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J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
412
Available Online
Journal of Education and Social Studies
ISSN: 2789-8075 (Online), 2789-8067 (Print)
http://www.scienceimpactpub.com/jess
INVESTIGATING THE INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS IN THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AT
PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL
Mubeshera Tufail * and Nosheen Zehra
Department of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Teacher Education, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan
AB S TR AC T
The involvement of parents in their children’s education affects the quality of their learning. The purpose
of this study was to investigate the involvement of parents in the education of primary school children.
The quantitative descriptive research method was employed to conduct the study. The population of the
study was 3,297 children studying at the primary school level and their parents. A proportionate stratified
random sampling technique was used to select 348 students and their parents for data collection. The data
were collected from children and their parents through a five-point scale. The research instrument
consisted of six factors: parenting, communicating, decision-making, learning at home, volunteering, and
collaboration with the community. The data were collected through personal visits by the researchers.
Data were analyzed through mean, standard deviation, Kruskal Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U test. The
research study concluded that primary school students and their parents hold the same perspective
regarding parental involvement in their children's education. However, there was a significant difference
in parental involvement in their children’s education, as the students reported, based on their
demographic characteristics and the educational institutions they were attending. It is suggested to adapt
the involvement of parents according to the needs of students of different age groups and grades by
developing a strong and continuous connection between school and home.
Keywords: Parental involvement; Primary school students; Parenting; Learning activities at home; Learning
support.
* Email: mubeshera.tufail@aiou.edu.pk
© The Author(s) 2023.
https://doi.org/10.52223/jess.2023.4301
Received: June 12, 2023; Revised: August 20, 2023; Accepted: September 11, 2023
This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
INTRODUCTION
The involvement, interest, and support of parents had a significant impact on the educational outcomes
and achievements of the learners (Lara & Saracostti, 2019). Active participation of parents improves the
academic performance of students (Henderson et al., 2017). Parental participation in school activities
promotes learners' academic success (Afolabi, 2014). Parents guide their children in learning at home and
interact with the school teachers to discuss their children's learning progress. From offering learning
facilities in the form of internet-based digital media to learning management at home, parents must manage
their children's learning process. So, parents play an important role in achieving learning goals for their
children. School and family are key partners in the education of a child. The parents and teachers should
communicate effectively about students’ academic achievements and academic activities. It is significant
for students’ learning accomplishments (Retallick & Farah, 2005). School heads may interact with parents
and share the role of parents in school activities and their children’s learning. In particular, schools can
communicate regularly with them about their child's learning progress and the nature of the learning
activities they are engaged in at school (Agayon et al., 2022; Durisic & Bunijevac, 2017). However, many
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
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parents might be unaware of current educational practices in school and various ways to get involved in
their children’s learning process. For example, parents do not know about the academic learning progress
of their children in detail.
Home environment and learning experiences at home affect students’ learning (Lancker & Parolin, 2020).
Inappropriate behavior with the child, such as physical or emotional abuse, yelling, and punishment, is
detrimental to their academic achievement and output. Students with active parental involvement in their
education will be motivated and more likely to succeed in the learning process. During COVID-19, the role
of parents was critical in children's homework (Touloupis, 2021). Lilawati (2020) found that during
distance learning, parents helped and guided their children in the assignments given by the teacher, and
learning facilities at home were not more profitable for students when compared to facilities at school;
according to some parents, learning at school was important. Parental involvement in their children’s
education is beneficial for their learning and academic skills development (Durisic & Bunijeva, 2017). The
educational background of the parents can affect this process. Parents' education and academic
qualifications carry a significant value for their children’s education (Mooij et al., 2014). If parents are
highly educated, they may take more interest in their children’s education. Liu et al. (2010) pointed out that
parents took on new responsibilities as they became more engaged in their children’s learning experiences.
When parents are engaged in the education process of their children, they find effective ways to engage in
it, and hence, they are in a better position to serve their children's learning needs.
The involvement of parents was important not only for the academic learning of students but also for the
well-being and emotional health of children (Spinelli et al., 2020). Concerning parental involvement, there
was a gender-wise difference in parents' engagement in their child's learning process. A research study
(Yamamura & Tsustsui, 2021) conducted in Japan reported that when parents were working remotely
during the COVID-19 lockdown, working mothers spent more time with their children as compared to
fathers of those children. Some studies came up with this conclusion in general, while others have provided
more specific aspects of parental involvement. The difference in the engagement of mothers and fathers in
their children’s learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is also featured in the research work by Liu et al.
(2010). An online survey of parents having children (2-14 years of age) found that mothers were primarily
more involved in teaching their children at home at pre-primary and primary school levels (Spinelli et al.,
2020). According to Alharthi and Lebeau (2020), mothers were responsible for decisions about their
children's education. Their study mentioned that mothers played the leading role in choosing the best
school for their preschool children, as they are more engaged in their children’s learning processes,
especially at the pre-primary school level.
Parents can engage in the learning process of their children in a variety of different ways, from providing a
peaceful home environment to taking part in school activities and supporting their children in learning
tasks. It can affect the learning progress, well-being, and other aspects of a child’s life. Keeping in view the
various aspects of parental involvement in children’s education and the significance of this topic, the
researchers planned to investigate the involvement of parents in the education of their children at the
primary school level.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Parental involvement refers to the opportunities for parents to undertake activities initiated by the school
head and staff for their children's academic journey. It means that opportunities are provided to the parents
to be involved in the school activities that are decided and implemented by the school organization (Marsh,
2019). The contribution of parents to kids' schooling plays an active role in the decision-making process in
school conventions, allocation of resources such as learning materials, maintenance of playgrounds and
school buildings, management of resources, and the school syllabus, and solution of problems faced by the
school (Harris & Goodall, 2007). Vygotsky (1978) emphasized the influence of sociocultural factors and
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
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relationships (i.e., physical and social relationships) of a human being with his/her environment on the
learning and development of that person. Ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner (1979) states that
a child is affected by the factors within the child, family, and surroundings. This theory divides the
ecological environment of a child into three systems: microsystem, mesosystem, and macrosystem. It
encompassed all the social, political, economic, and biological factors affecting the child's development.
Epstein (2001) and Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995, 1997) proposed parental involvement models to
elaborate on the various aspects of parental involvement (Tekin, 2011).
The learning process of a child starts at home. Even after going to school, the child spends a considerable
amount of time with his/her parents and family. Parents, especially mothers, are the first teachers of their
children; they make and shape the character of the child at home. In the early stage of life, parents provide
basic education to their children at home, like speaking, good habits, reading, writing, etc. Parental
participation in children's education plays a vital role in the students’ lives. Their role is not limited to the
home environment but also covers the parents’ participation in school activities (ATEŞ, 2021). It may
include providing a peaceful and thriving learning environment, offering different learning activities,
providing support and facilities for learning and development such as playing, reading and writing, and
participating in school activities such as co-curricular activities, fundraising activities and other community
services.
Parents can be involved in the education of their children in a number of ways, such as parents visiting the
educational institution of their children and becoming part of the school activities. Parents voluntarily
encourage and support programs held in school (Epstein, 2001). Parent involvement patterns may range
from low to high. In school activities, school heads try to involve parents of children in parent-teacher
meetings, circulars, one-on-one parent-teacher conferences, etc. These activities keep parents aware of
their children's lives at school. The schools with high parental involvement involve opportunities for the
family to be directly involved in children’s education. It may include classroom observations, school visits,
participation in classroom activities, and voluntary involvement in the decision-making process regarding
children's early education (Epstein, 2005).
Higher levels of parental involvement and teacher support contributed to the positive affective engagement
of learners during emergency remote teaching in China (Yang et al., 2022). Some schools do not involve
their parents in children's education because they think that families do not know how they get involved
or they think that some parents feel hesitant to become involved in school activities. Some schools thought
that parents did not have extra time or could not speak English fluently, so they did not involve parents in
their children's schooling. (Johnson & Duffett, 2003). So, it is important to define the meaning of parental
involvement in education and how the parents can work with teachers for school activities. The parents
understood the importance of their involvement in school, but they expect schools to initiate this process
of collaboration by communication through various means with parents (Myende & Nhlumayo, 2022).
Invitations from schools for parents positively contributed to the involvement of parents in school activities
such as volunteering activities and decision-making events (Yulianti et al., 2022). Some parents helped
their children with their homework at home. They thought that they were doing good work by getting
involved in their children’s learning tasks (Milne & Wotherspoon, 2019).
Parental vocations have a significant impact on their children’s academic development since the type of
their jobs influences how much time parents spend at work and at home, as well as how much attention
they provide to their children’s education. The majority of parents as reported by Malik et al. (2019), were
interested in their children’s academic pursuits and participated in them. There was a gender-wise
difference found for the parental involvement; parents were more involved in academic affairs of their sons
at school and at home as compared to their daughters. It was also found that, despite poor attendance at
parent-teacher conferences, parents were concerned about their children’s education, and they became
involved in school-related issues (Malik et al., 2019).
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
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Theoretical Framework of the Study
This research study was based on the parental involvement model proposed by Epstein (2001). In this
model, Epstein described six types of involvement by parents in the education of their children: parenting,
volunteering, communicating, decision-making, learning at home, and collaborating with the community.
It involved various ways parents can get involved in the education and learning of their children.
1. Parenting refers to providing a supportive home environment to children and fulfilling their needs
related to health, safety and development. This type of involvement can be promoted by education of
parents and family support programs such as related to health, nutrition, and other related services.
2. Communicating involves two-way communication between parents and school about the learning
progress of child and school programs. It can be promoted by parent-teacher conferences, phone calls,
student diaries, memos, flyers about important school events, school websites and information about
school policies and programs. It may also involve communicating with the child and discussing issues
related to school and academic activities.
3. Volunteering involves the provision of support and help by parents at home, school and/or other
locations for school safety and operations, fundraising for an event, promoting school services in the
community, the assistance of educators, co-curricular activities, and help of other parents. Children can
improve their communication and learning skills while interacting with adults in these volunteering
activities.
4. Learning at home means that parents get the information and ideas about supervising and providing
support for their child’s homework, learning experiences and activities. This information may be
related to learning activities performed at school, homework, and the support required by the child
from parents for completing the homework.
5. Decision-making involves the role of parents as representatives and leaders in school committees such
as parent-teacher committees, advisory councils, advocacy groups and other school networks for
academic activities. This type of involvement improves parent-child interaction and gives students
confidence that their parents are involved in the decision-making process; hence, their rights are
protected.
6. Collaborating with the community involves the identification and use of community resources for
improving the learning experiences and participation of students. The partnership between school
programs and community resources (social, cultural, civic, health, etc.) can provide exposure to
students and develop their learning skills (Durisic & Bunijevac, 2017; Tekin, 2011).
Research Objectives of the Study
The research objectives for this study are given below:
1. To investigate the perspective of primary school students and their parents about parental involvement
in the education of their children.
2. To assess the perspective of students studying in public and private primary schools about parental
involvement in their education.
Hypotheses of the Study
H01 There was no statistically significant difference between the perspective of primary school students
and their parents on parental involvement in their children's education.
H02 There was no statistically significant difference between male and female primary school students on
their parents’ involvement in their education.
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
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H03 There was no statistically significant difference between students of grades 4 and 5 on their responses
regarding parental involvement in their education.
H04 There was no statistically significant difference between students of public and private schools on their
responses regarding parental involvement in their education.
H05 There was no age-wise statistically significant difference among students on their responses regarding
parental involvement in their education.
METHODOLOGY
The quantitative descriptive survey method was used to conduct this study. The students studying in grade
4-5 (i.e., 3297 students) and their parents were the population for this study. The sample size was
calculated using the Cochran formula for the finite population. A total 348 primary school students and
their parents were included in the sample using a stratified random sampling technique. The researchers
developed two five-point scales, the parental involvement (PI) scale for students and the parental
involvement (PI) scale for parents. The purpose of the PI scale for students was to collect data about how
their parents were involved in their education, whereas the purpose of PI scale for parents was to obtain
their response about various ways they got involved in their children's education. Therefore, parents of
only those students were included in the sample whose response was collected through the PI scale for
children.
Each scale consisted of 48 statements and six factors based on six types of parental involvement (Epstein,
2001), i.e., parenting, volunteering, communicating, decision-making, learning at home and collaborating
with the community. There were five possible options against each statement: always, frequently,
sometimes, rarely, not at all. Both parental involvement (PI) scales consisted of the same statements and
there was only the difference of wording, e.g., “I take my child to the library” in PI scale for parents was
included as “My parents take me to the library” in PI scale for students. The maximum possible score for
each construct was based on the number of statements included in that particular factor: parenting
(9×5=45), communicating (9×5=45), volunteering (6×5=30), learning at home (12×5=60), decision-
making (8×5=40) and collaboration with the community (4×5=20). The total score for the parental
involvement scale for children and parents was 240. The validity of the research instruments was ensured
through expert opinion and factor analysis. The number of items in the PI scales for children and parents
and the Cronbach’s alpha value for the reliability of these scales is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Reliability value for factors of parental involvement scales for children and parents.
Sr.
Construct
No of items
Cronbach’s alpha value
for PI scale for children
Cronbach’s alpha value for
the PI scale for parents
1
Parenting
9
.845
.741
2
Communicating
9
.866
.897
3
Volunteering
7
.744
.845
4
Learning at home
10
.812
.817
5
Decision making
9
.887
.897
6
Collaboration with Community
5
.826
.849
Overall value for Scale
48
.811
.804
The data were collected by researchers through physical visits to the schools and the families. First,
researchers visited the schools to collect the data from students, and then their parents were approached
to collect data from them. The researchers explained the statements of perception scale to the students and
parents to facilitate their response. The data were analyzed using SPPSS by applying descriptive and
inferential statistical techniques. The mean score, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal
Wallis test was used for analysis of the data.
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
417
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
H01 There was no statistically significant difference between the perspective of primary school students
and their parents on parental involvement in their children's education.
The mean scores of responses of primary school students and their parents, as shown in Table 2, depicted
that the parents were involved in their children’s education sometimes too frequently with respect to the
six factors of the PI scale. The result of the Mann-Whitney U test given in Table 2 indicated that there was
no statistically significant difference between the mean response of students and their parents on six
factors of PI scale. So, the researchers failed to reject the first null hypothesis. It indicated that the students
and their parents experienced the same level of parental involvement in the education of these children.
Table 2. Comparative analysis of responses of students and their parents about parental involvement
(Mann-Whitney U test).
Factor
Sample
N
Mean
SD
Mean
rank
Sum of
ranks
Mann-
Whitney U
Z
Asymp.
sig.
1P
Parent
348
3.444
.35
348.6
121331.0
60499.0
-.020
.984
Child
348
3.445
.35
348.4
121225.0
2C
Parent
348
3.284
.37
347.8
121510.5
60319.5
-.088
.930
Child
348
3.282
.37
349.2
121045.5
3V
Parent
348
3.387
.39
348.5
121278.0
60552.0
.000
1.000
Child
348
3.387
.39
348.5
121278.0
4LH
Parent
348
3.391
.30
348.5
121288.0
60542.0
-.004
.997
Child
348
3.391
.30
348.5
121268.0
5D
Parent
348
3.408
.38
349.1
121470.0
60360.0
-.073
.942
Child
348
3.405
.39
349.9
121086.0
6CC
Parent
348
3.335
.45
348.2
121189.0
60463.0
-.034
.973
Child
348
3.337
.45
348.8
121367.0
Note: SD=Standard Deviation; 1P=Parenting; 2C=Communicating; 3V=Volunteering; 4LH=Learning at
home; 5D=Decision-making; 6CC= Collaboration with community.
H02 There was no statistically significant difference between male and female primary school students
regarding the parents’ involvement in their education.
Table 2. Gender wise analysis of response of students regarding parental involvement in their education.
Factor
Sample
N
Mean
SD
Mean
rank
Sum of
ranks
Mann-
Whitney U
Z
Asymp.
sig.
1P
Male
167
3.436
.35
169.25
28264.0
14236.0
-.941
.347
Female
181
3.452
.35
179.35
32462.0
2C
Male
167
3.278
.39
173.68
29004.0
14976.0
-.147
.883
Female
181
3.285
.35
175.26
31722.0
3V
Male
167
3.398
.42
178.35
29784.5
14470.5
-.692
.489
Female
181
3.377
.36
170.95
30941.5
4LH
Male
167
3.427
.31
187.88
31376.5
12878.5
-2.392
.017*
Female
181
3.358
.29
162.15
29349.5
5D
Male
167
3.395
.44
170.19
28421.5
14393.5
-.772
.440
Female
181
3.414
.34
178.48
32304.5
6CC
Male
167
3.319
.43
170.64
28497.0
14469.0
-.698
.485
Female
181
3.354
.46
178.06
32229.0
Note: SD= Standard Deviation;
1
P=Parenting;
2
C=Communicating;
3
V= Volunteering;
4
LH=
Learning at home;
5D=Decision-making; 6CC= Collaboration with community.
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
418
There was no gender-wise statistically significant difference in the responses of primary school students
regarding involvement of the parents in their education process on parenting, communicating, decision-
making, volunteering, and collaboration with the community, as shown in Table 3. However, a statistically
significant difference was observed between male and female students on the PI scale's ‘learning at home’
factor. The reason for this difference may be related to the region's culture, where the females tend to rely
on their parents for most of the education-related decisions compared to male students. Further, they spent
their after-school time at home whereas the boys went to play outside their home after school time so, the
amount of time spent with parents may be another reason for this difference. Based on this result, the
second null hypothesis was rejected.
H03 There was no statistically significant difference between students of grade 4 and 5 in their responses
regarding parental involvement in their education.
Table 3. Grade wise analysis of response of students regarding parental involvement in their education.
Factor
Sample
N
Mean
SD
Mean
rank
Sum of
ranks
Mann-
Whitney U
Z
Asymp.
sig.
1P
Grade 4
172
3.424
.37
167.41
28795.0
13917.0
-1.306
.192
Grade 5
176
3.464
.33
181.43
31931.0
2C
Grade 4
172
3.269
.36
170.94
29401.0
14523.0
-.656
.512
Grade 5
176
3.294
.38
177.98
31325.0
3V
Grade 4
172
3.411
.42
180.82
31101.0
14049.0
-1.170
.242
Grade 5
176
3.364
.37
168.32
29625.0
4LH
Grade 4
172
3.332
.29
153.04
26323.0
11445.0
-3.948
.000*
Grade 5
176
3.449
.29
195.47
34403.0
5D
Grade 4
172
3.415
.44
174.79
30064.5
15085.5
-.054
.957
Grade 5
176
3.395
.33
174.21
30661.5
6CC
Grade 4
172
3.206
.37
147.02
25287.0
10409.0
-5.117
.000*
Grade 5
176
3.464
.48
201.36
35439.0
Note: SD= Standard Deviation;
1
P=Parenting;
2
C=Communicating;
3
V= Volunteering;
4
LH=
Learning at home;
5D=Decision-making; 6CC= Collaboration with community.
As depicted in Table 4, no statistically significant difference was observed in the responses of students of
grade 4 and 5 regarding the involvement of their parents in their education on parenting, communicating,
decision-making, and volunteering. However, a statistically significant difference was observed between
4th and 5th-grade students on ‘learning at home’ and ‘collaboration with community’ factors of PI scale,
with a higher mean score of 5th-grade students for these factors. As the students are more mature in grade
5, the reason for this difference may be related to the better communication skills and increased learning
exposure of these students as compared to 4th graders. Further, grade 5 is the last grade of primary school
education and a transition grade for the next level of education. So, the greater involvement of parents in
their children’s education for effective learning experiences at home and collaborating with the community
to offer effective learning resources in the community may be the reason for the higher mean response of
5th-grade students. So, the third null hypothesis was rejected.
H04 There was no statistically significant difference between students attending public and private schools
in their responses regarding parental involvement in their education.
Table 5 showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the responses of students of public
and private schools regarding the involvement of their parents in their education on communicating,
decision-making, and learning at home. However, there was a statistically significant difference between
students of public and private schools on volunteering and collaboration with the community, with a higher
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
419
mean response of students studying in private schools. The reason for this difference may be that private
schools arranged a number of co-curricular activities after regular time intervals where students and their
parents learned, interacted, and gained exposure to community resources and volunteer work. However,
the students of public schools had statistically significantly higher mean scores on the parenting factor of
PI scale as compared to students from private schools. Private schools are generally perceived in society as
having improved services, facilities, and frequent interaction with families of the students; however, it was
evident from the study results that parents of students from public schools were involved in the education
of their children, particularly with respect to parenting.
Table 4. Response of students of public and private schools regarding parental involvement in their education.
Factor
Sample
N
Mean
SD
Mean
rank
Sum of
ranks
Mann-
Whitney U
Z
Asymp
. sig.
1P
Public
97
3.539
.32
203.66
19755.0
9345.0
-3.379
.001*
Private
251
3.407
.35
163.23
40971.0
2C
Public
97
3.282
.35
175.93
17065.0
12035.0
-.165
.869
Private
251
3.281
.38
173.95
43661.0
3V
Public
97
3.301
.31
151.78
14723.0
9970.0
-2.644
.008*
Private
251
3.420
.41
183.28
46003.0
4LH
Public
97
3.396
.28
176.08
17080.0
12020.0
-.183
.855*
Private
251
3.389
.31
173.89
43646.0
5D
Public
97
3.366
.36
165.27
16031.0
11278.0
-1.070
.284
Private
251
3.420
.39
178.07
44695.0
6CC
Public
97
3.250
.41
154.96
15031.0
10278.0
-2.288
.022*
Private
251
3.370
.46
182.05
45695.0
Note: SD= Standard Deviation;
1
P=Parenting;
2
C=Communicating;
3
V= Volunteering;
4
LH=
Learning at home;
5D=Decision-making; 6CC= Collaboration with community.
H05 There was no age-wise statistically significant difference among students in their responses regarding
parental involvement in their education.
Table 6. Response of students of public and private schools regarding parental involvement in their education.
Age of students
N
Mean
SD
Mean rank
Chi-square
df
Sig value
10 years
1
6.22
.49
10.50
9.539
4
.049
11 years
22
5.9
.56
171.52
12 years
130
6.28
.24
193.09
13 years
147
6.06
.41
163.28
15 years
48
5.13
.30
163.30
Table 6 provides an analysis of responses of students of different age on parental involvement in their
education. There was a statistically significant difference among the responses of students, with a higher
mean response of students with 12 years of age. The reason for this result may be that younger and
adolescent students have different educational needs and expectations from their parents for their learning
needs. Therefore, it is important to look at the learning needs of students with respect to their age so that
they can get the needful support.
Discussion
Parental involvement is positively linked to students' school performance and their intrinsic motivation for
learning (Pavalache-llie & Tirda, 2015). It was found that both children and their parents had the same
perspective on parental involvement in their children’s education. Their responses depicted that the
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
420
parents were sometimes involved too frequently in children's education. It indicated that the parents were
aware of their role and contribution to their children's education. It was noted that when parental
involvement is high, children's academic achievement improves (Epstein, 2001). Therefore, parents’ role
is critical in the academic learning achievements of their children. With high parental involvement in
children's primary education, children have better academic learning and perform well in every field of life
(López, 2022).
It was found that parents of children from private schools were more involved in their children's education
as compared to the parents of public schools. It could be the reason that parents of private schools were
more educated and financially settled as they were paying a significantly large amount of school fees. It
could also be possible that since they were investing a high amount of money in their children's education
in the form of fees, they are more concerned about their children's educational outcome as compared to
the parents of public schools for whom education was relatively less costly. Mahuro and Hungi (2016)
noted that parental involvement in the form of time and money for their children's education is most
important.
The majority of the youngsters perceived that their parents were involved in their education. It is important
to highlight that parents who are more involved in the education of children have positively impacted
children's academic achievement in both public and private sector schools. The parents’ participation in
school events and discussions with the child about their school experiences have a positive connection to
the child's social and emotional adjustment (Barger et al., 2019). In this study, the parents of children
studying in private schools were more involved in collaboration with community activities and volunteer
work with schools.
The female students perceived more parental involvement in their education as compared to male
students. It indicated that there is a gender-wise difference in the perspective of students about parental
involvement in their learning journey. Therefore, parental support and involvement may be adjusted to the
needs of male and female primary school students. In another study, parental support for math homework
was positively linked to task persistence and their self-concept. However, parental control negatively
affected it in case of male students (Silinskas & Kikas, 2017). In another study conducted in the Netherlands,
parents perceived themselves as more capable of helping their daughters as compared to sons in home-
schooling during the COVID-19 crisis (Bol, 2020).
Bubb and Jones (2020) reported that during COVID-19 home-schooling, students and their parents
participated in creative learning activities, and students received useful feedback while they were engaged
with school through remote teaching. Parents teach their children at home by using different strategies.
Using home resources, they motivate their children through rewards. Parents of students studying in
private schools are more involved in their children's education than public school children's parents.
However, the parenting role of parents whose children were attending public schools is note-taking
because it is generally perceived that parents of public-school students are not effectively involved in their
child’s education. Kartel et al. (2022) suggested that there must be continuous coordination between
teachers and parents because the role of parents is very critical at home in the distance learning system.
Therefore, building a connection between home and school is important to provide needful learning
support to students.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study investigated the perspective of primary school students (grade 4 & 5) and their parents about
parental involvement in their children's education. The results of the study concluded that the students
and their parents viewed parents as moderately active in supporting their children’s education based on
Epstein model (2001) of parental involvement. The parents of students attending private schools were
more involved in their children’s education as compared to those studying in public schools with respect
J. Educ. Soc. Stud. 4(3) 2023. 412-423
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to volunteering and community collaboration work, whereas the parents of children studying in public
schools were highly involved in the parenting aspect of their children’s needs. The parents of female
primary school students were more involved in their education as compared to male primary school
students for the ‘learning at home’ aspect. There was a difference in parental involvement in their children’s
education based on the age of the students. It can be concluded that one size of parental involvement does
not fit into all circumstances.
There are varying needs of children based on their age, gender and the educational institutions they were
attending. Therefore, continuous coordination among parents, children and schools may be effective in
providing tailored support to students. It is suggested that there must be regular social meet-up (face-to-
face or online) sessions facilitating the interaction of the child, his/her parents, and the school teacher so
that need-based support is provided to each student. The co-curricular, welfare, and collaboration with
community-related activities may be planned by schools after regular time intervals to improve the
interaction and connection among children, parents, and the school. A study about teachers’ perspective of
parental involvement in school may be conducted in the future to analyze the role of parents in their
children’s support.
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