abstract: Parent involvement is a concept that is used to describe the ways schools attempt to connect with parents for the educational benefit and support of students. Schools engage in strategies and invest in programs to increase parents’ involvement at and with the school, employ personnel to support parents, and develop workshops aimed at supporting parents’ understanding of academic content as well as to develop partnerships between parents and teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how parents viewed themselves as partners with their children’s teachers and what they believed their roles were in their children’s education. This qualitative study was conducted through interviews with parents who were recommended by school staff as having above-average or below-average involvement. Ten parents in a low-income public school in the southwestern United States were selected for an initial interview, and four of those ten were chosen as focal parents for additional rounds of interviews. All three rounds of interviews took place over a four month period in the spring. The interviews were used to document and analyze how parents viewed themselves and the roles they have in their children’s schooling. The findings from this study illustrate the similarities in behavior, attitude, and self-view between parents recommended by school staff as having above-average and below-average involvement. Additionally, this analysis describes how effective partnerships between home and school (including current teachers, former teachers, and school support staff) can help support parents as lifelong advocates for their children. When parents are intentionally made to feel vital as partners in their children’s schooling, their confidence in their ability to support their children’s education is strengthened. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2017

Submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 1991. / The ever depreciating quality and quantity of matric results in black schools has called for the urgent attention for all educationists, decision-makers and parents, as well as pupils with the aim of joining hands to save and improve this appalling state of affairs. There has been much speculation ranging from the malfunctioning of the education system for the black community to the racially segregated education system. This thesis presents the findings of a study which describes the role played by parents in the academic performance of pupils in Senior Secondary classes in the Nseleni and Ongoye Magisterial districts. The Study was conducted among 150 Standard 9 and 10 pupils, 12 subject teachers, six principals of schools and 50 parents. The questionnaire and interview tools of research were used in the collection of data. The data collected by means of both the questionnaire and research tools, were analysed quantitatively. The analysis of results led to the emergence of numerous closely related factors which formed the basis of poor academic performance of pupils in Senior Secondary classes, especially standard 10. The findings indicated work time-tables, viz. shift work undertaken by parents, lack of parental support due to illiteracy, conditions of employment, lack of space and furniture conducive to study - due to unfavorable socio-economic factors prevailing within the family, absence of a well-structured personal study time-table for pupils, lack of regular contact between the school and parents, low occupational status of the parents, discrepancies in the staffing procedures and a high teacher-pupil ratio in schools are factors responsible, to a large extent, for the poor academic performance of pupils. In the light of these findings, it is advisable that these factors should not be regarded as separate, units, but as complementary to one another, forming a complete whole.

Researchers have explored the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on academic performance from elementary years to young adulthood. In this study, we explored the relationship between ACEs and academic performance in high school and academic student self-perception, and the further role that community or high school extra-curricular involvement may play in this relationship. In this study, we hypothesize that participants with higher ACEs will have poorer academic performance than those with lower ACEs. Secondly, we hypothesize that students with higher ACEs will have a lower academic self-concept than students with lower ACEs. Thirdly, we hypothesize that community or extra-curricular involvement in high school will buffer the effect of ACEs on GPA. Finally, we hypothesize that this extra-curricular involvement will also buffer the effect of ACEs on academic self-concept. Using surveys through the REDCap platform, data was collected from 75 East Tennessee State University students above the age of 18. Using SPSS software, we ran correlations to determine the relationship between ACEs on both GPA and academic self-concept. There was no significant correlation between ACEs and GPA or ACEs and academic self-concept scores. Moderation was conducted through SPSS PROCESS to determine whether total involvement could moderate the effects of ACEs on GPA or academic self-concept. There was no significant moderation in the model predicting GPA. In the model predicting academic self-concept, however, ACEs did emerge as a significant predictor of academic self-concept, although extra-curricular involvement did not. Further, extra-curricular involvement did emerge as a significant moderator, such that the negative relationship between ACEs and academic self-concept was no longer significant at mean or high levels of extra-curricular involvement. In other words, ACE scores only predicted poorer academic self-concept for individuals with low levels of extra-curricular involvement. Results and limitations suggest future research on the relationship between ACEs on academic self-confidence and total extra-curricular involvement.

Parent engagement in education benefits a child academically and socially, regardless of a family's socioeconomic status. It is critical for school personnel to use effective outreach approaches to engage and support families in their children's learning. The purpose of this qualitative bounded single case study was to explore parent and school personnel perspectives of school engagement in preschool and kindergarten programs in an urban, midwestern Title 1 PK-5 school. The research questions focused on participants' definitions of parent engagement, parental motivation to participate in a child's learning, and the factors that may deter parental engagement. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parent involvement and Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory framed this study. A purposeful sample of 14 parents and 5 teachers of 4-year-old kindergarten and kindergarten students and 1 principal, volunteered and participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview data were analyzed thematically using open and thematic coding strategies. Participants defined engagement as meeting a child's basic needs, supporting learning at home and school, participating in school-based activities, and home-school communication. Findings indicated that parent capacity to support learning, school climate, and the value of education are key to a child's academic and social future, volunteerism, and home-school communication. Recommendations for action include administrative formation of a parent engagement committee to create a comprehensive parent involvement policy to ensure that parent engagement efforts address the needs and interests of families. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change when administrators provide strategies and shared leadership among school personnel and parents to increase parent engagement in student learning.

Historically, citizen dialogue primarily took place through face-to-face meetings with a limited representation of the target group. However, societal changes have sparked interest in exploring alternative forms of citizen involvement. This study highlights the presence of barriers to inclusion and transparency in citizen engagement and identifies challenges in ensuring social sustainability within Swedish municipalities' efforts to engage citizens, particularly in the context of detailed planning processes. Overcoming these challenges is crucial for improving the relationship and collaboration among politicians, civil servants, and citizens.   The aim of this study is to investigate how Swedish municipalities can enhance citizen involvement in planning processes, with the goal of reducing appeals, minimizing time consumption, and fostering transparency and understanding. To achieve this aim, the study employed semi-structured interviews, with case selection guided by the growing political pressure on Swedish municipalities to enhance citizen involvement. The study's theoretical framework is built upon an extensive literature review, while empirical evidence is derived from 16 interviews. Through qualitative analysis and discussion, the study explores how local authorities can develop their practices regarding citizen involvement.  The study sheds light on the current practices and working methods employed by the interviewed local authorities, revealing the need to address existing barriers, such as digital exclusion, communication gaps, and empowerment issues. Previous research emphasizes the necessity for innovative and revised approaches to citizen involvement. Increasing the participation of citizens is crucial for ensuring representative democracy and leveraging digitalization can be a means to enhance involvement.

Increasing employee involvement in innovation activities opens up for opportunities to apply previously unused resources within established employee network connections. Despite identified possible outcomes from increasing participation, no previous research investigating how an IT infrastructure company can increase employee involvement in innovation activities exist. Therefore, this thesis investigates how a market-leading, Nordic IT infrastructure company can increase their employee participation in innovation activities through becoming a High Involvement Innovation Organisation, and the purpose of the thesis is to develop a recommendation of actions to take to increase employee involvement. To fulfil the purpose of the thesis, a single case study consisting of semi-structured interviews and two quantitative surveys was conducted. The project was initiated by an extensive literature search of the six identified main fields within High Involvement Innovation; Management support, Communication, Resource allocation, Competence development, Incentives and Measurements & KPI’s. The results from the study show a lack of sufficient communication and management support to be the main challenges for companies to conquer, as is confirmed in the literature. The conclusion is that the investigated firm has good preconditions to increase their employee involvement in innovation, and the provided recommendation consists of five actions for the firm to take; Communicate the urgency of innovation, implement a feedback system, stimulate the competitive culture through a recognition system, establish measurable innovation KPI’s and develop educational plans targeting innovation. / Ökat engagemang hos medarbetare i innovationsaktiviteter öppnar upp för möjligheter att tillämpa tidigare oanvända resurser inom etablerade nätverk för medarbetare. Trots att ökat deltagande medför identifierade möjligheter finns det ingen tidigare forskning som undersöker hur ett företag inom IT-infrastruktur kan öka medarbetarnas engagemang i innovationsaktiviteter. Därför undersöker denna avhandling hur ett marknadsledande, nordiskt IT-infrastrukturföretag kan öka sina medarbetares deltagande i innovationsaktiviteter genom att bli en High Involvement Innovation Organisation, och syftet med avhandlingen är att utveckla en rekommendation innehållande åtgärder att vidta för att öka medarbetarnas engagemang. För att uppfylla syftet med avhandlingen genomfördes en fallstudie hos ett företag bestående av semistrukturerade intervjuer och två kvantitativa enkäter. Projektet inleddes av en omfattande litteratursökning av de sex identifierade huvudområdena inom High Involvement Innovation; Ledningsstöd, Kommunikation, Resursallokering, Kompetensutveckling, Incitament samt Mätningar och KPI:er. Resultatet från studien visar att avsaknaden av tillräcklig kommunikations och ledningsstöd är de viktigaste utmaningarna för företag att övervinna, vilket bekräftas i litteraturen. Slutsatsen är att det undersökta företaget har goda förutsättningar för att öka sina anställdas engagemang i innovation, och den tillhandahållna rekommendationen består av fem åtgärder för företaget att vidta; Kommunicera hur brådskande innovation är, Implementera ett feedback-system, Stimulera tävlingsinstinkten genom ett system för uppskattning, Etablera mätbara innovativa KPI: er samt Utveckla utbildningsplaner som är inriktade på innovation.

There are a number of pressing issues facing today's educational society. Among the most controversial is the research and information surrounding the perceived positive or negative effects of parental involvement and barriers that restrict parental involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine 6 parental involvement typologies and their use and existence in 3 East Tennessee elementary schools. The Epstein (1987) typologies were used to classify parent involvement modalities. Parents who had a child enrolled in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade during the 2007-2008 school year were interviewed. The interviews followed an open-ended interview guide and the research is qualitative in nature. Research findings in this study were consistent with findings from a number of previous parental involvement studies. Research participants displayed an appreciation for the educational process and voiced strong opinions on parenting, communication, volunteering, decision-making, learning at home, and collaboration with the community. Barriers to parental involvement practices were addressed as were suggestions for improved parental involvement opportunities and modalities.

Parent involvement is essential if students are to succeed in school. In fact, "parental involvement is more important to student success, at every grade level, than family income or education" (Starr, 2004). Yet many schools struggle to effectively engage parents in the education of their children as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 now requires. The purpose of this study was to explore parents', administrators', and guidance counselors' perceptions of parent involvement at a Title I elementary school and a non-Title I elementary school, both of which are located in the southern Appalachian region of the United States, to identify successful parental involvement practices, and to determine the perceived impact of parent involvement on student achievement and school improvement. Specifically, this study explored the strategies employed within the 2 elementary schools to encourage parent involvement, identified effective practices of highly involved parents at the 2 schools, and determined barriers to parental involvement at the 2 elementary schools. The findings of this study suggested that parents in both elementary schools have very similar perceptions of parent involvement. Parents from each school reported that they feel welcome in their children's school, communicate regularly with school personnel, engage in parent-child learning activities, and serve on decision making bodies within the school. Surprisingly, parents in both schools expressed a desire for more parent involvement and perceived some parents as not having an equal opportunity to participate in school functions. School personnel identified barriers to parent involvement and described the manner in which they were working to overcome challenges in their respective schools. While principals articulated the desire for greater parent involvement, they perceived their schools as providing opportunities for all parents to be actively engaged in the educational process. Recommendations from the study include providing parents with a specific definition of parent involvement so there is a clear understanding that parent involvement encompasses more than "physical presence," and establishing parent-to-parent outreach programs to mentor those who are reluctant or new to the school.

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