Parent engagement and involvement: A case study exploring the manifestation through participation in a parent education program

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the manifestations of parent engagement in a school system with a formal parent program through parents who have participated in the program and parents who have not participated in the program. Using purposeful sampling, based upon the recommendations of program and school administrators, nine parents were selected as study participants. Five of the participants were parents who were either recently or currently enrolled in the Early Birds program in one participating school district. The other four participants were parents of school-age children, living in the boundaries of the same school district, but did not participate in the Early Birds program or any additional parent education program. Interviews were conducted with each of the participants and additional data was gathered through observations of Early Birds courses as well as documents, artifacts, and resources from the Early Birds program. The data collected was viewed and analyzed through the lens of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (2005) model of parental involvement. Through the data collection and analysis, the themes of parent networks and parent interactions emerged. Parent participants of the Early Birds program were able to connect with other like-minded parents in the classes and share ideas, all while learning from an educated class instructor. Parents that participated in the Early Birds program believed that their interactions with their own children improved and they became more aware of purposeful play with their children. These parents were found to have a more established parental role construction. Parent past influences was another theme that emerged through research. The past experiences - both positive and negative - of all of the parents interviewed impacted their decision to be involved in their child's education.