Parents’ Perspectives on What Enables and Inhibits Their School Involvement

• In Event: Poster Session 18
  In Poster Session: Family, School, Community Partnerships SIG: Poster Session

Abstract

Research regarding parental involvement in their children’s schools has largely focused on the impact of their level of involvement on their children and the barriers to their involvement. This study focused on identifying and describing parents’ perspectives both on what inhibits and enables their involvement in their children’s schools. In order to do so, we employed Q methodology to develop 32 opinion statements representing distinct factors that influence parental involvement. Forty-one parents from diverse backgrounds then sorted the statements into a forced distribution and these sorts were then factor analyzed. Data analysis identified four distinct perspectives of parental involvement. Implications these perspectives hold for school personnel were also discussed.

Authors

• Sejal Parikh, North Carolina State University

• Christopher A. Janson, University of North Florida