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Cette thèse s’inscrit dans une démarche de « recherche-action » dans la mesure où la recherche a permis d’aboutir à la mise en place d’une action d’intervention auprès de collégiens démobilisés scolairement, de leurs parents et des enseignants, nommée « Temps de Réflexion sur l’Exclusion Scolaire », en partenariat avec plusieurs établissements médico-sociaux et collèges. Dans le cadre d’une perspective interactionniste (Wallon, 1959), nous nous interrogeons sur le rôle des parents dans la construction identitaire de l'adolescent considéré comme acteur de son propre développement, et dans les significations et les attitudes que celui-ci va attribuer en regard du monde scolaire. Nous avons ainsi retenu le concept d’engagement parental en référence à l’approche dimensionnelle de Deslandes et al. (2000), nous permettant ainsi de décrire les styles éducatifs parentaux et des modes de participation parentale au suivi scolaire (Cloutier, Fortin et al., 2005). Par ailleurs, les travaux de Charlot, Bautier et Rochex (1992) sur le rapport au savoir, nous ont permis d'appréhender le concept de mobilisation scolaire. Considérant l’estime de soi comme une dimension socio-affective de l’identité personnelle (Oubrayrie et al., 1994), nous l’opérationnalisons dans notre recherche comme une dimension médiatrice et explicative de l’influence de la représentation de l’engagement éducatif parental sur la mobilisation scolaire de l’adolescent. Nous faisons l’hypothèse selon laquelle la représentation de l’engagement éducatif parental par les adolescent(e)s scolarisé(e)s au collège, oriente leur estime de soi laquelle joue un rôle sur leur mobilisation scolaire. Une première étude exploratoire a été effectuée à partir d’entretiens semi-directifs en vue de construire une échelle de mobilisation scolaire donnant lieu à des analyses qualitatives (ALCESTE et N'VIVO). Une étude extensive nous a permis ensuite d’opérationnaliser les dimensions de l’étude : l’engagement éducatif parental, l’estime de soi et la mobilisation scolaire, auprès d’un échantillon de 405 adolescent(e)s, âgé(e)s de 11 à 15 ans, inscrits dans des collèges en filière générale. Une seconde étape a permis de valider toutes les échelles auprès de notre échantillon (mobilisation scolaire, estime de soi et engagement parental), en ayant recours aux analyses factorielles exploratoires, puis confirmatoires avec le modèle d’équations structurelles (LISREL). Des analyses de régression linéaire et des analyses de variance ont finalement permis de tester le sens de nos hypothèses. Les résultats confortent notre hypothèse selon laquelle l’estime de soi présente des effets médiateurs sur la relation entre l’engagement parental et la mobilisation scolaire. Ainsi, l’estime de soi socio-émotionnelle, suivi du soi scolaire médiatisent plus particulièrement la relation entre l’engagement éducatif parental (notamment la communication père-enseignants) et la mobilisation scolaire. Des vignettes cliniques permettent d’illustrer nos résultats, avec deux présentations de cas d’adolescents suivis en psychothérapie dont les problématiques identitaires, familiales et scolaires s’entrecroisent. / This thesis is a process of "action-research" in the sense that this research resulted in the establishment of an action for assistance to demobilized “college” secondary schools pupils, their parents and their teachers, called "Time for Thinking about School Exclusion, in partnership with several medical and social structures and “colleges”. Belonging to an interactionist perspective (Wallon, 1959), we question the part played by parents on the adolescent identity construction considered as an actor of his own development and on the meanings and behaviors he will assign to his school world. We have adopted the concept of parental involvement in reference to Deslandes et al. (2000) dimensional approach, allowing us to describe the parental educational styles and the different types of parental involvement in the schooling (Cloutier, Fortin et al, 2005). Moreover, Charlot, Bautier and Rochex (1992) studies on the relationship to knowledge have enabled us to define the concept of school mobilization. Considering self-esteem as a socio-emotional personal identity dimension (Oubrayrie et al., 1994), we operationalize it in our research as a dimension of explanatory and mediating influence of the representation of the educational parental involvement on the school mobilization of adolescents. We hypothesize that the representation of educational parental involvement by adolescents in “colleges” secondary schools, directs their self-esteem which plays a part on their school mobilization. A first exploratory study was carried out using semi-structured interviews to construct a scale of school mobilization leading to qualitative analysis (ALCESTE and N'VIVO). An extensive study has allowed us then to operationalize the dimensions of the study: parental involvement, self-esteem and school mobilization among a sample of 405 adolescents from 11 to 15 years old enrolled in “colleges” in general education. A second step validated all the scales from our sample (school mobilization, self-esteem and parental involvement), using exploratory factor analysis and the confirmatory structural equation model (LISREL). Linear regression analysis and ANOVA finally enabled us to test the direction of our hypotheses. The results support our hypothesis that self-esteem has mediating effects on the relationship between parental involvement and school mobilization. Thus, socio-emotional and school self-esteem specifically mediate the relationship between parental educational involvement (including communication father-teacher) and school mobilization. Clinical vignettes illustrate our results with two case reports of adolescents treated in psychotherapy whose issues of identity, family and school are mixed.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine whether administrative support, classroom management, and parental involvement factors are significantly related to novice teacher’s retention. A quantitative survey and qualitative focus group measured the correlation between administrative support, classroom management, and parental involvement on novice teachers’ intent to remain in the classroom. The findings of this study will prepare educational leaders, human resource departments, and school board members with strategies to effectively reduce teacher attrition and improve student achievement in school systems. Both qualitative and quantitative data were compiled and synthesized while considering descriptive and inferential statistics to recognize emergent themes for implications of novice teacher retention. The findings of the study concluded that there was a significant correlation between administrative support and classroom management on novice teachers’ intent to remain.

The purpose of this study was to understand Mexican immigrant mother's perceptions concerning parental involvement with their children's schools. It provides a perspective on cultural considerations relevant to the implementation of Epstein's model of parental involvement. Eight mothers, two documented and six undocumented, who had emigrated from Mexico and were living in rural Wyoming, were interviewed. The information provided by the participants included descriptions of practices the mothers considered meaningful when involved with their children's education. They shared their own experiences of their school attendance in Mexico and their own parents' involvement with their education. They also shared their understanding concerning parental involvement after having lived in the U.S. and after witnessing their children attend schools in this country. Although the participants in this study had their own understanding of parental participation, they are learning new practices in the U.S. Also, with culturally sensitive modifications, the types of parental involvement suggested by Epstein could also be implemented with the participants in this study. Additionally, in regard to participating in the schools, it was also found that not having documents to live in the U.S did not limit the participants from taking part in their children's schools. Based on the results of this research, school personnel have the potential to play an important role in helping increase Mexican parents' involvement with their children's education. Small and inexpensive variations on what schools are already doing could create a more inviting environment for these mothers. Recommendations are made to assist schools in this effort.

This qualitative study explored a mathematics workshop for parents and the impact on a parent’s mathematical content knowledge in rational numbers, perceptions of current instructional practices, and parental beliefs in supporting their children in learning mathematics. A 6-week parent workshop on rational numbers was offered in a rural middle school. Data sources included interviews and workshop audio transcriptions. This study concluded that a mathematics workshop supports parents in developing a conceptual understanding of rational numbers and rational number operations. Furthermore, parents recognized the importance of discourse, representation, and justification for building conceptual understanding in mathematics. Parents, who participated in the workshops, were more open to the use of standards based instructional practices for developing conceptual understanding. Parental engagement in mathematics should include discourse at home to help students justify and explain their thinking. Questions related to the teaching of non-standard procedures without building a conceptual understanding hindered many parents from completely accepting new instructional practices.

Between 2000 and 2010, the Asian population within the U.S. increased more than four times faster than the total U.S. population. Accordingly, school-aged immigrant children from Asia constitute a sizeable portion of the U.S.’s student population. The percentage of students enrolled in elementary and secondary public schools who are Asian/Pacific Islander is projected to increase from 2.6 to 3.1 million between 2014 and 2025, and will account for 6 percent of total enrollment by 2025. Asian American youth have shown distinct characteristics among other racial minority groups in the U.S. Compared to their White and Black counterparts, Asian American students perform better in secondary education and have higher college admission test scores. In addition to educational success in secondary education, Asian Americans also tend to enroll in college at higher rates, and are more likely to attend highly selective four-year colleges compared to other racial minority groups. Although the research on Asian American students’ educational success in secondary education and transition to college is well-established, neither their experiences in the early stages of schooling or in higher education have been investigated in depth, which leads to a general misunderstanding of Asian American students and their educational outcomes. For the children of immigrant parents, early childhood is the most important period for adjustment, providing opportunities to prepare socially, psychologically, and intellectually for formal institutional settings. Despite this, researchers have paid relatively little attention to the educational experiences of young Asian American students and their families. Research on Asian American college students is equally important, with some social scientists reporting that the educational success of Asian Americans in secondary education is not necessarily maintained through higher education. Research on these two stages of education will help us better understand the educational attainment of Asian American students in terms of life course perspectives. In order to address the evident gaps in research, I have chosen to investigate the relationship between parents’ race/ethnicity and parental involvement in pre-secondary education, as well as the association between students’ race/ethnicity and educational experiences in post-secondary education, focusing primarily on Asian American students. In the first study, I examine how the race/ethnicity of parents with first grade children contributes to parental involvement within school and outside of school, after controlling for potential confounding factors at both the child and parent level. I further explore whether parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) influences the parental involvement of Asian parents. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) data, I employ ordinary least squared (OLS) regression to examine the extent to which parent’s race/ethnicity or SES (within-race/ethnicity analysis) predict parental involvement in their children’s educational activities, in school and outside of school. To adjust for weighting and design effects in the data set, I used the specific first grade weights designed for each teacher, parent, or school administrator response in 2010-2011 cohorts, respectively. I found that while Asian parents had significantly lower participation in school-based parental activities compared to White parents, such parents tended to participate more heavily in their children’s educational activities outside of school. Within-race/ethnicity analysis for Asian parents, I found an overall positive effect of SES on parental involvement both in school and outside of school. Interestingly, the determinants of parental involvement changed depending upon the types of parental involvement. In the second study, I analyze the 2016 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU), a multi-institutional data set, to examine the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes, as well as the extent to which students’ college experiences and perceptions mediate this relationship. I found that Asian American college students had a lower college GPA, as well as lower scores in self-assessment of gains in critical thinking and communication skills, compared to their White peers. Students’ academic engagement and perceptions of how well they belonged accounted for the largest share of the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes. I further explore how parental education, as a proxy of parents’ SES, influences the college outcomes of Asian American college students. I found that Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had higher GPAs than those Asian American students with parents who both earned four-year degrees. However, Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had lower scores in self-evaluation of gains in critical thinking and communication skills than those with parents who both earned four-year degrees. This dissertation contributes to the existing literature on Asian American studies and higher education by pushing the boundaries of sociological knowledge of the experiences of Asian American students in U.S. schools. Focusing on the influence of race/ethnicity and family background from the early years to the post-secondary level, this research provides a rich and far more comprehensive understanding of immigrant success than is currently available in the literature. Given the statistical evidence of higher educational attainment among Asian American students, many policy makers view Asian American students and their families as members of a model minority; researchers typically describe these individuals as successfully overcoming some racial minority status, and wrongly assume that they do not need to receive specific policy or program support. These perspectives imply that Asian American students are a homogeneous racial group. In response, my dissertation attempts to reveal the disadvantages of those Asian American parents who struggle to involve themselves in their children’s school-based activities, as well as how SES can impact parent involvement among these Asian parents. My dissertation also attempts to highlight the fact that success in secondary education for Asian Americans does not necessarily lead to successful college outcomes. These findings indicate that Asian American students and their families have been misunderstood and misrepresented, particularly with regard to the early stages of schooling, as well as higher education. My dissertation seeks to inform policy for those programs targeting disadvantaged racial minority students. Educational institutions, for instance, could design policy interventions for those racial minority parents with children in pre-secondary education wanting to involve themselves more heavily in their children’s school-based activities. Postsecondary educators might also be able to more effectively foster the academic success of their students (specifically Asian Americans) by increasing their awareness of their students’ particular immigrant and family backgrounds.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to illustrate and analyze the approach and parental involvement of a group of mothers in their children's schooling. Also their reflections on parental involvement will be highlighted and what the parents experience as obstacles in their involvement. Method: I conducted six semi structured interviews for my research. I chose to interview six mothers who have a child in the sixth grade. I chose specifically the sixth grade because the mothers will have had quite a few contacts with the school at this point. I also chose not to reveal their ethnicity because they cannot represent a whole ethnic group anyway. Result: The result of my interviews show that the parents have different approaches when it comes to parental involvement. The approaches are different between the mothers but one thing they have in common is that they care about their children.  Conclusion: One of the conclusions of this study is that the parents who do not participate in meetings and activities at school, are either because of language barrier or lack of information concerning what the school expects of them. Furthermore the study shows that their lack of participation in school activities does not mean that they are not involved as parents. Instead they express their involvement in different ways, mainly in their homes.

This research examines two possible influences of student achievement at the middle school level: school culture and parental involvement. The study investigates Kentucky Scholastic Audits of 90 middle schools from 2001 through 2005. The purpose of the study is to identify whether school culture and parental involvement affect student performance. The results of this study suggest that demographic variables account for most of the variance in the Academic Index. Controlling for demographics, parental involvement does not affect the school Academic Index, while school culture does add significantly to the variance explained.

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

abstract: Preschool children with language delays often struggle to learn new concepts. Proven strategies such as modeling, prompting, reinforcing responses, direct teaching, and hands-on experience matter to young children with language delays. Also important are social interactions and shared experiences with more knowledgeable persons. Within a cultural context Funds of Knowledge, that is the talents, traditions, and abilities families possess and pass down to their children may be a context for these. However, despite their importance the value Funds of Knowledge have has not been explored with parents of children with special needs. This action research study used a mixed-methods design to understand if Funds of Knowledge could be used as context to improve communication between parents and their children and build trust between parents and a teacher. Seven families participated in the study. Quantitative data were gathered with surveys and were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data consisted of transcripts from home-visit interviews, parent presentations, and a focus group, and were analyzed with a grounded theory approach. Results indicate parents entered the study with trust in the teacher especially in terms of having competence in her abilities. Data also show that parents used the language strategies provided to improve communication with their children. Data also indicate that the use of a Funds of Knowledge activity allowed parents to share their knowledge and interests with their children and children in the classroom, feel empowered, and express emotions. From these findings, implication for practice and further research are provided. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2014