Parent perceptions of their communication with their children's school community: a case study
Date
2005
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This qualitative investigation features the responses of 19 parent participants from an elementary school in Delaware concerning their perceptions of their communication with their children's school community. The study illustrates the variations in approaches to involvement in education from participants and highlights elements impacting the communication strategies employed by parents when involving themselves in their children's educational careers. At the time of the interviews, all participants had a child, or children enrolled in Trishville Elementary School for at least one year. The themes that emerged from the collective responses of participants are (1) parent's personal educational experiences: attitudes toward education; (2) parent's personal relationships with the school's principal, staff, and larger community; (3) issues of power: how power influences communication; (4) time: juggling work and family obligations in relation to parent involvement; and (5) attitudes toward communication: parental perspectives shape their involvement. The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed.