Parental involvement plays a critical role in children’s cognitive, effective, and psychomotor development; however, limited research has explored mothers’ perceptions of parenting and practices of parental involvement and parenting styles. This instrumental case study employed semi-structured interviews with 23 mothers in an Indonesian Islamic kindergarten to explore their understandings, experiences, and beliefs regarding parental involvement. It also aims to identify different kinds of parenting styles. The study revealed three themes, indicating that parenting and parental involvement are understood as an educating process, an interaction process between parents and children, and a mechanism for supporting children’s development. The findings indicate that 18 parents adopt an authoritative parenting style, four parents adopt an authoritarian parenting style, and one parent adopts a permissive parenting style. The study also highlights that mothers’ experiences and beliefs are shaped by technological advancement, psychological wellbeing, the adoption of adaptive parenting approaches, and their active roles in fostering children’s character development and school engagement. The research suggests the need to develop an evidence-based family education program promoting effective parenting. From a policy standpoint, it has implications for establishing parent engagement programs, enhancing synergy between parents and teachers, and highlighting the importance of mothers as actors in children's education.
Keywords
instrumental case study, Islamic kindergarten, mothers, parental involvement, parenting styles
Author Bio(s)
Somariah Fitriani is an associate professor at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA, Jakarta Indonesia. Her research interests include school governance, education for street children, child friendly school, facility and classroom management, parental involvement, triple helix in vocational high school, sekolah penggerak program, collaborative learning in higher education, teacher professional development and leadership in educational management. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]
Yessy Yanita Sari is an associate professor and the head of study program in Magister of Primary Education, Postgraduate school, Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA, who has a doctorate degree in educational management from Jakarta State University. She is also an invited speaker of local and national seminars on parenting, particularly in educational institution. Her research focuses on character education, inclusive education, educational psychology, and parenting in a primary school context. She can be contacted at email: [email protected]
Irdalisa is an associate professor of Biology Education & researcher at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA, Indonesia. He graduated with a Doctorate degree from Yogyakarta State University (UNY). He is an expert in the field of learning media development and science learning. She has produced many scientific works. She can be contacted on email: [email protected]
Hamidah Mohamad is an Assistant Professor and Program Director at Tun Razak Graduate School (TRGS), Universiti Tun Abdul Razak who has over two decades of teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Education from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, an MA and a BA (Hons) in English Language Studies from the National University of Malaysia, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak. Hamidah specializes in pedagogy, particularly in Curriculum and Instruction, English Language and Literature, and Communication, demonstrating a deep commitment to higher education. She can be contacted at email: [email protected]
Acknowledgements
Authors thank Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA for its support and bridge a research collaboration with Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Malaysia
Fitriani, S., Sari, Y. Y., Irdalisa, I., & Mohamad, H. (2026). Parental involvement in an Indonesian Islamic kindergarten: An instrumental case study of mothers’ voices. The Qualitative Report, 31(8), 6371-6402.
