A survey of a metropolitan junior high school guidance program, 1967

The problem was to determine whether there were significant differences between the academic achievement of students at the fourth grade level and parental participation, income, education, and marital status of parents. The sample consisted of 340 parents selected as follows: thirty schools were randomly selected and their fourth grade teachers chose ten parents who were perceived as involved parents in the school programs and ten not involved. The total of 600 parents returned 90% of the questionnaires administered but only 57% were suitable for computational purposes. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions and statements relative to parents' participation in homework, PTA, accompanying classes on field trips, parental conferences with teacher, serving on curriculum planning committees, and the income, education and marital status of parents. The researcher developed the items by interviewing selected fourth grade parents and staff members of two elementary schools for their views of parental participation in school programs. Their responses were selected as items as if they distinguished between high and low parental participation. A oneway analysis of variance was conducted for each independent and dependent variable for test of significant differences. The results indicate that: (1) Academic achievement of fourth grade students is inversely related to perceived parental involvement in PTA, and field trips and positively to curriculum planning while no significant relationship exist with homework and conferences. However, the distribution was based on high, middle, and low participation which were not adequate to make predictions with confidence, (2) Academic achievement of students is significantly related to the level of parents' income, (3) Academic achievement is significantly related to the level of parental education and (4) Academic achievement of students is significantly related to marital status of the parents, with two-parent students achieving higher than single parent students. The results imply that the school has to reorganize teaching methods, the curriculum and parental involvement so as to relate to the needs of the single parents and lower social classes if their children are to achieve