Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Gary A. Proulx
Table of Contents
Abstract i
Introduction 1
Statement of Problem 2
Statement of Hypothesis 5
Method
Participants 6
Instruments 6
Experimental Design 7
Procedure 9
Results 10
Discussion 13
Implications 15
References 16
Appendices
Appendix A Consent Form 21
Abstract
the 5th grade enrichment class at PS X, a Title 1 funded Public School in the
classes are populated with students who, in general, are performing at (or
above) grade level expectations. The action researcher has observed strong
During the course of this project, the action researcher spoke with and
After the surveys were analyzed and correlated it is clear that there
child) of the parents that translate to the academic success of the child.
connection and, ideally, if these behaviors can be shared and taught to other
parents.
Introduction
This action researcher has been given the opportunity to teach the 5th
School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York; this
researcher felt it was an honor and a privilege to have been asked to lead
this group of motivated learners. From the very beginning there was a
notable difference about the parents behavior; different from the parents of
X. The difference was their involvement. From day one, they were outside to
greet and meet the teacher. They handed the teacher school supplies and
telephone numbers. They shook the teachers hand and some even offered
hugs. Later in the month, during the annual Open School Night, there
were so many parents in the classroom, there werent enough chairs for
everyone to sit down, and so they had to stand. It was an eye opening
the top students due in large part because of their parents involvement.
So, the teacher asked himself: What is it about these parents that are so
others, or are these just instinctual, possibly even cultural, behaviors that
1
people simply possess? From those observations and questions, the seed of
2
Statement of the Problem
are not directly engaged in their childs education, the students level of
achievement suffers. Most P.S. X parents are not obviously involved in the
day-to-day activities of the school. Often parents are seen in the school only
when they are called in for disciplinary reasons. However, when parents
show regular and ongoing support and concern about their childs studies,
their child tends to embody that same sense of care and ownership over
public schools today (Desimone, 1999; Epstein, 1991; Hill, 2004, Ladson-
Billings, 2001). Parent involvement is more than just parents attending PTA
meetings, Parent-Teacher Conferences, and Bake Sales. Its more than just
dimensional (Moore, Food, & Milner, 2005; Wong, Alkins, 1999). When
parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view of the childs mind
that the home and the school are connected (Horvat, Weininger, & Laureau,
3
and supportive to not just the students but to the parents. Theorist Albert
translate
positive
the effects. Researchers are still trying to identify the most effective types
that looked at parental behaviors and how they were influenced by multiple
factors that included such things as how welcomed they felt at school, their
and better informed by the school so they are better equipped to help their
child at home. One thing many researchers agree on is the most effective
4
directly with their children on learning activities at home (Epstein, 1991;
specifically in public school district 19, was done to help engage parental
involvement. There were five successful approaches and they included: (1) a
instructions for teachers, (4) field tested and revised to suit school/district
issues, and (5) motivates success for future learning. The idea was that
materials, and testing programs (Levine, 1982). The more intensely parents
are involved the more beneficial the achievement effects (Krajewski & Sabir,
1999) and programs are being designed to educate and empower urban
The extent to which parents believe that they can have a positive influence
5
on their childrens education is justly connected to how their childrens
too many African American students and other students of color (e.g.,
Hispanic Americans and Native Americans) are not faring well in gifted
research shows that when parents are involved students have higher
decreased use of drugs & alcohol, and fewer instances of violence (Jeynes,
2010).
set higher standards for their childrens educational activities than parents
6
single parents will not spend as much time helping their children at home
as higher-income, two parent households (Barton, Corey, Perez, St. Louis, &
George, 2004).
youngsters succeed in
The more intensely parents are involved, the more beneficial the
achievement effects (Stewart, Stewart, & Simons, 2007). The more parents
for student achievement (Herbert, 2001; Reed, 2009; Foster & Peele, 2001).
East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, may lead to the ability
7
to share those characteristics with administration, colleagues and parents,
8
Method
Participants
funded Public School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New
York. The parents have children in the 5th grade enrichment class.
girls (eight Black, six Latino) and eight boys (four Black, four Latino).
Instruments
2010. The instruments include a consent form and parent surveys, all
initial survey was entitled Parent Survey, (Appendix B). This was
given to all parents who attended the annual Open School Night,
which was held in early October, 2010. The second survey was
parents during the Open School Night. The third survey was given
9
to parents during the Parent/Teacher Conferences, which were held
Experimental Design
The researcher had one group of parents (X), the designated treatment
group, and there was no control group. The treatment group was compared
to itself using data collected from the various instruments (O). The
group of parents.
internal validity because some participants may not give honest answers to
the proposed questions and/or feel judged. Some participants could also be
10
possible threat to internal validity because the collection of data may be
Mortality could be a valid threat due to the fact that during the course
of this study, some participants may drop out. Finally, it is possible that
Hawthorne effect, and placebo effect are all viable and should be
they have not met. Additionally, inclement weather could also affect the
the same questions and actions could be asked by a whole group of other
participants were not randomly selected so this could have an impact on the
11
interactions with the researcher (who is also the classroom teacher) may
one questionnaire and one survey. Because of this, some of the questions
may seem repetitious to the participants but the action will be brief.
bias due to previous interactions with some parents. Some parents may
have a more positive reaction to the researcher than others. There may be
bias due to age, race, and gender. The researcher may also have made
Finally, the last two possible threats to external validity include two
Effect and the Placebo Effect. The Hawthorne effect because some
participants may indeed modify their responses because they know they
have been selected and titled, Highly Engaged Parents. The Placebo
Effect because the parents may actually increase their involvement even
more after the study is completed. Students may also work harder to
Procedure
12
The action researcher attempted to identify possible characteristics of
parents who are highly engaged in their childs academic success. The
Appendices B & C) were given to the parents who attended Open School
School in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. For each
of the 22 students in the selected 5th grade enrichment class, all had a
The researcher used a Likert Scale with the surveys and then
parent survey was a collection of the top questions from the first survey to
find a correlation between those responses and the students New York
state ELA test scores. Those results were graphed, and although there are
some strong correlations, for example, to the childs high score and whether
or not the parent feels responsible for their childs academic success,
further research is needed to fully identify how closely those are related and
whether or not race, gender, marital status, age, and education level of the
13
14
Results
answer. The answers were put to a Likert scale and then correlations were
made between those responses and the students 4th grade New York State
ELA test scores. The questions were based on the behaviors of the parents,
not the students. The goal was to figure out what are the common
12, 13, 16, and 20. The researcher then created a second survey and asked
the parents the questions again, mixing up the order, and correlated their
responses to the students 4th grade New York state ELA test scores, due in
15
part because the researcher was not formally testing the students at this
particular moment. These students have already proven that they belong in
16
"I've read to my child throughout
their childhood."
760
740
720
700
NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Score 680 Linear ()
660
640
620
1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
17
The above graph shows there is possibly a weak, positive relationship
between the parent talking to their childs teacher and the academic
success of the student with a correlation of rxy 0.447.
18
Discussion
characteristics with formative test scores. The first characteristic was the
with the parent reading to their child throughout their childhood. This had a
correlation of rxy +0.749. Next came the parents comfort level with coming
School Night. This had a correlation of rxy +0.735. Finally, the fourth
characteristic had to do with the parents comfort level with talking with
the childs teachers. This had a weak correlation, but it was still valid with
rxy +0.447.
academic success (Jeynes, 2010). It is clear that highly involved parents are
education, they are more likely going to have a higher degree of success
19
research has shown this to be true: when parents are involved, it makes a
difference.
where parents have not been formally educated, their intuition and
and setting up homework routines, all lead to higher grades and, potentially,
a shot at a college degree. As the researcher spoke with the parents of the
students in the enrichment class, it was clear that education is the number
one priority for them and they would do everything they needed to do to
the eastern section of Brooklyn, on the border of Queens, has just over
87,000 residents (76% are renters) with a yearly median income of just over
$24, 000. Families living below poverty level are just over 34% and
Studies have shown that the home environment has a powerful effect
on what children and youth learn, not only in school but outside of school as
income and education in influencing what children learn in the first years of
20
life and during the years of formal schooling. In most circumstances, the
researcher has witnessed that at PS X, when parents are not involved the
students lack focus, drive, and have an attitude that seems predestined for
failure.
21
Implications
when called, email the teacher, and ultimately inspire their children to focus
on their education so that they will not fall into the harsh reality of these
and has not yet met a group of harder working, highly motivated students in
school ready to learn and have the self-esteem and confidence to make
mistakes and learn from them. Where do they get this? Is it instinctual? Or
succeed. Whatever the combination, we must work to figure it out and find
involved.
the students. Children must get the scaffolding they need at home in order
parents who are living in poverty and are not educated beyond a high
school diploma, who push their children to do better in life then they did.
22
These parents are trying their very best, against the odds, to keep their
grades. This researcher is not a parent, but has the utmost respect for the
all the parents who continue to push their children, inspire them to embrace
education and encourage them to have college on their mind sets, not as a
23
References
Barton, A., Drake, C., Perez, J., St. Louis, K, & George, M. (2004, May).
database.
Wilson Web.
Research, 93(1), 11-30. Retrieved March 13, 2010, from JSTOR database.
Epstein, Joyce L., & Dauber, Susan L. (1991). School Programs and Teacher
24
Classroom Diversity: Connecting Curriculum to Students Lives.
Portsmouth: Heinemann
Hampton, F., Mumford, D., & Bond, L. (1998). Parent Involvement in the
database (EJ572944).
Hill, Dale. (2004). The Boy and the Rose. Gifted Child Today, 22(24), 64.
25
Krajewski, B, & Sabir, L. (2001). Every Child a Success: Reaching for a
(EJ601237)
Kappan, 63(8), 523-526. Retrieved on March 21, 2010, from the JSTOR
database.
McNamara, E., Weininger E., & Lareau, A. (2003). From Social Ties to
26
Menard-Warwick, J. (2007). Biliteracy and Schooling in an Extended-Family
Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D. & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of Knowledge for
Moore, J., Ford, D., & Milner, R. (2005). Recruitment is Not Enough:
Quarterly, 49, 51-67. Retrieved on February 25, 2010, from SAGE database.
[PowerPoint slides].
Overstreet, S., Devine, J., Bevans, K., & Efreom, Y. (2005). Predicting
www.interscience.wiley.com
27
Powell-Mikle, A, & Patton, M. (2004). Meaningful Learning with African
Reed, Wayne (2009). The Bridge is Built: The Role of Local Teachers in an
Stewart, E., Stewart, E., & Simons, R. (2007). The Effect of Neighborhood
28
29
Appendices
Dear Principal,
Sincerely,
G. Proulx
Gary A. Proulx
30
Appendix B- Parent Survey
Parent Survey
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.
31
8. Ive read to my child throughout their childhood.
_____
9. I always attend functions such as Open House at my childs school.
_____
10. I currently read to my child at least 3 nights a week.
_____
11. I feel comfortable coming to my childs school.
_____
12. I feel responsible for my childs academic success.
_____
13. I feel comfortable talking with my childs teacher(s).
_____
14. My child completes his/her homework as soon as they get home.
_____
15. I was a high-achieving student in school.
_____
16. My child is computer-savvy.
_____
17. I am computer savvy.
_____
18. My child can access the Internet for classroom assignments.
_____
19. We have resources at home, such as a computer with Internet
access,
and measurement tools (i.e.: rulers, calculators, protractor, compass
etc.). _____
20. I put pressure on my child to do well in school.
_____
32
Demographic Parent Survey
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.
33
Appendix D- Parent Survey # 2
Parent Survey #2
Directions: Please select one of the numbers below that best answers the
questions and place your response on the space provided to the right.
Thank you for your cooperation.
34
Appendix E-
Correlation # 1
35
"I feel responsible for my child's
academic success."
760
740
720
700
NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Scores 680 Linear ()
660
640
620
0 5
Appendix F-
Correlation # 2
Respo ELA
nse Score
3 671
3 690
4 704
36
4 722
3 704
4 690
3 685
3 685
2 671
3 671
4 738
3 671
3 690
"I've read to my child throughout
4 712
3 679 their childhood."
760
740
720
3 671 700
Graph shows
NYS ELA 4th there
Grade is possibly
Test a strong, positive
Score 680 Linear ()
0.749 rxy correlation of rxy 0.749.
660
640
620
0 5
37
Appendix G - Correlation
#3
Respo ELA
nse Score
3 671 "I always attend functions such as
2 690 Open House & Parent Teacher Conferences
4 704 at my child's school."
4 722
760
4 704
3 690 740
3 685 720
3 685 700 Linear ()
2 671 NYS ELA 4th Grade Test Score 680
3 671
660
4 738
640
3 671
3 690 620
0 5
4 712
3 679 Parent Response / Likert Scale
3 671
Graph shows there is possibly a strong, positive
0.735 rxy correlation of rxy 0.735.
Appendix H - Correlation
#4
38
3 679
3 671
Graph shows there is possibly a positive correlation
0.447 rxy of rxy 0.447.
39