This study was designed to examine the relationship of participation in the Chapter I Parent Center to four of the variables often associated with academic achievement namely: (1) the child's home environment; (2) parental attitude towards education; (3) the child's self-concept; and (4) the child's motivation to learn. In addition, the study examines the relationship between participation in the Chapter I Parent Center program and reading achievement. The basic objective of the parent involvement program was to refine parenting skills in order that parents become more effective as motivators in the academic development of their child. The subjects utilized for this study were three groups of 12 mothers each and their children who were enrolled in the Chapter I program. Data for the study were obtained from instruments administered to the children and from questionnaires given to their mothers. Reading achievement scores were obtained from the children's post SRA test results. The post test-only control group design was employed. The control group received no treatment. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare groups in terms of their mean scores. It was hypothesized that following the treatment, parents in the experimental group and their children would score higher than control parents and their children on the instruments designed to measure the five variables. Administrators as well as teachers would benefit greatly from the findings to assist them in areas of concern regarding parent conferences, examining school policies, planning school spending, fostering improved home/school relationships through heightened parental awareness of school expectations, and ultimately improved student achievement. Experimental subjects scored significantly higher than the control subjects on only one of the five variables. Experimental parents scored significantly higher than control parents on the home environment measure. No significant differences were observed on the other variables. A further purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of participation in the Parent Center program to reading achievement. No significant difference was observed between participants and non-participants on the reading achievement measures. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of parental involvement on grades and achievement test scores through the variables time on task, general self-esteem, and student attitude about school. The study controlled for the background characteristics of ethnicity, gender, family background, and ability. To do this, structural models were developed based on theory, logic, prior research, and time precedence and were analyzed using 18,141 subjects from the High School and Beyond data set. Although parental involvement in the home had no direct effect on grades or achievement test scores in high school, it did affect time on task, general self-esteem, and attitude about school in such a way as to indirectly improve grades, especially through student attitude about school. When individual components of parental involvement were analyzed, consistent indirect effects on high school grades were found from fathers and mothers. The study suggests that if parents monitor school work, help with school plans, and talk to their child about personal experiences, their child's time on task, general self-esteem, and attitude about school will improve in a way that improves grades in school at the high school level. / Ph. D.

This study examined the home-based family literacy practices of one Hispanic family, especially focusing on the parents' memories of home-based and school-based literacy activities, current home-based literacy activities and functions, and the interface of home-based family literacy practices and school-based literacy expectations. Ethnographic data offered insight into the understanding that literacy acquisition begins in the home and is dependent and reflective of literacy experiences that are sociocultural based. These home-based family literacy activities and functions are broad in scope and are valuable forms of literacy. However, these activities of marginalized families are often regarded as unimportant and/or unrelated to school-based literacy expectations, and therefore inferior. In response to this perceived mismatch between home-based family literacy activities and school-based literacy expectations, educators approached families from a deficit perspective. This deficit assumption created a sense of devalue on the part of the parents, who assisted their children by culturally and socially relevant means. To meet the school-based literacy expectations familial relationships were jeopardized as the pressure, frustration, and guilt from educators can result in emotional and physical abuse from mother to her children.

The purpose of this study was to describe the home literacy environments and literacy experiences of a select group of Asian American children, and to recommend an intervention program based on the findings. The target population was the families which sent their children to a Saturday Asian language and culture school while sending them to public schools during the week, because of their expressed interest in literacy and the probability of their being the group to most likely benefit from intervention. The Home Literacy Environment and Literacy Experiences survey was initially sent out and results tallied and quantified. Upon placing the returned surveys into groups of "high," "middle," and "low" home literacy environment and literacy experiences, a sample of five "high" and five "low" families was selected for further study. Home visits, interviews, field notes, collection of artifacts and other methods of data collection provided a clearer picture of the state of the home literacy environment and literacy experiences of the families studied. Families rated as having "high" home literacy environment and experiences were found to have a larger number of literacy-related materials and higher frequency of literacy-related activities. Bilingualism and education were perceived as being important. The families also exhibited a strong interest in music and music lessons. Parents expressed a desire for two two-hour training sessions which would be held at the Saturday school location while their child attended classes there. It would be ideally held in the native language of the parents by a speaker from the native country. The parents preferred workshops with actual practice and examples which could be seen, accompanied by reading materials. Topics in which parents expressed interest include, in descending order: (a) 'selection of books for and with their child, (b) how to encourage their child to read, (c) how to discuss stories with their child, and (d) how to read aloud to their child.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, and the differences between parents who participated in Head Start parent involvement activities and parents who did not participate, as to their behaviors and attitudes concerning education, their children, their communities, and their children's academic achievement. This study analyzed existing data collected for a national parent involvement study. The sample consisted of 2,051 parent-child pairs (1,443 Head Start and 606 non-Head Start). Findings indicated a significant relationship between numerous family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, with variables related to a higher level of education of the mother or primary caregiver being the most dominant. Significant differences were found between the parents who participated in Head Start activities and parents who did not participate. The involved parents felt more strongly about teachers needing knowledge of their children's families, parents having knowledge worthy of sharing with their children's teachers, and parents wanting advice or input from their children's teachers. They reported a higher frequency of behaviors such as talking, reading, and playing with their children, trying to teach their children basic concepts, and having materials available for their children's use. Involved parents rated their level of participation, acceptance, and influence in their communities to be greater than did the uninvolved parents. Also, they had higher expectations concerning their children's education. The involved parents and the non-Head Start parents had heard of the resources available in their communities more than the uninvolved Head Start parents had; however, both groups of Head Start parents had used the resources more than the non-Head Start parents had. The children of the involved parents and the non-Head Start parents scored significantly higher on the Preschool Inventory than did the children of the uninvolved Head Start parents.

In this qualitative investigation, the ways in which four ethnically diverse mothers' perceptions of early childhood education combined with the school experiences of their children were examined. Research tools included audiotaped interviews with Mexican-American, Korean-American, African-American, and Anglo mothers; videotaped school experiences; and a video message with a viewing guide requesting written reaction.