An Examination of the Effects of Parental Involvement/Intervention on Student Development at the College/University Level
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1 An Examination of the Effects of Parental Involvement/Intervention on Student Development at the College/University Level A doctoral thesis presented by Timothy M. Touchette to The School of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education In the field of Higher Education Administration Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts June 2013 2 Abstract This doctoral thesis contributes to the literature on helicopter parents, and their relation to student development theory. A secondary examination of approximately 1800 randomized results from the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was tested using the following statistical tests: Mann-Whitney Test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Friedman’s Chi Square Test, and Frequency Test. The 2007 NSSE was selected due to its experimental questions focusing on parent/guardian interactions. The findings confirm the significant effect that parent involvement/intervention has on student as they develop and mature into adulthood. In this study the results show that of all groups tested (Mother, Father, Guardian, Siblings and Friends), mother was the number one preferred method of communication, and had the highest quality of relationship. The results also point to implications for administrators within higher education, specifically in the areas of Student Affairs, and Parent and Family Programs. 3 Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….. 2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 5 Chapter I: Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………. 7 A. Attachment Theory……………………………………………………………....7 B. Six Stages of Parent Development……………………………………………… 10 C. Seven Vectors of Student Identity Development……………………………….. 13 Chapter II: Literature Review……………………………………………………………….16 A. Helicopter Parent Phenomenon…………………………………………………. 17 B. Defining Helicopter Parents…………………………………………………….. 21 C. Attachment Theory……………………………………………………………… 22 D. Expanding on Chickering’s Seven Vectors…………………………………….. 23 E. When are Parents Stepping In…………………………………………………... 25 F. Negative and Positive Perceptions……………………………………………….26 G. Motivation & Legal Restrictions………………………………………………...29 H. Established Factors of Parental Involvement…………………………………… 33 I. Summation………………………………………………………………………. 36 Chapter III: Research Design…………………………….………………………………… 37 A. Research Questions……………………………………………………………... 37 1. Hypotheses………………………………………………………………. 37 B. Methodology……………………………………………………………………. 39 1. Sample Selection………………………………………………………... 40 2. Methods of Data Collection……………………………………………...41 3. Methods of Data Analysis………………………………………………..42 C. Validity and Credibility…………………………………………………………. 44 D. Protection of Human Subjects…………………………………………………...46 Chapter IV: Results………………………………………………………………………… 47 4 Section 1: Response Rate and Survey Demographics……………………………... 48 Section 2: Statistical Testing of the Hypothesis…………………………………… 51 Chapter IV: Discussion of Research Findings……………………………………………... 76 A. Introduction……………………………………………………………………... 76 B. Interpretation of the Findings Based on the Literature Review………………… 76 C. Interpretation of the Findings Based on the Theoretical Frameworks………….. 77 D. Implications for Practice………………………………………………………... 79 E. Future Research and Conclusion………………………………………………... 80 References………………………………………………………………………………….. 83 Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………. 94 Appendix A. NSSE Data Sharing Agreement……………………………………... 94 Appendix B. NSSE: 2007 Experimental items Codebook…………………………. 98 5 An Examination of the Effects of Parental Involvement/Intervention on Student Development at the College/University Level The term “helicopter parents” is a widely known term within higher education (Lum, 2006, Strauss, 2003, Weeks, 2001). The term itself is a label, for parents who seemingly hover over their students throughout their college careers, and now for some even post-graduation. Based on the population increase of the “baby boomers generation,” the parents in this age group have been more involved in their children's educations, their decision making, and their lives in general, than any preceding generation of parents, university observers say (Lum, 2006). These parents see no reason why that hands-on approach should change just because their children have moved out of the house and onto campus (Wolf, 2009). The term helicopter parent refers to the manner in which parents interact with the different institutions their students attend. Strauss (2003) classifies these parents as hovering, and ultra-protective. This type of hovering and parental interjection into everyday student issues can have either positive or negative effects. The trend is not a recent one; Horowitz (1987), for example, noted that starting in the early 1980s parents got involved their children in each new set of decisions. Mother and father not only monitor grades; they help choose majors and even courses. In addition, students began to assume their parents’ cost-accounting perspective and demand of courses a return on the financial investment (Simmons, 2008). This style of parenting has been identified as a problem of practice within higher education administration. One of the main reasons this style is an issue, is because of the amount of resources and time that are taken away from students and refocused to deal with the multitude of issues presented by helicopter parents (Simmons, 2008). For the purposes of this research I 6 will be focusing on this topic in relation to higher education and higher education administration specifically. The main research question in this study is: How is a college student’s developmental process affected by parental intervention? This intervention not only affects administrators and faculty members in higher education, but it also has been reported on within the primary and secondary educational system of the United States (Wallin, 2005; Whitt, 1988). The parents themselves have a tendency to hover over their children e-mailing teachers/professors, and administrators alike with messages is often excessive and abusive or both. Some school systems have even created policies to deal with parents who insist on contacting school employees directly about student related issues (Green, 2003). There are certain key factors that play into the reasoning behind how involved parents get in their son or daughter’s educational life. The cost of education seems to be a very important link between how involved the parents actually are, but that is not always the case. Parents tend to be more involved when they are spending a great deal of money on the education that is being provided to their student (Serra, 2005). In addition to finances, another issue some parents face is the transition of their students from high school to college (Hattar-Pollara, 2010). My research is built on the theories of three key researchers in the field: Bowlby (1969) and his theory on attachment, Galinsky (1987) and her theory on the Six Stages of Parent Development, and finally Chickering (1969) and this theory on the Seven Vectors of Student Identity Development. An examination of the literature on the subject shows eight distinct areas of focus: (a) the phenomenon of the helicopter parent (Simmons, 2008), (b) defining what a helicopter is (Coburn, 2006), (c) the links to Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969), (d) expanding on 7 Chickering’s work in student identity development (Taub, 2008), (e) information on when parents are stepping in (Lum, 2006), (f) the negative and positive perceptions of working with parents (Wolf et al., 2009), (g) some of the motivation behind why parents act, and the legal restrictions that follow (Carney-Hall, 2008), (h) and finally the established factors of parental involvement (Rowan, 2008). The research design allows me to extract data from the National Survey for Student Engagement in 2007, and test it for significance in reporting trends in the level and method of communication between students and their family members and or friends. My main research goal is to discover a link between method and frequency in communication and how that impacts the level of interaction and intervention a parent initiates. By linking these variables through a statistical analysis, it becomes clearer to researchers where the next steps are in discovering the inception of this style of parenting. This framework will give administrators the insight needed to redesign information and programs that foster an environment where students are empowered to make their own informed decisions, and to not rely on their parents for every challenging decision (Kuh, 2001). Chapter I: Theoretical Framework Attachment Theory There are three theories that provide a foundation for my research. First is attachment theory, a term originally suggested by John Bowlby (1969) and revisited by Ainsworth, Blehar, Walters, & Wall (1978). It is defined as an enduring relationship between a child and the parent (Ainsworth et al., 1978). The historical origins of attachment theory are different depending in what context the theory is being used. Historically, attachment theory was developed as an alternative to psychoanalytic theories of object relations (Bowlby, 1982a) in order to explain (1) 8 why mere separation should cause anxiety; (2) the similarities between adult and childhood mourning; and (3) defensive processes (selective exclusion of signals from within and without that would normally be implicated in the activation of attachment behavior). "Attachment," as conceptualized