This study examines how school principals practice relational leadership for effective school-parental engagement in a multicultural setting. In South Africa, the post-apartheid education transformation created a situation in which schools are no longer allowed to discriminate against learners. As a result, a new multicultural setting has emerged in which schools are bound to accommodate learners from various cultural backgrounds. This shines the spotlight on school principals’ leadership and how they develop a school vision based on common values and redesign the school in a way that reflects the post-apartheid setting. The leadership role of principals is crucial for school-parental engagement in multicultural school settings. This is a qualitative study that used a case study design. The purposively selected sample consisted of 18 participants from six public schools in the Tshwane North and South. Data was collected using individual interviews. The theory of relational leadership was applied to examine how school principals can practice this leadership style to enhance parental engagement in multicultural school settings. Using thematic analysis, data was then grouped into themes in line with the research questions. The study found that the relational leadership by principals for school-parent engagement in a multicultural setting is limited and ineffective owing to a lack of multicultural sensitivity among most principals. The findings of the study also revealed that though many principals have tried practising different styles, such as instructional, distributive, collaborative and transformational leadership, to enhance parental engagement, these practices are seen as a limited solution. Therefore, the study suggests the need for principals to adopt a new leadership approach that creates a strong relationship between the principal and parents, taking into account the cultural context in which the school operates. The study recommends principals practice relational leadership for effective parental engagement in multicultural school settings. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

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.

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The literature indicates that engaging parents in child/youth mental health services is crucial for achieving positive outcomes. Yet, little research exists on how providers and organizations might hinder or facilitate parental engagement. This study aims to address this gap in literature by answering three research questions: (1) how do service providers working in child and youth mental health services define parental engagement? (2) Why does engaging parents in treatment remain a challenge for service providers? (3) What organizational- and provider-level factors contribute to this challenge? To facilitate this aim, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four service providers, including those working in community-based or outpatient child and youth mental health services. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling recruitment method. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed following principles of Constructivist Grounded Theory. Study results highlighted system- (e.g., access), organizational- (e.g., expectations and constraints), provider- (e.g., stance) and parental-level (e.g., shame) factors impacting parental engagement in services. These findings coincide with the documented impacts of neoliberalism and New Public Management on shaping mental health services. This study thus challenges traditional conceptualizations of engagement and underscores the interplay of complex factors that occur between service-levels. An expanded definition of parental engagement is therefore warranted if providers and organizations intend on holistically engaging parents in their child/youth’s care. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify how the select factors of school leadership, school culture and teachers’ perceptions influence parental engagement in two Title I Urban Middle Schools. This study investigated the strategies and programs that have an impact on parental engagement to determine how these can be used to improve parental engagement in Title I Urban Middle Schools. In order to accomplish the goal of this qualitative study, two Urban Title I Middle Schools from a large school district in the Southeastern United States were selected. This research design provided the opportunity to address the research problem of the factors that influence parental engagement in two Title I Middle Schools. The researcher collected and examined relevant data from teachers’ surveys, parents’ surveys, interviews with two middle school principals, a focus group discussion with parents, an analysis of documents, and interviews with parent liaisons at each middle school. The researcher ensured the reliability and validity of the study by utilizing the triangulation method. Reliability and validity are important to any research and are often times considered as the “rigor” that is necessary for all kinds of research (Merriam, 1995). This triangulation method included open-ended interviews, surveys, a focus group discussion, and document analysis that were instrumental in determining and understanding the experiences, perceptions, and beliefs of those participants involved in the study. The study provided rich and valuable data that were used to address the research problem of the factors that influence parental engagement in Title I Middle Schools. The findings of the study provided an understanding of the factors that affect the level of parental engagement in Title I Middle Schools and also offered insights into understanding how these factors create challenges to parents in becoming more involved. The findings concluded that the leadership style of the principal, teachers’ perceptions of parental engagement, and school culture do have a substantial influence on parental engagement. The researcher also offers recommendations for state policies, school districts, and local school administrators on how they can create and implement programs to enrich their parental engagement activities.

Dans un contexte de changement sociétal accéléré comme celui que connaît la Turquie contemporaine, nous avons interrogé la place de l'enseignement des valeurs au préscolaire dans le processus de construction de soi du parent, la parentalité étant appréhendée comme un stade du développement global de l'adulte. Nous avons ainsi analysé la mise en œuvre au sein d'un groupe d'établissements préscolaires d'Ankara d'une méthode axée sur les acquis comportementaux visant la formation du caractère des jeunes enfants, par l'examen de sa traduction via le curriculum formel, réalisé et caché. L'espace ouvert à la coopération école-famille a été sondé par les divers canaux de communication en direction des parents. La forme donnée à l'accompagnement des parents s'est douée d'une pédagogie basée sur l'exemplarité et sur la proximité affective. Par une enquête adressée aux parents de cinq établissements sur divers domaines d'auto-efficacité en relation avec l'engagement parental dans la vie scolaire (ce dernier décliné en actions, souhaits et satisfaction), nous avons saisi la contribution de l'efficacité perçue à transmettre ses valeurs à ses enfants à l'auto-efficacité parentale et synoptique, ainsi que les imbrications de l'auto-efficacité parentale avec les autres domaines d'auto-efficacité considérés. Nous suggérons d'utiliser ces instruments d'analyse pour étayer des pratiques ciblées de soutien aux parents qui s'adressent aux dimensions multiples de l'être. / In the context of accelerated social change in contemporary Turkey, we have enquired the role of values education in preschool in the process of parents' self-construction, parentality being understood as a stage in global adult development. We have thus analyzed the implementation in a group of schools in Ankara of a method based on behavioural assets aiming at character-building in young children, by the examination of its translation through the formal, actual and hidden curriculum. The space opened up to school-family cooperation has been investigated through the diverse channels of communication used to connect with the families. The form given to parental support has been acknowledged as based upon a pedagogy of exemplarity and emotional proximity. By means of a survey addressed to the parents of five schools on different domains of self-efficacy related to parental engagement in school life (the latter articulated in actions, desires and satisfaction), we have apprehended the contribution of the perceived efficacy in transmitting one's values to one's children to parental and synoptic self-efficacy, as well as the interconnection of parental self-efficacy with the other domains of self-efficacy taken into consideration. We suggest to employ these analytical tools to back up targeted parental support practices aiming at the multiple dimensions of the self.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the perception scores and the frequency of parental involvement for parents of students who have most recently completed elementary school (entering 6th grade) with parents of students who have most recently completed middle school (entering 9th grade) in a northeast Tennessee public school district. Data were collected by surveys containing a short demographic section, a perceptions section, and a participation section. The population consisted of the parents of 544 sixth grade students from the district’s 2 middle schools and the parents of 578 ninth grade students from 1 district high school. From that population 115 sixth grade parents and 105 ninth grade parents responded. This study took place at the onset of the school year to address parents as their children were either entering 6th grade in middle school or 9th grade in high school. Findings from the study indicate that there were significant differences between the parents of newly entering 6th graders and the parents of newly entering 9th graders in terms of home-based perception scores and frequency of participation. Specifically, parents of newly entering 6th graders had higher home-based perception scores and frequency of participation than parents of newly entering 9th graders. However, findings indicate that there was not a significant difference between the parent groups in terms of school-based perception scores and frequency of participation. When examined collectively (home-based and school-based combined), no significant differences were noted between the parent groups in terms of perception scores and frequency of participation. For each of these cases, independent samples t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences. Findings from the study also indicate that positive relationships are present between parents’ perception scores and their frequency of participation. This was true for both home-based and school-based involvement at both grade levels. Pearson r tests revealed these relationships. This study was important to help understand the perception scores and frequency of participation for parents of students in the middle school transition. Recommendations are made with the hopes of helping schools better tailor their parental involvement strategies to families they serve.

Introduction: Family-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (FFCBT) is emphasized as an approach to optimize treatment outcomes for early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Parental engagement is critical to successful treatment. However, few studies have examined how to promote parental engagement during FFCBT. Additionally, from a parental perspective, there is a limited understanding of factors that influence parental engagement throughout treatment, including the role of nurses. Aims: To determine (i) how parents experience and understand their engagement in FFCBT provided for their child with early-onset OCD in community or outpatient mental health programs, and (ii) how parents describe the role of nurses related to parental engagement during the treatment process. Methods: This study used an interpretive description approach. Semi-structured interviews were completed with parents (n = 17) recruited from community or outpatient children’s mental health programs in the Hamilton Region of Southwestern Ontario. Treatment provider interviews (n = 9) augmented the data collected from parents’ perceptions of their engagement and the role of nurses during FFCBT. Interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clark’s (2006) thematic analysis process. Results: A conceptualized model was constructed to display and communicate the individual, interpersonal, and contextual influences identified by parents and treatment providers. These influences facilitated or inhibited parental engagement during treatment across distinct phases, levels, and stages of engagement. Six distinct nursing roles were identified that promoted parental engagement throughout treatment. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Without effective treatment, pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can interfere with childhood development. Early-onset OCD is a unique subtype of the disorder involving pediatric patients with symptoms that present before the age of 10 years. Family-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (FFCBT) emphasizing parental involvement is commonly used to treat pediatric OCD. However, parental engagement during FFCBT, including nurses’ roles, is poorly understood. This study aimed to increase knowledge about parental engagement during FFCBT for children with early-onset OCD receiving treatment in community programs. Data analysis of parent and treatment provider interviews identified various factors and how nurses influenced parental engagement during FFCBT. A model was made to display how these factors helped or hindered parental engagement during treatment and how nurses promoted engagement across three distinct phases. This new knowledge informed recommendations to promote parental engagement for treatment providers, improve service development and delivery, and strengthen nursing education.