Parental involvement and students' performance and self-esteem in suburban and city parochial elementary (K-6) schools
Abstract
This study was an exploratory and descriptive investigation of a parochial elementary school program in Westchester County and the Bronx, New York City, and sought to examine the relationship of parental involvement in school-related activities at home, school-home communication, and parental attitude toward school to students' academic performance, attendance, and self-esteem. This study is based primarily on the research on social capital by Coleman and Hoffer (1987). The theoretical formulation and evidence examined suggested a relationship among parental involvement in school-related activities at home, school-home communication, and parental attitude toward school, and students' academic performance, attendance, and self-esteem. Multiple correlation and Pearson correlation analyses were used to test the hypotheses of this study. The Hopkins Survey of School and Family Connections (HSSFC), developed by Epstein and Salinas (1993), was used to determine the level of parental involvement and the type of involvement. The Parent Involvement Questionnaire (PIQ), developed by the investigator, measured the degree of parental involvement in the elementary school program. The Personal Information Questionnaire was developed by the researcher to obtain pertinent socioeconomic and demographic data of the parents in this study. The participants of this study included 317 elementary school children from three Catholic schools in Westchester County and three from the Bronx in New York City. The major findings indicated that parent involvement in school-related activities at home, school-home communication, and parental attitude toward school had a significant correlation with children's performance, attendance, and self-esteem. Parental involvement in school-related activities was the most important predictor of children's performance, attendance, and self-esteem. The study also found that students from Westchester County Catholic schools had significantly higher self-esteem and attendance than those from the Bronx. The conclusion drawn from the results of the study suggest that future researchers continue to examine parental involvement in school-related activities at home, school-home communication, and parental attitude toward school as they relate to student achievement.
Subject Area
School administration|Elementary education
Recommended Citation
Chilampikunnel, Mani Augustine, "Parental involvement and students' performance and self-esteem in suburban and city parochial elementary (K-6) schools" (1995). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9530944.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9530944
