School Influences on Parents' Role Beliefs

Abstract

Parent involvement in education is associated with positive student outcomes; however, little is known about how parents construct their ideas about their responsibilities in their children’s learning. This study examined how parents’ valence toward school, perception of school climate, and parents’ perceptions of school, teacher, and student invitations to involvement, influenced their role construction for involvement in their children’s school learning. Secondarily, this study sought to examine potential links among parents’ role construction for involvement, hypothesized variables contributing to its development, and different administrative approaches to parent involvement in two urban Title I schools. Findings suggested that across both schools, parents’ perceptions of school invitations to involvement, school climate, and student invitations to involvement had the strongest connection to parents’ role beliefs. These variables were also linked to parents’ role beliefs in the school with a parent involvement coordinator, while school climate was the primary influence on parents’ role beliefs in the Title I school with no parent involvement coordinator. Implications for continued research and school practice are discussed.