Keywords

parental involvement, cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, teacher attitudes, parental engagement

Abstract

Parents have been involved in the education of their children since the early days of our nation. Their roles have evolved from teaching the basics of reading writing and arithmetic in Colonial times to overseeing the selection of teachers and designing the curriculum during the early 1800s to providing academic support in the home up through the present time. Although educators are generally viewed as professionals and in charge of their students' education, the importance of parental involvement is readily acknowledged. Confusing to both parents and educators is what constitutes parental involvement. The research revealed numerous definitions for the term, but none that were universally agreed upon. This lack of a clear delineation of roles has both parties struggling to make sense of their separate and joint responsibilities. Add to this confusion the complex issues surrounding linguistic and cultural diversity and both sides become mired in their differences rather than building upon their commonalities. Barriers to parental involvement can come from the family as well as the school. The purpose of this study was to examine those barriers from the perspective of educators as well as parents. A convenience sample was taken from the population of elementary schools in a Central Florida county. Parents of students from ethnic minorities were asked to complete a survey questionnaire regarding their experiences with the classroom teacher as well as involvement in their child's education. Elementary school teachers from the same county were given the opportunity to respond to an online survey questionnaire regarding their attitudes about cultural and language diversity and parental engagement at school and with learning. Five hundred and fifty parent surveys and one hundred sixty-six teacher surveys were completed. The data analysis will show which factors influence parent involvement and how similarly parents and teachers feel about parent involvement.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2006

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Brown, Susan

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Teaching and Learning Principles

Degree Program

Curriculum and Instruction

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0001506

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0001506

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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