In Search of the Elusive Magic Bullet: Parental Involvement and Student Outcomes.
Year: 1995
Type: article
Abstract: Parental involvement in education has been the focus of much research attention. While it is generally accepted that parental involvement in education is desirable, there is little agreement on how it may best be implemented. Evidently, it is seldom implemented in a way that is satisfactory to all stakeholder groups (e.g., students, parents, teachers, and school administrators). This paradox stems in part from the fact that parental involvement comprises a wide range of processes, events, and conditions. In addition, stakeholder groups entertain a diversity of goals, ranging from improved student achievement to increased community support for schools. Their varied perspectives produce different beliefs about what forms of parental involvement are most helpful in achieving the respective goals. Intuitively, there seems little doubt that parents play a critical role in their children’s cognitive development and school achievement (Scott-Jones, 1984). There is, in fact, an abundance of evidence that parental involvement can have a positive impact on the process and outcomes of schooling (Edmonds, 1979; Walberg, 1984). McLaughlin and Shields (1986), for example, reported that parents can contribute to improved student achievement through their involvement in (a) the selection of appropriate reading materials, (b) targeting educational services, and (c) the use of particular pedagogical strategies. Clark (1983) found a correlation between achievement in reading and mathematics and the number of books at home.
Authors: Kim Onn Yap, Donald Y. Enoki
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1571711494