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Getting to know to build the relationship : a grounded theory of the parent involvement process in multi-year classrooms

University of British Columbia

The parent involvement literature is well-established with concern to the mono-grade classroom but there remains a paucity of research focusing on the multi-year parent involvement process from the perspective of parents. As part of a Grounded Theory approach, an iterative process of data collection and analysis of 53 semi-structured interviews with 16 parents, 11 students, and 3 teachers generated a theory of the process of parent involvement in multi-year classrooms. Developed primarily from the perspectives of parents, interview data was collected over two years and supplemented by student and teacher interview data, student drawings, and teacher journaling activities. Findings from this study revealed the core categories, Getting to Know and Building the Relationship Over Time, which initiated and continued to motivate parent involvement in the student’s education and classroom throughout the multi-year program. Six other categories related to the multi-year parent involvement process included: (a) Being an Advocate; (b) Supporting the In-School Curriculum; (c) Supporting the Out-of-School Curriculum; (d) Supporting Independence; (e) Responding to Involvement Opportunities; and, (f) Limited Involvement and Relationship Development. The significance of the findings in relation to the types and changes of parent involvement and parent-teacher relationship development over time and the implications for school actions and policies are discussed.

Text

2019-10-22

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/72025

Human Development, Learning, and Culture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/