Factors Affecting Involvement of Urban School District Parents in Their Child's Education Megan Stewart Walden University
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2016 Factors Affecting Involvement of Urban School District Parents in their Child's Education Megan Stewart Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Education Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION This is to certify that the doctoral study by Megan Stewart has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. George Smeaton, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Amy Gaskins, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Michelle Brown, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2016 Abstract Factors Affecting Involvement of Urban School District Parents in their Child’s Education by Megan Stewart Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University January 2016 Abstract Parental involvement in children’s education has been found to have a positive impact on academic achievement. Because the state has mandated that academic achievement in the study district needs to increase, identifying means of increasing parental involvement is important. Guided by the work of Epstein, this quantitative study was conducted to explore demographic factors related to parents’ involvement in the education of their children. Specifically, research questions examined differences in parental involvement by socioeconomic status (SES), barriers to involvement for parents, and school strategies to improve parental involvement. Parents of all 5 th grade students ( n = 935) from a large East Coast urban district were surveyed using the Scale of Parental Involvement to address the research questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as an independent-samples t test to determine the differences in involvement by SES. A significant difference in parental involvement between low- and high-SES parents was not obtained. Parents reported that barriers such as work hours, lack of feeling appreciated, culture, transportation, and child care prevented full participation in the education of their children. The findings also suggested that districts might increase parental involvement through engaging in more frequent communication with parents; providing more activities to do at home; and providing more time for training, teaching, and meeting. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local district on how to increase the involvement of parents in their children’s education. Factors Affecting Involvement of Urban School District Parents in their Child’s Education by Megan Stewart Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University January 2016 Acknowledgments This research has taken me a long time to complete, due to multiple circumstances. I could not have finished without the help and encouragement of Dr. George Smeaton. I am truly thankful for all you have done! Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v Section 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................7 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................8 Research Questions and Hypotheses .............................................................................8 Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................10 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................10 Operational Definitions ................................................................................................11 Assumptions .................................................................................................................13 Limitations ...................................................................................................................13 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................14 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................14 Summary ......................................................................................................................16 Section 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................18 Introduction ..................................................................................................................18 Theoretical Background ...............................................................................................19 Parental Involvement ...................................................................................................22 Creating Community Between Parents and Educators ................................................24 Benefits of Parental Involvement.................................................................................26 i Differing Perceptions of Parental Involvement ...........................................................28 Perceptions of Stakeholders on Parental Involvement.................................................29 Communication Between Educators and Home ..........................................................30 Epstein’s Work.............................................................................................................33 Socioeconomic Status of Families ...............................................................................34 Successful Parental Involvement Programs .................................................................37 Bringing Clarity to Previous Parental Involvement Research .....................................40 Summary ......................................................................................................................42 Section 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................43 Introduction ..................................................................................................................43 Research Design...........................................................................................................44 Setting and Sample ......................................................................................................45 Instrumentation and Materials .....................................................................................46 Reliability and Validity ................................................................................................48 Data Collection ............................................................................................................50 Research Questions ......................................................................................................50 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................52 RQ1: What is the relationship between socioeconomic status and involvement in children’s education? ....................................................... 52 RQ2: What barriers prevent parents with lower levels of socioeconomic status (those with a family income of $50,000 or less) from being involved in their children’s education? ..................................................... 52 ii RQ3: What school district strategies do parents with lower levels of socioeconomic status feel would minimize barriers to involvement in their children’s education? .................................................................... 52 Protection of Participants’ Rights ................................................................................53 Summary ......................................................................................................................54 Section 4: Results ...............................................................................................................55 Description of Sample..................................................................................................55 Research Question 1: Socioeconomic Status and Involvement ...................................57 Research Question 2: Barriers to Involvement Among Low-SES Participants ...........59 Research Question 3: Minimizing Barriers..................................................................60