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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Teachers are not only involved in educating students, but increasingly

they are involved in working with parents to improve educational outcomes.

School and home have always stressed the importance of teachers and

parents working together for the education of the children. The cooperation

effort of the teachers, parents, administrators and community members are

necessary in establishing an effective educational program where children can

grow optimally in knowledge, skills, attitude, and values. An effective parent-

teacher partnership must exist to the set a favorable condition for childen’s

educational growth. The parent and teachers association is supposed to

provide this condition. The school programs contact with the parents according

to the letters convince. In this aspect the side of the teachers is most

significant. As the guardian of the children in school is the person, most likely to

be consulted about the programs in school as conduct and discipline.

Crozier and Davies (2007), Kipnis, Schmidt and Wilkinson (1980),

Vickers and Minke (1995), Vincent (1996), and Wolfendale (1992) have

suggested that for schools to make a difference in enhancing student learning,

a team effort involving teachers, students, and parents is needed. However, the
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relationship that exists between parents and teachers can be described as both

rewarding and challenging (Lasky, 2000). Hoover Dempsey, Bassler, and

Brissie (1987) stated that this partnership between students, teachers, and

parents is significant for students’ academic success. Consequently, a focus for

schools has been to nurture and promote parental involvement, as parents can

form the team approach, they are recognized as being a valuable resource to

education, creating partnerships between the home and school.

Background

When schools work together with families to support learning, children

tend to succeed not just in school, but throughout life.(Henderson & Berla,

1997)Many studies have identified the positive influence that parental

involvement has on student achievement: academically (Driessen, Smit, &

Sleegers, 2005; Ertl, 2000; Hughes & Kwok, 2007; Reynolds, 1992), socially

(Driessen, et al., 2005; Marcon, 1999; McWayne, Hampton, Fantuzzo, Cohen,

& Sekino, 2004; Reynolds, Temple, Robertson, & Mann, 2001), and

behaviorally (Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Reynolds, et al., 2001). In addition,

studies have found that teachers recognize the importance of parental

involvement as being associated with improved student performance levels

(Driessen, et al., 2005). Furthermore, government initiatives in the United

Kingdom (UK) in 1994 and the United States of America (USA) in 2001

included parental involvement policies and programs derived at providing

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parents with greater accessibility to schools. Australia followed this approach in

2007-2011. In the UK, the 1994 Parent’s Charter established parents in the role

of a consumer within the education system enabling “parents to monitor their

child’s progress and compare schools” (Vincent, 1996). In the USA, the

“No Child Left behind Act” (2001) was mandated linking funding to parental

involvement programs in schools (United States Department of Education

(USDE),2008). This government directed parental involvement policies sought

to provide parents with greater accessibility to schools and therefore foster

greater parent participation. In Australia, in 2008, in response to a government

report on Family-School and Community Partnerships, a bureau was developed

to build bridges between families, communities and schools (Australian Council

State Schools Organization (ACSSO). The rationale was that effective

partnerships between the home and school have been found to lead to

improvements in the quality of schooling, with 3 students having a more

satisfying educational experience (Family-School and Community Partnerships

Bureau, 2008). These government programs such as Parental and Community

Engagement Program, as well as Family-School Partnerships, were

established in Australian schools, receiving recognition through the excellence

in Family-School Partnerships awards from the Department of Education

Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR, 2010) for providing successful

programs engaging parents, families, and community members within schools.

In Western Australia, the former Department of Education and Training (now

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Department of Education Western Australia) developed a Family Links Program

(Department of Education Western Australia, 2013). In 2008, several selected

Perth primary schools were part of a pilot program that provided examples of

their practice of getting parents involved in schools. The results from the pilot

study revealed that schools could increase parental involvement by employing

parent liaison officers in the primary schools. The role of these parent liaison

officers was to encourage parents to come into the school, providing hospitality,

generating ideas and being a voice for parents. State and federal educational

agencies are promoting parental involvement and supporting schools to engage

their parents in the educational process. Educational reforms have seen the

implementation of policies that are linked to government funding fostering

partnership programs between the home and school. The roles of parents and

teachers in schools are changing with parents being encouraged to be much

more involved in their children’s school and educational process. The reason

for encouraging parental involvement is that it has been linked to student

achievement (Porter, 2008).

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study investigated the impact of parent-teacher partnership. The nature

of teacher-parent interaction will be included in this research. The research has

also centered its investigation into the use of social influence strategies within
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these parent-teacher interactions and highlights the associated contexts and

particular purposes for the use of these social influence strategies.

1. What are the roles of parents towards the school activities?

2. What is the significance of the school and home educational

partnership?

3. What is the implication of this study to the process of the teaching-

learning process?

4. What is the nature of parents’ and teachers’ experiences of their

interactions?