Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
Date of Award
5-2001
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Dr. Ben M. Harris
Second Advisor
Dr. Karen Watt
Third Advisor
Dr. Miguel de los Santos
Abstract
The involvement of parents in their children's education influences student achievement. In 1995, researchers identified mechanisms necessary for effective parent involvement. Although substantial research has been done on parent and family involvement, few studies have described the phenomenon among low socioeconomic Mexican-American families. In 1996, one case study was conducted at a high school and another was conducted at a middle school on the Texas-Mexico border. These studies described strategies and tactics used by the principal, teachers, and support staff to influence parents to become more involved in their children's education. The present study expands on these works by investigating the strategies and tactics used by the principal, teachers, and support staff of an exemplary Blue Ribbon elementary school on the Texas-Mexico border to influence parents of low socioeconomic Mexican-American children to become more involved in their children's education. The principal, teachers, and support staff of the selected school were interviewed, as were parents. Teachers and parents completed survey questionnaires. The researcher observed during parent meetings and studied the school's parent involvement archives. An in-depth description of the case study findings is presented in Chapter 4, including rich descriptions supported by quotations from the subjects interviewed. Chapter 5 was included to describe quantitative data gathered from the survey questionnaires. Conclusions of the study, found in Chapter 6, indicate that the principal, teachers, and support staff use a broad range of strategies and tactics to influence parent involvement. Some strategies are unique to each job function, while others are similar across job functions: encouraging open, informal communication among parents and school staff, keeping parents informed on a wide range of topics, and providing a warm, welcoming environment in the school. Implications and recommendations for further study are presented in the final chapter, with a brief synthesis of the present work with the high school and middle school studies.
Granting Institution
University of Texas-Pan American
Comments
Copyright 2001 Jay Scott Hollinger. All Rights Reserved.
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