EFFECTS AND PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ON THE
MATHEMATICAL ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN A STEM COURSE: A
MIXED-METHODS STUDY
SARAH DANIELLE JOHNSON. Effects and perceptions of parental involvement on the
mathematical achievement of students in a STEM course: A mixed-methods study.
(Under the direction of DR. DAVID K. PUGALEE)
To understand how to identify and examine factors that influence parental
involvement and math achievement of high school students, I conducted a mixedmethods
study was guided by the following questions:
1. What are the perceptions of students, teachers and parents regarding parental
involvement in secondary math education?
2. Does parental involvement in MINDSET influence mathematics performance
for students?
3. Do the weekly newsletters and progress reports used in the MINDSET class
influence the perception students, teachers and parents have about parental
involvement?
This study builds on research that suggests parental involvement impacts
students’ academic achievement. Data were collected over a period of twelve weeks and
included 8 weeks of implementing weekly newsletters and progress reports in a
fourth-year math course that consisted of eleventh and 12th graders. The data included
students’ writing, field notes, conferencing transcriptions, my journal mathematical
assessment performance, grades, surveys, field notes, and interviews with the students,
parents, and teachers. I analyzed these data to answer the research questions above.
According to my findings, parents, students, and teachers’ perceptions about parental
involvement were placed in four categories: strategies for parental involvement, barriers
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of parental involvement, parents and students’ transitional roles, and students’
independence. Quantitative analysis revealed that the implementation of weekly
newsletters and progress reports did not improve students’ academic achievement, as well
as influence students, parents, and teachers’ perception of parental involvement.
However, qualitative analysis revealed that parents and students perceived that the
weekly progress reports and newsletters helped improved students grades because of
accountability and helped parents to have a positive outlook in involving themselves with
their teenagers’ math education.