Parents’ Persistence in Their Involvement on School Governing Boards: The Role of Their Psychological Needs

• In Event: Family, School, Community Partnerships’ Leadership and Reform

Abstract

This study examined the satisfaction and frustration of parents’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness contextualized to their involvement on the governing board (GB) of their child’s school. This form of parental school involvement is energy- and time-consuming but vital for the functioning of schools. Parental needs were also linked to parents’ intentions to persist in their participation on the GB. A large-scale survey study was conducted across the province of Quebec, where parents (N=515) filled an online questionnaire. Results showed that parents’ needs were more satisfied than they were frustrated and that the more their needs were globally satisfied (vs. frustrated), the stronger their intentions to persist on the GB. Recommendations for intervention and policy will be discussed.

Authors

• Catherine F. Ratelle, Université Laval

• Genevieve Boisclair Chateauvert, Université Laval

• Isabelle Archambault, University of Montréal

• Julien S Bureau, Université Laval

• Stéphane Duchesne, Université Laval

• André Plamondon, Université Laval