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This study on parent involvement in Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal investigates the experiences of educators and parents of the different types of parent and community involvement as set out in the Epstein typology. In order to investigate this phenomenon a thorough background of the theory and practice of the Epstein model has been provided. In addition the work of other researchers that support the Epstein typology of parent involvement forms an integral part of the discussions. As parent involvement is the key focus of the study, parent involvement in education before and after 1994 are discussed. In this regard relevant educational policy and legislation that are designed to increase the role of parents and the community in Early Childhood Development are highlighted. Parents' role in the provision of Early Childhood Development is explored. The provision of Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal, which provides a backdrop for the investigation, is exptained. In addition contextual factors that influence parent involvement in KwaZulu Natal are provided. The research methodology and the research design used in this study are described in detail. By means of a qualitative approach the experiences of a small sample of educators and parents in Early Childhood Development are explored using the six types of parent involvement that include parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home and collaborating with the community as set out in Epstein's comprehensive model. The experiences of educators and parents of Grade R learners of the six types of involvement have been included. Although all schools engage in some form of parent involvement, it is evident that not all schools involve parents in all types of parent involvement to the same extent. The study concludes with recommendations for developing strategies to involve parents more effectively in Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal

The aim of the study was to investigate teacher practices to involve parents in homework in Namibian schools, particularly in the Ombuumbuu cluster in the Onesi circuit. The problem was conducted by a literature study and empirical investigation. The literature review explored the views of teachers regarding the involvement of parents in their children's homework, the need for parent involvement in homework and an exploration of models of effective practices to ensure parent involvement in homework. The empirical study investigated the nature and effectiveness of teacher practices to involve parents in homework in schools in the Ombuumbuu cluster. The findings indicated that although most teachers in the study agreed that parent involvement in homework is important for learners' success, the literature review and the empirical investigation showed little parent involvement in homework in many schools. Based on the literature and the empirical investigation, recommendations were made for teachers with regard to the improvement of parent involvement in homework. / Educational studies / M. Ed.

abstract: Due to federal mandates, Title I schools now are being asked to implement parent involvement programs that meaningfully involve parents in the schools to increase academic gains. This action research study was based on three different concepts from the literature: a) critical pedagogy theory from Paulo Freire, b) parent involvement from diverse scholars including Epstein, Olivos, Mapp, Henderson, and Gonzalez-DeHass, and c) Wenger's communities of practice approach. The study was designed to determine whether a community of practice approach could provide the necessary conditions to meaningfully involve Latino Spanish-speaking parents in school. This innovation took place for 14-weeks, during which the community of practice approach was developed and utilized during meetings. Data were collected during each community of practice meeting at two schools. The data sources were surveys, audio video transcriptions of the meetings, journal, field notes, leadership meetings, and analytic memos. To add reliability and validity, mixed methods were applied to triangulate the data sources. Results indicated that through a community of practice approach Latino Spanish-speaking parents could become meaningfully involved in their children's schools. Parent participants reported that the community of practice allowed them to dialogue, contribute, learn, reflect, and become self-aware of their role in the schools. Data also showed that parent participants applied the community of practice approach to contribute to the solution of problems at their school. After participating in the study, parent participants realized their potential to impact in their children's school. Additionally, they started purposefully becoming more interested in participating and planning activities with the parent liaison. Based on the results, further cycles of action research are suggested. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2012

abstract: The purpose of the research study was to explore the perceptions of Navajo mothers and Navajo fathers in the development and childrearing practices of their children and to what extent each parent was involved in their children by gender and age. The objective of the interviews was to capture the perceptions of each parent as to child development and childrearing practices as well as the beliefs that they have on parental involvement. In the current study, the interviews provided information regarding attitudes and perceptions of parental involvement from the Navajo mothers and the Navajo fathers who participated in the study. By using probing questions, deeper insights into the understanding and perceptions of parental involvement were obtained. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2012

The present study examined the effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in improving the behavioral outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design with four mother-child dyads, the study determined the impact of PCIT on the frequency and severity of young children’s challenging behaviors, mothers’ positive parenting practices, and mothers’ satisfaction with treatment. Outcome measures included the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Child Behavior Checklist, Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, and Therapy Attitude Inventory. Results from visual analysis and hierarchical linear modeling indicated a treatment effect for mothers’ use of labeled praises (b = 14.79, p = 0.01), reflections (b = 9.93, p < .0001), and behavior descriptions (b = 13.13, p = 0.01). Mothers conveyed high levels of satisfaction with PCIT and reported improvements in their relationship with their child, as well as in their child’s major behavior problems and compliance. Children’s challenging behaviors declined in frequency and severity; however, these decreases were not statistically significant. The findings of this study indicate that PCIT improves mothers’ parenting practices and is a highly satisfactory treatment for mothers of children with ASD. Future studies should incorporate measures specific to ASD symptoms and measures of challenging behaviors from multiple caregivers, such as teachers. Studies should also employ more rigorous statistical methods to determine the average length of treatment required to reduce challenging behaviors in children with ASD.

During the past two decades, concerns about Black males’ academic achievement have been a major theme in the literature devoted to education and social sciences. Despite over two decades of studies focused specifically on Black males and their academic underachievement, the achievement gap persists. According to the National Center for Educational Statistic (2006), African-American males were reported as being disproportionally negatively represented in regards to academic achievement. Some researchers suggested Black children’s underachievement might be due to the lack of parental involvement. Other studies have highlighted statements of Black males who indicated parental involvement factors that contributed to their academic success. In Howard (2014) study, Black males stated their parents contributed to their success by “staying on them” regarding schoolwork and by setting higher expectations for their academic performance. The concept of parental involvement is cultural-bound and multi-dimensional. Parental involvement is also a bi-directional process that involves school and parents. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that described parent involvement during high school of Black male students enrolled in a four-year college, and the distribution of perceived parent involvement during high school across this population. This study employed Yan and Lin’s (2005) parent involvement during high school survey to collect data from a convenient and purposeful sample of 146 Black males enrolled in an undergraduate degree seeking-program at a university in the southern region of the United States. The data was statistically analyzed using Confirmatory Factor analysis. The results of this study revealed the proposed hypothesized three factors model of parent involvement did not align well with the present data set. However, the individual subscale factors when analyzed in isolation, with some modifications, did align. As for the distribution of the factors, Family Norms were perceived as the most prevalent parent involvement subscale factor during high school for this particular population. Under the Family Norms factor subscale “Parent-teenager relationship” emerged as the most dominant variable, followed by “Educational expectations.” This study was significant as it highlighted and added to the knowledge relevant to successful Black males’ perceptions of parental involvement factors during their high school years. Identifying these factors can be useful toward improving graduation rates among Black males. In addition, information gathered can assist in further development of effective parent engagement school programming initiatives specific for this population.

The Latino population in the United States is projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years as well as the numbers of Latino students enrolled in public schools. These schools are challenged with a gap in Latino student achievement when compared to White non-Hispanic students. Studies indicate that parental involvement in school settings has been correlated to student achievement and that parental involvement is lower for Latino parents than White parents. The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between parental involvement of seventh grade middle school Latino students and students’ reading and mathematics achievement. The study also examined selected relevant demographic variables, including socioeconomic status, parents’ level of education, single versus two-parent families, and the gender of the students and parents. The theoretical framework that supported this research study was derived from Joyce Epstein’s (1991) model for parental involvement.

MEDCS / Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management

This study investigated the successful outcomes and practices, the problems and the system of evaluation of the Parent Involvement program of the Follow Through models. The purposes of this research were to describe parent involvement in Follow Through and to utilize these data to formulate an ideal parent involvement program for an early childhood center. One instrument, a questionnaire, was developed to collect the data. The questionnaire consisted of 37 items with two main sections on successful outcomes and practices, and problems in parent-child relationships, parent-school relationships, and in parent-community relationships, and evaluation of parent involvement. Findings reveal that parent involvement in Follow Through has been successful. Successful outcomes in parent-child relationships, successful outcomes in parent-school relationships, and successful outcomes were found in parent-community relationships.