Parental Involvement and Student Progress: Role-Based Measurement Invariance Analysis

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  In Roundtable Session: Relational Elements of School Community, Climate, and Culture: Family Engagement and Leadership Approaches (Table 10)

Abstract

This paper examines measurement invariance in two short-form surveys of parental involvement in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Using the many-facet Rasch (MFR) model, we investigate differential item functioning (DIF) across parental roles (mothers and fathers) in home-based involvement (HBI) and school-based involvement (SBI). Results reveal significant DIF for various actions, highlighting gender-specific patterns of involvement. Fathers tend to show higher item responses for technology-related actions and school events, while mothers report higher item responses for hands-on activities, science projects, and STEM discussions. Understanding these role-based differences is essential for designing effective interventions and understanding parental involvement's impact on academic outcomes.

Author

• Nathaniel H. Shannon, University of Alabama