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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- Purpose : Parental involvement in children’s education as a means to increase children’s academic achievement has received national attention. Parents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, however, are generally not as involved as middle-income parents. The purpose of the research is to present a series of workshops using the Participatory Action Research method whereby the investigator and a group of low-income parents worked together to gain a better understanding of the areas that the participant parents may not be familiar (i.e., FCAT reporting procedures, homework, mandatory reading, and monitoring academic progress). Method : Parents of students enrolled in the College Reach Out Program (CROP) at a community college in Central Florida participated in this study. Parent Involvement Training workshops were conducted to help improve parental home and school participation, knowledge of important academic and behavioral issues, parents’ attitudes toward parenting and toward their children, and overall family functioning. Parents completed a researcher developed demographic questionnaire, the Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI; Gerard, 1994), and the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD; Epstein et al., 1983). The CROP students also completed the FAD. The Parent-Child Relationship Inventory was intended to assess parents’ attitudes toward parenting and their children. The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) was used to assess the dimensions of the McMaster model according to family members’ perception. Lastly, individual parent interviews were conducted following the post-session to collect data on parental involvement at home and school and parents’ perception of the students’ academic achievement and educational goals. Major Findings : The first hypothesis was tested using a paired samples t-test analysis. For the seven sub-scales on the Parent-Child Relationship Inventory, only one sub-scale had a statistically significant difference (Roles t(17)=2.78, p =.006). Hypothesis 1 was not accepted. The second hypothesis was also tested using a paired samples t-test analysis. The mean pretest score (M = 1.891, S = 0305) on the Family Assessment Device was slightly higher than the mean post-test score (M =1.846, S =.218) with a mean difference of 0.045. There was no significant statistical difference between the pre and post-test of the Family Assessment Device. Hypothesis 2 was not accepted. Although the quantitative assessments did not yield significant statistical data the qualitative data collected indicated that parents in this study were already highly involved in their children’s educational activities.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2009.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-178).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Tanisha D. Carter. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LB1048.5.C37 2009_CarterTanishaD ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LB1048.5.C37 2009 ( lcc )
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