The relationship between school-based parent participation and personal social networks, perceived social support, and self-efficacy
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between levels of participation in parent education and personal social networks, perceived social support, and self-efficacy in low-income, predominately black mothers of elementary school students. Research has only recently revealed the complexity of the many forces that interact and influence parent participation. One viable avenue of research, social network analysis, provided the framework from which parent participation was explored in the study. The subjects consisted of 61 mothers of children attending an urban elementary public school. Groups were comprised of those parents who fully participated in parent education (n = 24), parents who did not participate at all (n = 31), and those parents who partially participated (n = 6). Statistical analyses were performed only for the full and nonparticipant parent groups. Subjects were administered the Social Networks interview, a Perceived Social Support questionnaire, and a modified Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. Analyses of covariance were used to test the hypothesis that full participant parents had a significantly higher self-efficacy than nonparticipants following completion of the parent education program. Analyses of variance, standard t tests, and nonparametric equivalents of the t test were conducted to compare the two groups on pretest measures of self-efficacy, personal social networks, and perceived social support, respectively. A comparison of the two parent groups showed that full participant parents evidenced a significantly higher general self-efficacy than nonparticipant parents on pretest and significantly higher personal and general self-efficacy on posttest self-efficacy measures. In regard to personal social network and perceived social support measures, there were significant differences found between parent groups. Findings indicate that full participant parents had larger networks, higher perceptions of social support of friends, fewer children, a higher overall level of education, and were affiliated with more organizations than the nonparticipant group. These results, which reveal differential characteristics between full and nonparticipant parents, suggest the need to further explore the role social networks play in the home/school relationship.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Educational sociology
Recommended Citation
Lichtenberg, Paul J, "The relationship between school-based parent participation and personal social networks, perceived social support, and self-efficacy" (1993). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9328416.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9328416
