A CORRELATIONAL STUDY OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL Tammy Ann Magouirk Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University April, 2015 2 A CORRELATIONAL STUDY OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL by Tammy Ann Magouirk A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA April, 2015 APPROVED BY: Cristie McClendon, Ph.D., Committee Member Reginald S. Kimball, Ed.D., Committee Member Edward Fickley, Ed.D., Committee Member Scott B. Watson, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Advanced Programs 3 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of involvement of 120 elementary, 120 middle, and 120 high school parents. A combined version of Sheldon and Epstein’s Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle School Grades and the Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the High School Grades was used to gather data. Descriptive data were used to reveal the results for research questions one, two, and three. A Pearson’s r was used to determine the relationships for research questions four, five, and six. Research question 4: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parents’ reported type of involvement activities and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)?, had a negative correlation of (-.276). For research question 5: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding responsibilities toward parent involvement and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school) had a negative correlation of (-.175). And, for research question 6: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding their ability to help students with school-related work and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)? had a negative correlation of (-.011). Implications for this study include ways to enhance students’ lives. With simple involvement ideas, beliefs are that parents will engage in involvement activities, thus facilitating their student’s academic performance. This study serves as a springboard for additional research on parental involvement. Keywords: Parents, K-12 students, Parental Involvement, Quantitative Research, Family Involvement, Community Involvement 3 Acknowledgments First, I give all of the honor and all of the praise to God. Without His help and guidance, I would have never finished this task. This has been one of the most difficult endeavors in my life. I have been challenged and tested, and I came through only with God’s grace and mercy. Second, I need to thank my family. My husband, Jim has helped me in countless ways. He never complained and he pitched in with cleaning the house, and he went countless nights without dinner. He was my cheerleader through the many nights of staying up all night to finish one last paragraph. My daughters, Anna, and Cheyenne, and daughter-in-law Michelle, my stepson, Jarod, my grandchildren, Faith, Jason, Justis, Jayden, and Zayden, and my brother, Joey, whom I have had to say “no” to many outings and activities. I love you all, and thank you for being patient with me. Third, I need to thank my friends and my students. My friends have stuck this dissertation out with me and offered their shoulders for me to cry on. My students over the past few years have had to put up with me, my tears of frustration, and irritability from long nights of writing. I owe each of you a debt of gratitude. For many of the girls whom I have taught, I want you to remember that you can do whatever you set your mind too. This is proof! Last, but not least, I would like to thank my committee members. Thanks to my Chair, Dr. McClendon, who took me on as her dissertation student. She has been a great Chair, and has cheered me on. Thanks to Dr. Kimball for agreeing to be on my committee. He has been wonderful. I would especially like to thank Dr. Fickley. Dr. Fickley has given me words of encouragement, watched me cry, and helped me to persevere. 4 Again, thank you all. I could not have completed this challenge without each of you! God Bless! 5 Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................10 Background ........................................................................................................................11 Problem Statement …………………………………………………………………….. 18 Statement of Purpose .........................................................................................................21 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................22 Research Questions ............................................................................................................23 Hypotheses .........................................................................................................................24 Assumptions and Limitations ............................................................................................25 Research Plan .....................................................................................................................25 Variables ............................................................................................................................27 Definitions .........................................................................................................................27 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................28 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .....................................................30 Theoretical Background .....................................................................................................31 Variables Influencing Parent Involvement ........................................................................33 Characteristics of Parent Involvement ...............................................................................36 What Are Some Suggestions to Get Parents Involved? .....................................................43 What is an Appropriate Level of Involvement for Parents? ..............................................47 What Are the Effects of Parental Involvement on Student’s Academics? ........................51 Elementary School Parental Involvement..........................................................................54 Middle School Parental Involvement ……………………………………………………56 6 High School Parental Involvement ....................................................................................57 Parents’ Views of Their Responsibilities ..........................................................................58 Summary ............................................................................................................................59 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ......................................................................................62 Research Design ................................................................................................................62 Population ..........................................................................................................................63 Sample ...............................................................................................................................64 Setting ................................................................................................................................65 Elementary School ………………………………………………………………. 66 Middle School …………………………………………………………………….66 High School …………………………………………………………………...….66 Instrumentation ..................................................................................................................67 Research Questions ............................................................................................................68 Hypotheses .........................................................................................................................69 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................71 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................73 Summary ............................................................................................................................74 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .........................................................................................76 Research Questions ............................................................................................................76 Hypotheses .........................................................................................................................76 Descriptive Statistics ......................................................................................................... 77 Demographic Data ………………………………………………………………..77 7 Results ………………………………………………………………………………….. 94 Null Hypothesis Four ……………………………………………………………. 94 Null Hypothesis Five ……………………………………………………………. 95 Null Hypothesis Six ……………………………………………………………... 97 Summary ............................................................................................................................98