Author : Brandon J. Thurston
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 109 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (125 download)
Book Synopsis The Relationships Between and Among Parental Involvement, School Culture, and Ethnicity by : Brandon J. Thurston
Download or read book The Relationships Between and Among Parental Involvement, School Culture, and Ethnicity written by Brandon J. Thurston and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The achievement gap between African American and White students is disturbing. Researchers argue that the lack of equal educational opportunities and the denial of basic human liberties have contributed to the achievement gap (Levine & Levine, 2014; Lindsay, 2011). Although case law has provided African Americans more comprehensive, equal educational opportunities and legalized their civil rights, the achievement gap persists. Parental involvement is a possible solution to address the gap given its positive impacts which include higher student academic achievement and less disruptive behaviors (Epstein 2007; Gonida & Cortina, 2014; Hill & Tyson, 2009; LeBel, Chafouleas, Britner, & Simonsen, 2013; Myers & Myers, 2015). Positive school culture has also been found to increase student achievement and is linked to less bullying among students. Although the literature does detail the positive effects of parental involvement and positive school culture, research relating the relationships between and among involvement, school culture, ethnicity, and barriers to involvement is limited. The primary purpose of this quantitative survey study was to determine if parents' perceptions of school culture were associated with their levels of involvement. Other purposes of this study were to determine if parent ethnicity was associated with their levels of parental involvement or self-reported barriers to involvement. The theoretical framework for this study was Epstein's (2001; 2010) model of parental involvement which details specific types of involvement: parenting, communication, volunteering, and learning in the home. Through statistical analysis, this study determined that parents' perceptions of school culture were associated with overall parental involvement, communication, learning at home. Although differences in the levels of parental involvement were observed, the parent education level variable accounted for this difference, not parent ethnicity. Conversely, the ethnicity variable was significant in accounting for the differences observed among ethnicity groups related to the number of self-reported barriers to involvement. In view of these findings, this researcher's conclusions, recommendations for practice, and suggestions for future research are included in this report.