A Qualitative Study of African-American Parents’ Perceptions of Parental Involvement

Abstract

Improved academic performance, among many other factors, has been linked in the research to parental involvement. Unfortunately, many view African-American parents as uninvolved because of the activities in which they choose to participate. This study is a narratological case study that examines the perceptions of African-American parents in regard to parental involvement. The initial research question was: What are the perceptions of parents regarding their involvement in schools? The three sub-questions that were used to help answer this were: (1) How do parents define involvement? (2) What are their experiences with parental involvement? and (3) How do teachers involve parents with their child’s school? Parental perceptions of parental involvement were analyzed using qualitative measures. The participants of this study were all African-American – four females and one male. This research study involved the study of parents’ perceptions by collecting data sources in the form of face-to-face interviews, written narratives, and a brief focus group. The findings of the research study imply that the definition of parental involvement lacks consideration of various ethnicities. Non-African-American parents might perceive African-American parents as uninvolved or disassociated with the learning of their children, while in reality, the tool by which parents are measured is inadequate. This suggests that school systems should invest time in providing professional development in better understanding how one’s lived experiences can shape one’s own truths and work to understand the perspective of parents of color .