Effects of Parent Involvement in Their Children’s Academic and Behavioral Performance

Author

Megan Menozzi, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Hardwick S. Johnson

Committee Member

Amy Graham

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

academic performance, administrative support, barriers to parental involvement, best practices, certified teachers, classroom environment, collaborative teaching teams, communication with families, continuous communication, creative instructional strategies, curriculum implementation, data analysis, decreased parental involvement, early childhood education, family engagement, phenomenological approach, preschool environment, professional collaboration, qualitative research design, research questions, school activities, school climate, school staff initiatives, supportive resources, teacher experiences, teacher perceptions, teacher–parent partnerships

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the best practices to increase parental involvement in their children’s school activities by recording and scribing the experiences of certified teachers. Prior to this study, the current school experienced a decrease in parental involvement with their child’s scheduled school activities. As the school carry on with planning scheduled events for parental involvement, teachers were still expected to be prepared to implement curriculum in the classrooms, while ensuring children’s needs were being met by way of continuous communication with families.

The researcher developed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The design allowed the researcher to interview teachers to capture their lived experiences while they continued to ensure children’s needs were being met in the school environment although parental participation was absent. Participating teachers could provide actions they took to guarantee support for families regardless of the barriers preventing involvement. Teachers could clarify their personal challenges, as well as the challenges of their co-workers and supporting staff as the effects of parental involvement dampened the school environment. To record their experiences, the researcher investigated the following research questions: 1) What are teachers’ experiences of the best practices that could be introduced and implemented by the school staff to increase parental involvement? 2) What supportive initiatives do preschool teachers need to assist parents with the barriers in their children’s school activities scheduled in the preschool environment?

An analysis of the data revealed that teachers required specific outlets and resources implemented in the school environment to decrease the barriers that prevented parental involvement. Teachers also utilized creative ways to continue to support the progression of the children’s academic performance. Finally, teachers depended on the dedicated teaching teams designed for their classrooms, administration, and other specialists to assist each child with their learning journey and academic goals.

NSUWorks Citation

Megan Menozzi. 2025. Effects of Parent Involvement in Their Children’s Academic and Behavioral Performance. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (1083)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/1083.