In the process of gaining more insight to foster classroom communities, the dissertation I chose to focus on is discussed below.
Title: Teachers’ Perceptions of Strategies for Parents to Improve Reading Development
The Problem of the Research: The problem that is addressed in this study is the significant number of elementary school students who fail to demonstrate proficiency in reading and language arts as determined by the Georgia Milestones English Language Arts Test (Waters-Jackson, 2021). In this qualitative study, the researcher thus examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of parental involvement strategies to reinforce second-and third-grade students’ reading instruction.
The Purpose of the Study: To explain the purpose of the study, Waters-Jackson, (2021) mentioned that the purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of effective research-based parental involvement strategies, materials, and training programs that might enable parents to assist their children with developing grade-level reading skills. Also, identifying teacher perceptions of different strategies to give parents help at home could lead to planning and implementing viable solutions that could significantly improve parental involvement and increase student achievement (Waters-Jackson, 2021).
Population/participants of the Research: For the participants of this research study, Waters-Jackson (2021) mentioned that there were 10 teachers in total; nine women and one man, eight Black and two White, with one teacher having 23 years of teaching experience.
Methodology and Data Sources: For this study, The researcher used a qualitative methodology to collect data from teachers of Elementary School in Georgia. Data was collected from the second and third-grade teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews. During the interview, the researcher asked open-ended questions that allowed participants to elaborate more in-depth and to express their opinion openly (Waters-Jackson, 2021).
Conclusions: Creating a conducive learning environment for improving student achievement and success rates are the main common goals for parents and teachers. This research revealed that parental involvement often increases academic performance because of parents’ efforts at home in conjunction with the school (Waters-Jackson, 2021). Two key components, namely homes and schools, are bridged with parental involvement. This study may provide more insight into educational leaders, teachers, and curriculum supervisors to enhance parental participation for greater success (Waters-Jackson, 2021).
Three Resources Used by the Author, and Its Relevance to the Study
- Bronfenbrenner. U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In International Encyclopedia of Education (Vol. 3, 2nd ed.). Oxford: Elsevier.
Out of the two conceptual frameworks, this resource helped Waters-Jackson (2021) with one of the conceptual frameworks of the study. Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological theory suggests that different subsystems influence students’ academic achievement (Waters-Jackson (2021). To explain the Bronfenbrenner systems, Waters-Jackson (2021) mentioned that there are five subsystems that affect human growth and development; microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems. The microsystem includes family, school, church, and the neighborhood in which children live. The mesosystem consists of the interaction of two microsystems; an example might be the interaction of both family and school. The exosystem is the indirect environment, such as a parent’s place of employment. The macrosystem is culture, and the chronosystem is time. As the ultimate goal for creating a positive learning environment for parents and teachers is to improve students’ achievement and success rates. This resource’s insight on the various subsystems that influence students’ academic achievement in creating a positive learning environment is well relevant to the study.
- Epstein, J. L. (1995, January). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the
children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712. Retrieved from
https://jreadingclass.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/school-family-communitypartnerships.Pdf
The next resource by Epstein’s (2011) parental model, served as the other conceptual framework for this study. Epstein’s parental involvement model identifies six types of parental involvement: (a) parenting, (b) communicating, (c) volunteering, (d) learning at home, (e) decision-making, and (f) collaborating with the community (Waters-Jackson, 2021). Each of these components is extremely crucial in establishing a conducive learning environment for students to thrive and grow socially and academically and thus makes it well pertinent to the study.
- Barnyak, N. C. (2011). A qualitative study in a rural community: Investigating the attitudes, beliefs, and interactions of young children and their parents regarding storybook read alouds. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39, 149-159. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-011-0445-1
Finally, I find Barnyak’s (2011) study was a useful resource for this study, as Waters-Jackson, (2021) mentioned regarding closing the reading achievement gaps that parental involvement is effective in assisting children with learning to read at grade level. As Barnyak’s (2011) study describes the physical and verbal interactions of rural children and their parents regarding reading books aloud, I found Barnyak’s (2011) study not only relevant but also adds on an important component “read aloud” for creating a learning environment at home that would foster students’ literacy challenges and rates.
How the Information Gleaned from this Dissertation May Further My Work:
For my own research, I am focusing on “Teachers’ Perceptions on Response to Intervention for At-Risk First-Graders’ Achievement Gap on Reading Fluency”. I chose this study by Waters-Jackson (2021) intentionally as this research not only focuses on creating a conducive learning environment but also brings an insight into how parental involvement reduces academic challenges mainly in the area of reading development. Creating a positive learning environment for improving student achievement and success rates have been always one of the main common goals for parents and teachers. Therefore, as an educator, I found the information gleaned through this study was very useful for all the stakeholders; educators, administrators, and parents to guide in building the connection between parent, school, and the community in creating a positive learning environment to enhance students’ social and academic success on reading development.
References
Waters-Jackson, C. S. G. (2021). (dissertation). Teachers’ Perceptions of Strategies for Parents to Improve Reading Development. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fteachers-perceptions-strategies-parents-improve%2Fdocview%2F2501231581%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D14872
Barnyak, N. C. (2011). A qualitative study in a rural community: Investigating the attitudes, beliefs, and interactions of young children and their parents regarding storybook read alouds. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39, 149-159. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-011-0445-1
Epstein, J. L. (1995, January). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712. Retrieved from https://jreadingclass.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/school-family-communitypartnerships.Pdf
Bronfenbrenner. U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In International Encyclopedia of Education (Vol. 3, 2nd ed.). Oxford: Elsevier.