Teacher’s Educational Level
The quest for quality teachers is a substantial aspect that drives the urge to invest much in the education career (Brickman, 2010). On a local perspective, Cristina (2012), the Hon. Minister of Education and Employment at that time, stated that teachers continue to be the most important investment in high-quality education. Subsequently, over the past few years, steps have been taken to ensure this high standard of education.
The teaching qualification for primary education has been extended from a Bachelor’s degree to a Masters level with exit points at post-graduate certificate, and for the Early Years Cycle, which incorporate Kindergarten and the first two years of the primary education, prospective teachers require a Bachelor’s degree and a Masters in Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood Education and Care. In addition, two years of teaching experience are a requisite for graduates to qualify as teachers (European Commission, 2019) and obtain a warrant. Furthermore, educators undergo significant training from their undergraduate period and are expected to actively participate in management-led community of professional educators (CoPE) sessions throughout their professional career (Doe, 2020). They go through transformative stages, which determine their experience, professionalism, and competence in the teaching practice. However, research has clearly shown that parental involvement in children’s learning leads to greater attainment and adaptation (Epstein, 2010; Goodall & Vorhaus, 2011), hence the quality of teaching is also impacted indirectly by the qualities that the parents possess.
Epstein’s Theoretical Framework
This research is based on parental perceptions in order to include their voice and uses Epstein’s theoretical framework (Epstein, 2010; Epstein & Sheldon, 2019) as the foundation of analysis. Epstein (2010) states that parental participation is a key resource within an educational institution and proposed a parental engagement framework that includes six forms of involvement as shown in figure 1 below (Epstein, 2010, p. 295).
Epstein’s proposed theoretical framework bears the same aims and responsibilities, that is, the holistic education of the main stakeholders. In type 3, Epstein (2019, 2010) for example suggests, that parents should form an integral part of our schools, whilst in type 5 Epstein (2019, 2010) stresses that parents’ support and advice needs to be given substantial weight and included into shaping a significant part of the school’s development plan, which in our local context does not often occur.
Due to the introduction of the emergent curriculum as well as the project approach pedagogy in the early years, parents in Malta, are now being invited more often into the classrooms for the celebration of the project. These encounters create a bond between the parents and the educators, to the extent that most of the educators get well acquainted with the respective parents in their classroom, and sometimes even in the school which can be linked to Epstein’s (2019, 2010) type 1.
Due to the current situation of the pandemic and online teaching platform, a new user-friendly interface (Microsoft Teams) was put into practice. In type 4, Epstein (2019, 2010) emphasizes the relative significance of supplying information and helping students whilst at home. This online link not only offers such an opportunity, but also provides the facility to both the parents and the educators to keep an open communication, which is also suggested by Epstein (2019, 2010) in Type 2.
Parental Involvement to Parental Engagement
Parental involvement needs to be not just a perception, but considered as a horizontal relationship. Goodall and Montgomery (2014) present a model of the progression from parental involvement to parental engagement. They emphasize upon the shift from the relationship between parents and schools, where the school is in control of the relationships and the transfer of information, to a focus on the relationship between parents and their children’s learning, where parents are “engaged with the learning of their children not due to dictates from the school but because of their own perceptions of their role as parents” (Peters et al., 2007, as cited in Goodall & Montgomery, 2014, p. 405).
Parental Engagement involves a greater commitment than involvement. It is more than just being involved in an activity, parental engagement generates a sense of ownership.
Epstein and Sheldon (2019) suggest that these terms should be replaced by “school, family and community partnership” as this emphasizes the shared responsibility for children’s learning (Epstein & Sheldon, 2019). This theory stipulates that when the internal and external models amalgamate and work in collaboration with each other, academic success is accomplished (Griffin & Steen, 2010). Hence, the three overlapping spheres of family, school and community (Epstein, 2005).
A whole school approach to learning – targeting the home environment
Furthermore, research indicates that the most powerful effect on attainment outcomes is parental involvement in learning at home rather than parental engagement in school activities (Harris & Goodall, 2007). In early childhood education, parents’ involvement extends what the child is doing in class to an actual life situation at home (Zhou et al., 2020). Research has shown that what happens outside the school accounts for eighty per cent of the variance in how well children from various backgrounds perform at school (Rasbash et al, 2010). Conversely, Sylva et al (2004), state that “what parents do is more important than who parents are”. The quality of the learning environment provided at home has much greater significance to the children’s intellectual and social development, than the parents’ level of education, their occupation or their income. Reading with a child or creating play opportunities, for example, leads to a greater level of these developments. Parents with a high-level academic background and also parents who possess a low-level of education, but who are engaged in their children’s learning at home, can both provide their children with a good academic start.
When children feel that they are being supported by their parents, positive behaviour develops, and parents are less probable to be faced with special educational needs. Reay (2004) however points out that parental involvement within schools and policies, does not always take into consideration all parental backgrounds, particularly those with a difficult socio-economic one, and thus may increase the inequality gap instead of decreasing it. Many parents still lack self-efficacy and support to engage, and are also facing economic challenges unfairly (Lareau et al, 2015), hence children also do not benefit equally from the engagement that exists.
Henderson and Mapp (2002) stress the importance of seizing learning opportunities during informal interactions. In order for parents to be inspired to offer their children informal and explicit learning situations at home, this type of knowledge needs to be yet developed. Parents could for example be guided on how involving children in daily routines such as preparing lunch, shopping lists, getting dressed, and enriching “these routines with stimulating discussions, could trigger their children’s curiosity and exploration urge. This type of “home curriculum” could greatly boost children’s language development, cognitive development and academic achievement” (Foster et al., 2005; Weigel et al., 2006 as cited in OECD p. 5, 2011).
A number of policies within Malta’s educational context, consider the relationship between parents and schools as critical for students’ education (Ministry for Education, 2020-2030; Ministry for Education, 2014-2024). This importance is also reflected in the National Curriculum Framework for all, where it states that parental involvement in schooling is one of the most important factors for the successful educational development of the students (NCF, 2012). However, some research shows that parental involvement and engagement is still not part of the school culture in the local context (Cutajar, 2016).
Barriers to parental involvement and engagement
The parents’ perception that the teacher is the best candidate to educate their children (Brock & Edmunds, 2010) is one of the reasons that inhibits the parents from being actively involved in their children’s learning.
Barriers between teachers and parents
Several strategies to encourage sharing of objectives and techniques amongst teachers have always been part of the school’s agenda, but these strategies need to be further widespread to the parents on a different level. Some parents for example only gain information through other parents, most of whom are oblivious or misinformed of the teacher’s intent. Parents are expected to support the teachers’ pedagogy without being provided the necessary knowledge on how to reinforce the teachers’ teaching strategies (Epstein, 2010).
Furthermore, if knowledge of what is expected and what is required for the students’ success is extended to the parents, the parents will have a clear understanding of the goals set by the teacher for the students and the learning outcomes for the students will be exponential.
Types of Parental Involvement in Epstein’s Theory
Epstein has analyzed different types of parental involvement that can help improve the performance of students. Students with parents involved in their education have higher chances of earning higher grades since they also attend school regularly and have better social skills (Newman et al., 2019). Additionally, promoting parental involvement is encouraged since students feel valued and motivated in their academic work. Education expert Joyce Epstein divided the types of parental involvement into six categories.
Parenting
Parenting is one of the factors that Epstein has analyzed in her theory. She argues that parents should ensure that they support their children’s education by providing a healthy environment that can guarantee that students can focus on their studies. In most cases, students from families with domestic violence issues experience challenges when trying to concentrate in school since they are mentally disturbed. Moreover, they develop poor social skills, impacting their academic performance. Consequently, parents can focus on the home environment and guarantee that children can acquire the needed support to improve their school performance. Parenting can also involve supporting children using government assistance programs and encouraging students to engage in different academic activities in the community. Parents can ensure that they help their children set their goals and develop strategies to help them reach them. Moreover, many students can express themselves to their parents without any fear. Thus, parents can learn the challenges their children face and develop solutions to these issues to improve their school performance.
Communicating
Communicating with other individuals is one of the ways that can help in building solid relationships. Many people learn about others by interacting with them and gaining information about their life experiences. Thus, Epstein states that keeping parents informed and ensuring that they can express their concerns and ask questions is essential to parental involvement. Communication can be achieved by holding meetings with parents and ensuring that they present their views about student performance. Communicating can also involve sending emails to parents about their children’s progress in school. The information can help parents involve themselves in improving the performance of their children. Sending student work home with complete information and a detailed explanation of their grades can be another important way of communicating with parents. The approach can help parents to be more concerned about the progress of the students. Additionally, it can motivate parents to ensure that they help their children in achieving better grades.
Parents can also be informed about the work students are doing in the classroom and how they can be helpful in these class works. For instance, parents can be encouraged to motivate their children and provide guidelines to them on ways that they can achieve their goals. In most cases, teachers are busy and may not interact with parents. However, teachers must ensure that they make themselves available to take parent calls and be part of parent-teacher meetings. The approach can enable a teacher to create a better relationship with the parents and engage them in school activities to enhance the students’ performance. Hence, communication is a fundamental approach that Epstein analyzed when focusing on parent involvement.
Volunteering
Volunteering is another aspect that Epstein has analyzed in her theory. Parent involvement can largely be improved by encouraging them to volunteer and participate in various practices that can help grow and develop their children (Epstein, 2018). Additionally, volunteering can involve classroom and schoolwork, which broadly enables students to focus on their academic goals. In this case, teachers can invite parents to help out in the school and confirm that they are aware of the various opportunities. For instance, they can be informed about office work, running concessions at games, and aiding safety patrols. The volunteer programs can also be introduced to ensure that parents are involved in decision-making processes in school.
Parental involvement does not necessarily entail encouraging parents to help their children achieve better grades but also being part of the school programs. Epstein reveals that parents should be encouraged to be part of the different activities in a school to help them learn more about projects that can help improve school performance. The volunteer programs are also important as they encourage parents to support teachers in school practices that involve the growth and development of the students. For instance, games in the school curriculum have been of great significance since they allow students to interact and develop their social skills. Therefore, Epstein has used volunteering as an essential type of parental involvement.
Decision-Making
The decision-making process in learning institutions can influence the performance of the students and the school. Many schools perform poorly due to poor decisions. Therefore, Epstein states that decision-making is a type of parental involvement that can help acquire different ideas that can develop a school (Ihmeideh et al., 2020). Moreover, schools that run as a partnership between parents and educators have high chances of developing since solutions to challenges experiences can be acquired easily. In this case, teachers can encourage parents to attend meetings and present their opinions regarding various issues. Additionally, they can be motivated to join Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and be part of the team that makes decisions.
Schools have different positions that require teachers and parents to vote. Thus, parents should be informed about these elections and be encouraged to take part in voting. Also, parents can be encouraged to vie for the various positions that can be used to develop the school and improve the students’ performance. Epstein’s theory reveals that making sure that parents are aware of the local school board elections is vital since more parents can vote and vie for the positions, leading to the acquisition of the most suited candidates. The process can lead to better solutions and ideas being acquired during the decision-making process and improve the school’s performance. The decision-making process can also involve other issues, such as focusing on the proper use and maintenance of school resources. Therefore, decision-making is another essential type of parent involvement that Epstein has analyzed as it can help improve student performance and the development of the school.
Learning at Home
Learning at home has been encouraged by many educational professionals since it helps students improve their academic performance. Modern technology has led to changes in the education sector, whereby students can participate in online discussions. Parents and other family members have been encouraged to help students with their studies as they can be great educational resources for the students (Hamlin & Flessa, 2018). Parents should be educated on the best ways to provide at-home learning by keeping them informed about the assignments and projects and their requirements. The approach can also allow parents to become more concerned with the progress of their children’s learning. Additionally, providing parents with the resources designed to enable them to understand the subject being taught is vital. In this case, teachers can ensure that parents better understand what the students should do to acquire good grades.
Ensuring that parents can have ways to help the children learn at home is another essential aspect that has been encouraged in Epstein’s theory. For instance, teachers can send home lists of voluntary reading and other practices to guarantee that their children study at home. Another aspect involves supporting children to practice home learning by providing the required resources. For instance, teachers can encourage parents to ensure that the students have gadgets that can help them interact with other learners online. Moreover, parents can guarantee that there is a conducive home learning environment. Therefore, learning at home is another type of parental involvement that has been encouraged by Epstein.
Collaborating with the Community
Parents should ensure that they are involved in different community projects. Typically, parents who take part in the development of society are likely to be concerned about the school system. To help parents collaborate with the community, teachers can provide information on public activities and help build a strong relationship between parents (Nor & Yasin, 2018). Community leaders can also be invited to the school meetings and present their views regarding ways to develop a school. Furthermore, the leaders can be encouraged to be part of parent events that schools use to improve their performance. Collaborating with community leaders can help in acquiring more ideas about developing the schools and the education sector. Activities to educate the students, such as games and music competitions, can also be created, whereby the leaders can inform the students on how to improve their academic performance. Therefore, the six categories of parental involvement that Epstein has addressed can help enhance students’ growth and development and academic performance.
References
Brickman, W. W. (2010). The Quest for Quality in Teacher Education. European Education, 42(2), 67–73. Web.
Dolores, C., Adrian, C., James, C., & Kevin, B. (2012). The Council for the Teaching Profession in Malta: Teachers’ Code of Ethics and Practice. 1–28.
Elliot B. Weininger, Annette Lareau, Dalton Conley, What Money Doesn’t Buy: Class Resources and Children’s Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities, Social Forces, Volume 94, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 479–503, Web.
European Commission. (2019). Education and training monitor 2019 – Spain. Education and Training Monitor, 2. Web.
Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships in teachers’ professional work. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(3), 397-406. Web.
Goodall, J., & Vorhaus, W. (2011). Review of best practice in parental engagement. Education, 6, 1144–1159. Web.
Griffin D., & Steen, S. (2010). School-family-community partnerships: Applying Epstein’s theory of the six types of involvement to school counselor practice. Professional School Counseling, 13(4), 218-226. Web.
Hamlin, D., & Flessa, J. (2018). Parental involvement initiatives: An analysis. Educational Policy, 32(5), 697-727. Web.
Ihmeideh, F., AlFlasi, M., Al-Maadadi, F., Coughlin, C., & Al-Thani, T. (2020). Perspectives of family–school relationships in Qatar based on Epstein’s model of six types of parent involvement. Early Years, 40(2), 188-204. Web.
Newman, N., Northcutt, A., Farmer, A., & Black, B. (2019). Epstein’s model of parental involvement: Parent perceptions in urban schools. Language Teaching and Educational Research, 2(2), 81-100. Web.
Nor, N. M., & Yasin, M. H. M. (2018). The application of Epstein’s model in the implementation of career transition programme for students with learning disabilities. Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengembangan Pendidikan Luar Biasa, 5(1), 7-13. Web.
Rasbash, J., Leckie, G., Pillinger, R., & Jenkins, J. (2010). Children’s educational progress: Partitioning family, school and area effects. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A: Statistics in Society, 173(3), 657–682. Web.
Reay, D. (2004). Education and cultural capital: the implications of changing trends in education policies. Cultural Trends, 13(2), 73–86. Web.
Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2004). The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education ( EPPE ) Project : Findings from the Early Primary Years. Main, 1–6.