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Dissertation
Parental Involvement in a Title I Elementary School
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2025
Abstract
Parental involvement in elementary school has been associated with high student achievement test scores, stronger social skills, and improved behavior. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to explore teachers’ experiences with parental involvement in a Title I elementary school in the southeastern United States. The four participants were elementary teachers with 3 or more years of experience in the selected school who shared their experiences with parental involvement through individual interviews and a focus group interview. The interview and focus group questions reflected the constructs of Epstein’s (2011) theory of overlapping spheres of influence, which explains the influence of families, schools, and the community on the education and development of children. Epstein’s (2011) six types of involvement framework served as the guide for the interview and focus group questions to explore teachers’ experiences with parental involvement. Themes of involvement, communication, cooperation, and community volunteerism emerged. Findings indicated that teachers (a) had limited experiences with parental involvement at school, (b) used multiple methods of communication with parents, (c) worked with parents to engage their students at home, and (d) relied on community volunteers to fill parental involvement gaps. Teachers recognized the desire of the parents to do their best in supporting their students, but various circumstances made volunteering at school almost nonexistent. Future research could explore teachers’ experiences at all elementary grade levels in Title I schools in the same district to reflect a comprehensive representation of parental involvement and investigate the methods used to promote parental involvement.
Details
- Title
- Parental Involvement in a Title I Elementary School
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Elizabeth Bemiss (Committee Chair)Keri Fogle (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries; Argo Scholar Commons
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 211
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Elizabeth Reese Hill
- Identifiers
- 99381559132406600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida