The Relationship of Parent Involvement on Student Achievement

This study investigated the relationship of the use of parent involvement strategies
and school performance and how contextual factors affected this relationship. The study
employed a non-experimental quantitative design with the school as the unit to frame its
data collection and analysis. The Parent Involvement Inventory ( PII) was field-tested
with the Broward County Schools to check reliability and validity. Results revealed a .72
Cronbach alpha score for the instrument. The variables studied were (a) parental
involvement strategies, (b) school performance, and (c) contextual factors. Six parent
involvement categories were investigated and divided into sub-categories to answer the
research questions. Seventy-eight K-12 schools in Palm Beach County, Florida formed
the sample for the study with a response rate of 71 percent. Data were first collected on
the parental involvement strategies used by the schools then related to school
performance. The major data collection instrument- Parent Involve Inventory (Pll) was
designed to correspond with the following purposes of the study: (a) To determine the difference in type and frequency of parent involvement strategies and (b) to develop a
model based on these actions that can be used by principals to increase their school's
parent involvement. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0 through descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and
correlations to determine if significant relationships existed. The analyses identified the
parent involvement strategies that improve student achievement: (a) Communicating, (b)
learning at home, (c) regular homework, (d) participation in PTA, and (e) information
about community arts and school performance. In addition, the analyses identified
contextual factors that increased the relationship of parent involvement and school
performance, such as (a) students with disabilities; (b) multiple parent involvement staff
moderated learning at home strategies; and (c) school level moderated parenting and
decision making strategies. Conclusions, implications for practice, and future research are
discussed.