By Ong Hui Pheng, Librarian, National Library Singapore

Theme: Parental involvement

The benefits of parental involvement are indisputable. Various research studies have shown the importance of parental involvement in improving the effectiveness of school and in influencing the academic and behavioral outcomes of the children.

There are a few interesting discussions on parental involvement.

One of them relates to the immigrant parents’ barriers to school involvement (Turney, 2009). Language and cultural differences were perceived as the 2 main barriers to the immigrant parents’ school involvement. With an increasing number.of immigrant families settling down in Singapore, this topic may prove relevant to us now. How involved are our native parents in their children’s school activities? How do their involvement in schools compare to those of immigrant parents? How can schools and the society help immigrant parents to blend in with the local education system?

Other research looks at parental involvement from the Asian parenting perspective (Klein, 2008).  Does the Asian parenting style play a part in encouraging or discouraging parental involvement? Klein points out that “while European American parents are more likely to participate in school activities, Chinese families are highly involved in their children’s education in a fashion that might not be recognised by the schools.”

In a family, does the differing parental roles between father and mother make a difference in the impact of their involvement? During the 1990s, there was an increased interest in the roles of fathers and they were urged to become true co-parents. What are the positive effects of a father’s involvement on his children? (http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/Fatherreviews.html) 

The following are some resources from the National Library Singapore on the parental involvement in children’s education.

BOOKS

Awakening children's minds: How Parents and teachers can make a difference
Berk, Laura E.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Call No.: R 649.1 BER For Reference Only
(Available for reference at the National Library Singapore)

All rights reserved. Oxford University Press, 2001

Using research-based consensus, Berk aims to show that adult-child shared activities affect children profoundly - often in a lifelong way. She discusses parents' and teachers' profound influence on children, highlighting essential principles of knowledge about child development. She adopts Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and provides suggestions on how home and school environments can be structured to facilitate learning.

Home advantage: Social class and parental intervention in elementary education  
Lareau, Annette. 
Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, c2000
Call Number: 371.192 LAR
(Available for reference at the National Library Singapore)

All rights reserved. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, c2000

Lareau compares two elementary schools, one consisting of mainly working class families and the other predominately upper middle class families. Contrary to general perception, working class parents are just as interested in their children’s education as upper middle class parents. However her findings reveal what sets the 2 groups of social classes apart - their attitudes towards the teaching professionals. Working class parents perceive teachers as professionals and entrust the responsibilities of educating their children to the schools. By sharp contrast, middle class parents tend to regard teachers as pseudo-professionals and as their social inferiors. They would tap on their social advantages - high status jobs, educational sophistication and organisational skills to help their children succeed in school.

See also:

You may also be interested in these books from the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and the public libraries. To check on the availability of the listed books, you can do a search on our online catalogue at http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/

Working with parents: A Guide for education professionals
Digman, Carmel.
London: Paul Chapman, 2008.
Call No.: R 371.92 DIG For Reference Only

Parents and schools: Creating a successful partnership for students with special needs
Bauer, Anne M.
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill Prentice Hall, c2003.
Call No.: R 371.91 BAU For Reference Only

Self-esteem and early learning
Roberts, Rosemary, 1936-
London: Paul Chapman, 2002.
Call No.: R 158.2083 ROB For Reference Only

Involving parents in their children's learning
Whalley, Margy.
London: Paul Chapman, 2001.
Call No.: R 372.21 WHA For Reference Only

Why bad grades happen to good kids: What Parents need to know, what parents need to do
Silbert, Linda Bress.
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2009.
Call No.: R 371.192 SIL For Reference Only

Family matters: The Role of parents in Singapore education
Khong, Lana Yiu Lan.
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic, 2004.
Call No.: RSING 372.1192095957 KHO

DATABASES

Journal

Barriers to School Involvement: Are Immigrant Parents Disadvantaged?
Turney, Kristin; Kao, Grace.
The Journal of Educational Research. Bloomington: Mar/Apr 2009. Vol. 102, Iss. 4; pg. 257
Full article available from ProQuest Central database

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001), this paper examines race and immigrant differences in barriers to parental involvement at school. Minority immigrant parents perceive more barriers to participation and were less likely to be involved at school, as compared to native-born white parents. However, the research also shows that their involvement relates positively to their time in the United States and their English language ability. Schools were encouraged to take steps to decrease these barriers and to make the minority immigrant parents feel welcome at the children’s school. 

From Mao to Memphis: Chinese Immigrant Fathers' Involvement with Their Children's Education
Klein, Alan.
School Community Journal. Lincoln: Fall 2008. Vol. 18, Iss. 2; pg. 91, 27 pgs
Full article available from ProQuest Central database

This case study explores the role of traditional Chinese fathers in their children’s education through interviews with five men from Mainland China. In a traditional Chinese family setting, the “strict father, kind mother" traditional maxim creates an environment in which mothers indulge and fathers control their children. But the  concept of parent participation is fairly new to Chinese parents. The findings reveal that although the fathers in this study did not visit the schools very often, they all considered themselves highly "engaged" in their children's education. They saw themselves being involved in maintaining their children’s daily schedule and enforcing self-discipline at home.

Motivations of Parental Involvement in Children's Learning: Voices from Urban African American Families of Preschoolers
Huang, Grace Hui-Chen; Mason, Kimberly L.
Multicultural Education. San Francisco: Spring 2008. Vol. 15, Iss. 3; pg. 20, 8 pgs

Full article available from ProQuest Central database

This study aims to provide a better understanding of urban African American families’ motivations for involvement. The findings of this study suggest that parents are motivated to be involved in their children’s learning based upon the need to build relationships with others, to exert influence over their children’s learning, and to ensure their children’s academic success.

All the above articles can be viewed from NLB eResources. Visit http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg then search or browse for "ProQuest" and "EbscoHost" You are required to login to the eResources before using the databases.

WEBSITES

The Effects of the Peers Early Educational Partnership (PEEP) on Children’s Developmental Progress
by Maria Evangelou and Kathy Sylva
Department of Educational Studies, University of Oxford
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR489.pdf

The study aims to observe the effects of the PEEP parental education programme on the children’s development. Based on a comparison with children without PEEP experience, the study looked particularly at how the PEEP parental education programme affects children’s developmental progress in literacy, numeracy development and self-esteem. Results show that children in the PEEP group had achieved 5% more in language comprehension and nearly 8% more in numeracy than their peers.

WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
In Relation to Academic Achievement
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf

Provides a list of research on parent involvement in education explained in layman's terms and discusses the Epstein's Six Types of Parent Involvement theory.

Family Involvement in Children's Education: Successful Local Approaches
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/FamInvolve/index.html

This website showcases the profiles of 10 parent involvement programs in the United States and describes their highly successful activities. These 10 local programs were selected to highlight differing approaches to building successful school-family partnerships.

School Involvement
http://www.education.com/topic/school-involvement/

Provides a useful list of helpful articles on homework help and school involvement. The useful articles, mostly culled from various government agencies and research institutions, illustrate how parents can work with schools and teachers to help their children succeed academically. 

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
http://www.pta.org/

The United States National PTA is a non-profit organisation founded in 1897. Its membership is open to anyone who believes in the Mission and Purpose of the National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA). Every person who joins a local PTA automatically becomes a member of both the state and national PTAs. The overall purposes include acting as a powerful voice for all children, providing a relevant resource for families and communities, and serving as a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child.

National Literacy Trust: Father involvement and literacy
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/Fatherreviews.html

Provides a link to a list of research and studies on the positive outcomes of fathers’ involvements in their children’s education. 

NEW ARRIVALS

Take a sneak peak at new books from the National Library. For more information about the book, search the catalogue at http://www.nl.sg

All rights reserved. Viking, 2007

Teach like your hair's on fire: The Methods and madness inside Room 56
Esquith, Rafe
New York: Viking, 2007.
R 370.1 ESQ
(Available for reference at the National Library Singapore)

An inspirational award-winning teacher, Esquith, shares his techniques, exercises and innovations he uses inside Room 56. Esquith is a fifth grade teacher in Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, located in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Los Angeles. Most of his students come from immigrant families and are learning English as a second language. Many of them however defy all stereotypes of their backgrounds and consistently score in the top 5 to 10 percent nationally in standardised tests. Equith is the only teacher in history to receive the National Medal of Arts.

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