Examining Relationships
Between Teacher
Behaviors and Parent
Engagement
Allison Osborn, Kelly Rasmussen, Kathryn Woods,
Susan Sheridan & Lisa Knoche
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
National Association of School Psychologists Annual
Meeting, 2009
Importance of Early
Environments
• Parent’s are a child’s first teachers and the importance
of parent involvement in a child’s education is welldocumented (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sheridan,
Clarke, Knoche, Edwards, 2006).
• The earliest environments experienced by children are
significant in how young children view relationships and
in turn, how they relate with peers and adults (Dunst &
Bruder, 1999; Guralnick & Neville, 1997).
• Among the developmental contexts that predict
outcomes for young children, those related to the family
and child-rearing environment are most critical
(Englund et al., 2004; Lamb-Parker et al., 1999;
Molfese et al., 2001).
Parent Engagement
• For the purpose of this study, we are defining
Parent Engagement as:
• Actively displays an interest in participating in
educational activities
• Discusses meaningful issues concerning the child
and family with educational professionals
• Initiates and elaborates on topics of discussion
• Asks questions or provides information to the
teacher, or early childhood professional (ECP)
related to the topic of discussion
• Engagement also includes the level to which
parents display enthusiasm, effort, and
satisfaction with an intervention experience.
Parent Engagement
• When parents are engaged in intervention
services, improvements are observed in parenting
skills and knowledge, parent-child interactions, and
beliefs about one’s ability as a caregiver (CharlopChristy & Carpenter, 2000; Swick & Hassel, 1990).
• Linking engagement strategies to the delivery of
high quality treatments has been shown to increase
the potential long-term impact of effective
treatments for children and families (Dishion &
Stormshak, 2007; Hoagwood, 2005).
Parent-Child Relationships
• Quality parent-child interactions have also been shown
to lead to positive parent-child relationships.
• A positive parent-child relationship includes parental
display of warmth, encouragement, support, positive
reinforcement and support for children’s autonomy
(Parker et al, 1999; Hirch-Pasek & Burchinal, 2006).
• Numerous studies have highlighted how a mother’s
interaction style promotes child development.
– Sensitive mothers are more likely to have babies that form
secure attachments (Bus & van ljzendoorn, 1988, 1992, 1997,
as cited in Clingenpeel & Pianta, 2007).
– Infants with responsive mothers are able to explore their
environment independently, requesting parental assistance
when needed (Coyl, Roggman, & Newland, 2002).
Parent-Teacher
Relationships
• Parent-teacher relationships consist of strong,
committed, reciprocal, trusting interactions over
time between parents and teachers.
• Relationships between parents and other adults
responsible for the child’s learning and
development are important for establishing
experiences that are consistent, coherent, and
coordinated as children move between home
and community (school) settings.
(Christenson & Sheridan, 2001)
Parent-Teacher
Relationships
•
•
Triadic (McCollum & Yates, 1994) and
collaborative consultation (Sheridan &
Kratochwill, 2008) are two models that
promote parent engagement.
Each model has a specific set of
strategies used by teachers to:
– Promote parent-child engagement (triadic)
– Promote parent-teacher engagement
(collaborative)
Intervention for
Families At-Risk
• Given the importance of parent
engagement for parent, teacher and child
relationships, and child outcomes, early
intervention is a critical step for at-risk
families
– Head Start
Getting Ready Project
•
The Getting Ready Project is a five-year, federally funded, longitudinal
study which is designed to promote triadic/collaborative partnerships
between parents and early childhood teachers.
•
This project has partnered with early childhood teachers in Head Start
settings to assist in promoting parent strengths, competencies,
engagement with child, and children’s healthy development through
comprehensive, evidence-based family-centered services.
•
Parent engagement with child (i.e., warmth & sensitivity, support for
autonomy, participation in child learning) and with teachers (i.e.,
collaborative interactions and planning) is an additional focus of the
intervention program.
•
Although preliminary research has examined the relationship between
teachers’ use of triadic/collaborative strategies and child outcomes,
research has yet to investigate the relationship between teachers’ use of
triadic/collaborative strategies, parent-professional relationships, and
parent engagement during home visits.
Research Question
• Do teachers’ use of triadic/collaborative
strategies during home visits relate to parent
engagement during home visit activities?
– What is the relationship between strategy use and
parents (a) rate of interaction with the child and (b)
quality of parent engagement with the child?
– What is the relationship between strategy use and
parents (a) rate of interaction with the teacher and
(b) quality of parent engagement with the teacher?
Methods
Sample
Table 1
Demographic Information
Parent
Child
Teacher
(n=220)
(n=220)
(n=29)
Mean
29 years
43 months
35 Years
Range
19-62 years
36-53 months
23-56 Years
Male
5%
52 %
Female
95 %
48 %
100%
Caucasian
47 %
33 %
88%
African-American
16 %
18 %
Hispanic
26 %
25 %
Other
11 %
24 %
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
12%
Table 1 continued
Demographic Information
Education Level
Parent
Teacher
(n=220)
(n=29)
12th Grade or less
23 %
High School Diploma or GED
20 %
Some training beyond High School, but not
a degree
30 %
One year vocational training certificate
8%
Two year college degree
9%
Four year college degree
3%
48%
Beyond four year degree
7%
52%
Language spoken in home
English
76 %
Spanish
19 %
Other
5%
Table 1 continued
Demographic Information
Martial Status
Parent (n=220)
Married
38 %
Divorced
13 %
Single, never married
29 %
Separated
8%
With partner, not married
12 %
Number of people living in household
Two-Three
28 %
Four-Five
52 %
Six or more
20 %
Procedure
• Children and parents recruited for this investigation are
involved in the Getting Ready Project.
• Teachers visit family homes five times throughout the
school year.
• Two sessions are videotaped and reliably coded for
frequency of collaborative and triadic strategies and
overall parent engagement.
Strategies for
Teachers/Professionals
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Establishing & re-establishing a relationship
Asking parents to share observations & ideas
Affirming parents’ competence
Establishing a dyadic context
Helping prioritize concerns/needs
Focusing attention on child’s strengths
Provide developmental information
Brainstorming
Making suggestions
Promoting interaction through modeling
Helping plan for future goals
(McCollum & Yates, 1994; Sheridan, Knoche, Marvin, & Edwards, 2008)
Procedures
• Parents provided demographic information for themselves,
their children, and their families
• Teacher strategy use was coded using a 60-second partial
interval recording procedure (Home Visit Observation
Definition Guide; McBride & Peterson, 1997);
• Parents’ rate of interaction with child was coded using
a 60-second partial interval recording procedure
• Parents’ quality of engagement with the child was
coded every 10 minutes of interaction on a Likert scale
(1=low, 4=high)
• Parents’ rate of interaction with teacher was coded
using a 60-second partial interval recording procedure
• Parents’ quality of engagement with the teacher was
coded every 10 minutes of interaction on a Likert scale
(1=low, 4=high)
Analyses and
Results
Analyses
• Correlational analyses were conducted:
– To examine the relationship between
strategy use and parents’ rate of interaction
with the child and the quality of parent
engagement with the child.
– To examine the relationship between
strategy use and parents’ rate of interaction
with the teacher and quality of parent
engagement with the teacher.
Table 3
Pearson Correlations
Strategy Use Rate
Parent-ECP
Engagement
Parent-Child
Engagement
Parent-ECP
Rate of Interaction
Strategy Use Rate
Parent-ECP
Engagement
.50**
Parent-Child
Engagement
.35**
.42**
.42**
.74**
.03
.09
.31**
.83**
Parent-ECP
Rate of Interaction
Parent-Child
Rate of Interaction
* p <.05
** p<.01
.06
Parent-Child
Rate of Interaction
Results
• No relationship was found between strategy
use and parent’s rate of interaction with the
child
• A significant positive relationship was found
between strategy use and the quality of parent
engagement with the child
• A significant positive relationship was found
between strategy use and parent’s rate of
interaction with the teacher
• A significant positive relationship was found
between strategy use and of quality of parent
engagement with the teacher
Discussion
• Teacher’s strategy use was not related to
parent’s rate of interaction with the child
• Teacher’s strategy use was related to parent’s
quality of engagement with the child
• Although quality of parent-child engagement was
related to teacher’s strategy use and the rate of
parent-child engagement, the mechanism for
these relationships is unknown.
Discussion
• Teachers strategy use was related to
parent quality of engagement and the rate
of interaction with the teacher
• Parent may view home visits as an opportunity to
interact and discuss pertinent issues with their
child’s teacher outside of the school environment
• This time may also be viewed as an opportunity
for both parties to share information in a
reciprocal manner to enhance the child’s
development
Limitations
• Effectiveness of strategy use is not coded
– For the purposes of this study, amount of
strategy use was investigated.
• Family characteristics were not controlled
but likely influenced rate of interaction
and quality of parent engagement.
• Rate and quality are not independent of
each other for both parent-child and
parent-teacher variables.
Future Directions
• Assess teachers’ strategy use over time
• Examine relationships between overall parent
engagement and
– Relationships with teachers
– Parent’s self-efficacy
– Parental involvement in school
• Assess the quality of implementation, or
teacher effectiveness
Implications for School
Psychologists
• Importance of family involvement outside
of school
• Importance of attachment and
engagement
• Early intervention
• Importance of parents having fun with
their children!
For More Information
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•
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Susan Sheridan: ssheridan2@unl.edu
Lisa Knoche: lknoche2@unl.edu
Allison Osborn: allison.osborn@huskers.unl.edu
Kelly Rasmussen: kelrasmussen@hotmail.com
Katie Woods: kwoods@huskers.unl.edu
This research is supported by a grant awarded to Drs. Susan Sheridan and
Carolyn Pope Edwards by the Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) -- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE); and the
Department of Education (DOE) -- Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services. The opinions expressed herein are those of the
investigators and do not reflect the funding agencies
(GRANT # 1R01H00436135).
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