision, parental involvement at school and child's social competence with school achievement in primary school. A theoretical model was postulated that predicts direct and indirect effects of parental behaviors on adolescents’ school achievement. Participants were 1,024 adolescents attending Grades 5 through 8 in 20 primary schools in Croatia and one of their parents or guardians. Adolescents completed a scale assessing their self‐perceived social competence and data on their grade point average were collected. Parents completed scales measuring parental supervision and parental involvement at school and they rated their child's social competence. The results of model testing showed that parental behaviors have both direct and indirect effect on adolescents’ school achievement. Greater parental supervision and school involvement have a direct and an indirect, through their effects on child's social competence, positive effects on adolescents’ school achievement.     

New Zealand students' perceptions of parental involvement in learning and schooling

This study investigated the relation between multidimensional aspects of high school students' perceptions of their parental involvement and their achievement. It explored differences in socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, and higher and lower achieving students, and a structural model was developed to further investigate these relations. A parental involvement questionnaire and measures of efficacy, liking and achievement in mathematics and reading were administered to a sample of 1,554 New Zealand high school students from 59 schools. In the view of students, there is support for parents to be talking to their children about learning and schooling and having high expectations of them and their future in learning, especially for lower achieving students. Students who claim that their parents are talking with their teachers or attending school meetings are more likely to have lower achievement. The implications from this study relate to developing student self-regulation for learning in home, providing more surface than deeper learning as homework, and assisting parents to learn the language of learning and schooling.     

Barriers to and strategies for parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities in primary schools in Bahir Dar City Administration,Ethiopia

This study explores barriers to and strategies for parental involvement (PI) in the education of children with disabilities, using a qualitative case study design. Using the purposive sampling technique, five parents and five teachers were selected for interviews. Data obtained through semi-structured interviews have been analysed thematically. The findings demonstrated that PI was hindered by various barriers related to parents (including parents’ low level of education, income and negative attitudes), schools (such as principals’ and teachers’ negative attitudes, the lack of invitations given to parents, and the lack of a welcoming environment) and children (including their unwillingness to pass school invitations on to their parents). In addition, the study identified strategies to increase PI, including effective communication and partnership, training, a welcoming environment, sending invitations, and establishing and utilising resource centres and individual education plans. Overall, the study highlighted the barriers to PI and tactics to increase PI. It is apparent that educative programmes should be designed by schools and other relevant bodies to address the barriers to PI.     

Minority parental involvement and school barriers: Moving the focus away from deficiencies of parents

There has been an alarming imbalance in recent research on minority parental involvement because it has focused on parents’ variables to identify groups for effective interventions without searching for broader contextual variables. This literature review provides available research findings on the school barriers that prevent minority parents’ participation in their children's school in the United States. The following school barriers were identified: (a) teachers’ perception about the efficacy of minority parents, (b) teachers’ perception concerning the capacity of minority parents, (c) teachers’ beliefs in the effectiveness of parental involvement and developmental philosophy, (d) teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching effectiveness, (e) school friendliness and positive communication, (f) diversity of parental involvement programs, (g) school policies, and (h) school leadership. Increased understanding about the nature of minority parental involvement in their children's school will lead to a more collaborative home–school partnership and ensure the long-term success of parental involvement.     

Effect of the parental involvement style perceived by elementary school students at home on Language and Mathematics performance in chilean schools

The present study intends to measure the effect of the parental involvement style perceived by fourth-grade students on their Language and Mathematics performance. It uses data taken from a sample of 55,401 students evaluated by the National Education Quality Measurement System [Sistema Nacional de Medición de la Calidad de la Educación, SIMCE]. The results show that the nourishing parental involvement style, and not only household income and the parents’ years of schooling, are associated with and significantly predict higher scores on the Language and Mathematics tests. This finding is relevant inasmuch as it provides operational information regarding parental involvement styles, which opens up more possibilities for psychoeducational intervention by the school.     

A cross-cultural exploration of parental involvement and child-rearing beliefs in Asian cultures

Parental involvement (PI) and child-rearing beliefs were examined amongst parents whose children attended state-run kindergartens across Singapore. A total of 244 parents completed an online survey consisting of a Child-Rearing Beliefs Scale, a PI Scale, and demographic details. Results indicated respondents were generally low-income earners with high rates of bilingualism. Two-thirds of parents had enrolled their kindergarten children in extra classes, with half of parents indicating that academic achievement was their highest priority. Ethnic differences were noted, with Chinese parents showing less involvement at home and school and less emphasis on the development of creative and practical skills and conforming behaviors than parents from other Asian backgrounds. This effect was independent from the effects of gender, parental education, and income. These results confirm the importance parents place on academic achievement in Singapore, but also, along with, extend prior research to suggest that inter Asian differences exist.     

School-based parental involvement: a comparative assessment of predictors of satisfaction in South-East Europe

Exploring a unique region concerning educational reforms in the past 20?years, the present study empirically investigates the attitudes towards parental involvement in school life in a comparative perspective of south-eastern European (SEE) countries for the 2008/2009 school year. Based on a multiple regression model for nine different countries, the research examines the predictors of satisfaction with school–parent partnerships from the parents’ perspective in the SEE context. The 2009 Cross-National Survey of Parents provided detailed evidence of attitudes and practices in educational setups in the Balkans for a representative sample of parents with one or more children enrolled in primary or secondary education. The findings indicate that the most reliable explanatory variable for the parents’ satisfaction with ways of getting involved in school life is the attribution of school–parent roles, with effects knocking on to all the other factors, including the understanding of the need to participate and the feeling of being a stakeholder in the educational process.     

Barriers preventing parental involvement in mainstream education of children with specific learning disabilities: parent perspectives

This study aims to investigate the barriers to parental involvement in Jordanian mainstream schools from the parents’ perspective. A 36-item questionnaire that addressed five domains was designed specifically for this study and distributed to 206 parents of children with specific learning disabilities. The results reveal that the main barrier to parental involvement relates to parents’ beliefs, followed by barriers related to mainstream schools’ teachers and team work, while ‘available facilities’ was viewed as the least significant barrier. The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences regarding parental income level for each of the five domains and the overall scale, but there were no differences attributable to parents’ educational levels and gender. Based on these findings, a number of suggestions and recommendations are made.     

Parental involvement in secondary education schools: the views of parents in Greece

The present study explores Greek parents’ views on parental educational involvement and its impact on adolescent scholastic and social development. Specifically, aspects of parental involvement such as the achieved objectives of current parent–school communication, the psychological climate dominating teacher–parent interactions and parents’ suggestions for improvement of current policies and practices are examined. Four hundred and seventy‐five parents participated in the study. Findings showed that family–school communication is believed to be insufficient in Greece, despite the fact that parents tend to: (1) regard their cooperation with teachers as determinative of adolescent academic and psychosocial development; (2) consider teachers to be friendly and caring; and (3) believe that secondary school provides some opportunities for constructive parental involvement. These paradoxes are discussed and explained as a result of radical changes in current social and educational values, principles and objectives.     

Exploring parental involvement in early years education in China: development and validation of the Chinese Early Parental Involvement Scale (CEPIS)

This study developed and validated an instrument, the Chinese Early Parental Involvement Scale (CEPIS), that can be widely used in both local and international contexts to assess Chinese parental involvement in early childhood education. The study was carried out in two stages: (1) focus group interviews were conducted with 41 teachers and 35 parents in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Teachers and parents were found to hold different perceptions of parental involvement. Responses further revealed that Chinese parents practiced more home-based involvement than preschool-based involvement, and that Chinese parents also have layers of responsibilities that limit their level of involvement in children's early development; (2) items of the CEPIS were developed using focus group responses. To validate the scale, 319 parents were asked to complete the new CEPIS. Results from principal-components factor analyses established that the resultant 26-item CEPIS consists of six parental involvement dimensions. Further analyses revealed that parental involvement differed as a function of parents' marital status and employment status. The major findings, implications and limitations of this research are discussed, together with directions for future research.     

The effects of school-based parental involvement on academic achievement at the child and elementary school level: A longitudinal study

Policymakers view parental involvement (PI) as a crucial component of school reform efforts, but evidence of its effect on student achievement is equivocal. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort dataset, we examined the long-term impact on student- and school-level achievement of three types of school-based PI: PI to help an individual's own child (private-good PI), PI to improve the school (public-good PI), and PI through peer networking. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that all three types raised student-level achievement in mathematics but only private-good PI was associated with reading achievement. Public-good PI and parent networking boosted school-level achievement. Public- and private-good PI were more strongly associated with student-level mathematics achievement for high socioeconomic status (SES) students; aggregated private-good PI was more strongly related to school-level achievement in low-SES schools. These results provide empirical evidence about the effectiveness of school-based PI, but also suggest a need for schools to explore more effective ways to leverage the social capital of low-SES families.     

Association between parental involvement in school and child conduct,social, and internalizing problems: teacher report

The present study examined the factor structure of the Teacher Involvement Questionnaire (Involve-T) by means of exploratory factor analysis and examined the association between children's socio-emotional and behavioural problems and teacher-reported parental involvement in school, using structural equation modelling. The study was conducted with a Norwegian sample of school children in Grades 1–3. Results of the factor analysis supported the use of 3 separate scales, as suggested by the scale author (Webster-Stratton, 1998); however, a number of items in each scale were reduced. Furthermore, the results showed among other findings that teachers reported more frequent contact with parents of children with conduct problems than with those of children who did not display conduct problems, and that parents of children with high levels of socio-emotional competence were more involved in their children's education than other parents. The results need to be replicated in future research in a more representative study population.     

Guanxi and school success: an ethnographic inquiry of parental involvement in rural China

This study examines the differential patterns of school success of rural students as a result of China’s market transition. The process dimension, how families from different social backgrounds within rural society get involved in rural schooling and how this contributes to the inequality of school success within rural society, is investigated. The data analysis suggests that schools as institutions provide few official channels for rural parents to participate in rural schools and help their children to achieve school success. This raises the importance of families’ strategic initiatives to employ guanxi within family, community and between school and family. These make the point that guanxi and their employment have become an important mechanism for social inclusion and exclusion in the competition for advantages in school success in post-socialist China.     

‘They were a little family’: an exploratory study of parental involvement in nurture groups – from a practitioner and parent perspective

The approach taken by nurture groups emphasises that difficult early experiences can be modified through creating opportunities to develop security and attachment from alternative sources other than parents. Despite previous research indicating the positive impact parental involvement can have on both parents and children, research into parental involvement in nurture groups has been identified as being sparse and requiring further investigation. This exploratory study provides an insight into the perceptions of parents and nurture group staff regarding parental involvement. In‐depth qualitative data were collected from semi‐structured interviews with parents and nurture group staff. Inductive thematic analysis was applied to draw out themes from the data. Findings highlight different experiences of parents and staff, but also common themes of relationships, communication and sharing practice. Findings are discussed in relation to the research questions and the relevant literature regarding parental involvement. Implications for nurture groups and schools are discussed.     

Chinese parental involvement and class-based inequality in education: the role of social networking sites

ABSTRACT

Based on an ethnographic study, this article presents the class-based disparities of Chinese parents’ usage of WeChat, the dominating social networking mobile application in China, in their educational involvement. We find that middle-class parents are the privileged ones who have exploited the use of WeChat not only as a medium for communication, but more as a mode of influence. Through WeChat, their various forms of capital are channelled to catalyse changes in their children's education. In contrast, working-class parents tend to act as absent participants in using WeChat for their educational involvement. We argue that WeChat has brought forth the consequence of widening the arena for winning or losing at the educational game for parents from different social classes. We call for corrective policies and guidelines on the usage of WeChat and other SNSs technologies in home–school dynamics.