Parent and teacher perceptions of effective parental involvement in preschoolers' academic development

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to study and identify how parenting, communicating, volunteering, and learning at home, which are four of six typologies of parental involvement as defined by Epstein (1995), are being practiced in the preschools of two, private English schools in north Lebanon. To fulfill this purpose, a qualitative study was carried out which sought to identify teachers and parents perceptions of parental engagement in early childhood education. This thesis also investigates the barriers for parental involvement as reported by the participants, and concludes with recommendations for further studies. Data was gathered through a mixed methods approach using quantitative surveys distributed to parent participants and qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with teacher participants. The findings reveal some discrepancies between parents attitudes regarding their involvement and the actions they perform to fulfill their involvement in their childrens learning. Consequently, the findings shed light on the importance of spreading awareness of good implementation of parent and teacher partnerships starting at the preschool level.