Background
Factors Influencing Parent Involvement in home-based learning
Involvement of parents was impacted by three criteria.
(1) Grade level taught influenced the most.
Younger kids (in this case, grade 1) used more parent involvement strategies than older students (grades 3 and 5).
(2) Influence of parents involved in school activities
When some parents volunteer at school, it shows teachers that parents want to help improve the school and its programs. As a result, teachers may be more ready to require all parents to do homework at home.
(3) Influence of teachers through the use parent involvement in school activities
For example, teachers who had multiple parent seminars during the school year usually asked parental assistance with homework.
Effects of Parent Involvement in home-based learning
Less than a third of parents reported that their children's teachers were leaders in parent involvement, whereas more than half of parents reported that their child's teacher was a leader in parent involvement.
Thus, teachers who actively engaged parents were deemed superior than those who kept distant from their students' families. Parents who were asked to participate at home learned more about activities that could help them be better parents. Other routine teacher-to-family exchanges and school-based parent involvement did not have the same powerful and persistent effects on parents as frequent involvement in learning activities at home. Many parents support their children with or without teacher guidance, and many might benefit from teacher guidance on how to aid with school skills (Epstein, 1984a; in press).
Single vs. Married Parents
However, little research has been done on how single parents and their children interact with schools created to support "typical" families. About 24% of the parents were single, which is comparable to the national average. With this sample, we could see if teachers treated single and married parents differently, and how parents in different family structures reported the teachers' requests.
Single parents spent more time supporting their child at home than married parents, but they still felt rushed to achieve what the teacher wanted. Married parents volunteered more at schools. Both single and married parents wanted to assist their kids learn at home.
The main variations were in the teachers' attitudes toward single and married parents and their children.
Teachers who used parent engagement effectively expected both single and married parents to contribute at home and regarded them as equally helpful and responsible on learning activities. Teachers who were not leaders put more pressure on single parents and evaluated them as less helpful and responsible at home (Epstein, 1984b). All parents, not just those traditionally considered helpful to teachers and children, responded positively to the teacher-leaders.
Single parents have a wide range of traits and abilities. Importantly, instructors' views and actions toward families vary. Parents' awareness and appreciation of teachers' efforts and knowledge of the school program were influenced by teacher differences, not parent marital status. And it was the inequalities in parent participation techniques that made teachers regard single and married parents equally.
Educated vs. Less Educated Parents
According to the research, teachers do not use parent participation activities only with more educated parents. Teachers who led in parent involvement strategies used them with parents who had many years, some years, or no formal schooling. This research implies that teachers can assist students from low-income families grasp basic skills by involving all parents. Other teachers said they didn't employ parent participation because their kids' parents couldn't or wouldn't help. The results demonstrate that some instructors planned activities that included all parents, not just educated, young, or active parents (Becker and Epstein, 1982a, b; Epstein, in press).
Effects of Parent Involvement on Students
Teachers seek proof that a parent involvement program improves student achievement and behavior. The ultimate issue is whether teaching practices and parent responses help students learn more, especially those who need extra time to satisfy fundamental skill requirements for their grade level.
A small sample of kids with available fall and spring achievement test results were investigated to discover if those whose teachers prioritize parent participation improve more in reading and math than other pupils. From the fall to the spring of their school year, students whose instructors were leaders in parent involvement made bigger gains in reading achievement than other students, according to preliminary statistics. It is likely that this is because the most common parent participation techniques are reading activities. Teachers request more reading activities, and pupils' reading achievement improves (Epstein, 1984c).
Students reported having more favorable attitudes toward school, regular homework habits, resemblance between school and family, familiarity between teacher and family, and more homework provided on weekends when teachers lead in parent participation (Epstein, 1982).
Thus, research suggests that teachers who regularly include parents at home may increase student achievement, school attitudes, and behavior. More study is needed, with richer samples and metrics across grade levels, to evaluate whether teachers' time spent organizing parent involvement is "worth it" in terms of averting failure and increasing student success.
Conclusion
Citation
Joyce L. Epstein (1985) Home and school connections in schools of the future: Implications of research on parent involvement, Peabody Journal of Education, 62:2, 18-41, DOI: 10.1080/01619568509538471
Link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01619568509538471
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