The effect of parental involvement as perceived by parents and teachers of the Navasota Elementary and John C. Webb Middle Schools (Navasota ISD, Texas)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to address three questions regarding parental involvement: 1. What perceptions do the parents of children at the Navasota Elementary School and John C. Webb Middle School in the Navasota ISD have regarding parent involvement? 2. What perceptions do the teachers have regarding parent involvement in the Navasota Elementary School and John C. Webb Middle School in the Navasota ISD? 3. Are there differences between the perceptions held by parents and teachers regarding parent involvement as seen in the Navasota Elementary School and John C. Webb Middle School in the Navasota ISD? In order to accomplish this, the researcher utilized a parent survey and a teacher survey adapted from similar instruments utilized for a National Institute of Education research project on parental involvement. These instruments w ere used to gather the perceptions of parents and teachers regarding parent involvement in the Navasota ISD at Navasota, Texas. The perceptions of parents and teachers were assessed on Likert type scales. The responses were indicated using a 4-point scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 4(strongly agree). The following conclusions were drawn based upon the data gathered by the researcher: 1. Navasota ISD parents gave strong support to their involvement in the education of their children. This is evidenced from the support to the statement "I should make sure that my children do their homework" which peaked to the first rank with a mean level of agreement of 3.689. 2. Teachers in grades kindergarten through fourth grade had favorable inclinations toward parent involvement. The responses to the statement "most parents who assist in classrooms become more involved with their child's learning" ranked second with a mean of 3.543. 3. Both parents and teachers in the Navasota ISD indicated support for the various roles that parents could play in the schools, which is seen from the favorbale response to the statement "make the parents feel more welcome in the school". 4. No expression of any significant barriers to the development of an effective model parent involvement program in the Navasota ISD was witnessed.