Date of Award
12-1-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Edward Kim Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Trish Lichau Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Theresa Kanai Ph.D.
Abstract
The impact of parental involvement in education, as well as parents’ relationships with educators, has been of great interest to researchers in education. Researchers have recorded numerous benefits of the influence of parental involvement in the quality of education and the academic achievement of students. Directed by Epstein’s framework of involvement, the purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to understand the teachers’ perspectives on parental involvement and how these relate to parental involvement in an inner-city school in a large public-school district in North Carolina that has low parental involvement. The data collection methods include interviews, follow-up interviews, and documents. Purposeful sampling was used to identify a total of 10 participants who are teachers with at least five years of teaching experience. The acquired data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for various themes. The data analysis uncovered seven themes that reflected the teachers’ perspective of parental involvement. Findings from this research are essential in understanding teachers’ views associated with parental involvement in schools in the context of North Carolina. The research also revealed the essential roles played by teachers in the lives of children. The facilitating factors recommended by teachers would help to draft strategies for implementation and integration in the school improvement plans in the existing educational system. Results from this study present a model/policy implication that other schools struggling with lack of parental involvement can implement.