Parental Involvement in School to Improve Academic Achievement: Primary Teachers' Views

Abstract

This is a preliminary study exploring primary school teachers' perception and concerns on encouragingparents'participationinschooltoimproveprimaryschoolpupils'academicachievement. Parents'participationinMalaysianschoolsinimprovingacademicachievement,especiallyinprimary levelisanewconceptinMalaysia.Thus,thisstudyaimstoinvestigatetheaspectofparentalinvolvement favoured by primary school teachers and to identify the type of parental involvement favoured by parents from the teachers' view. A model developed by Epstein containing six aspects of parental in- volvement in school is adapted in forming questionnaires for this study. The six areas based on the modelarecommunication,parenting,volunteering,homeinvolvement,schoolgovernanceanddecision making and also community service. Questionnaires consisting of 40 questions with 6 different areas were distributed to 60 respondents. Findings indicate that the respondents' perception regarding parental involvement is at a satisfactory level. It was also discovered that the aspects of involvement preferred by teachers are parenting and communication. The type of parental involvement favoured by parents from the teachers' point of view is parenting as well as communication.