Cherry Jr, Melvin Clark
(2024)
NAVIGATING BARRIERS AND BUILDING BRIDGES:
AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Many researchers have studied parental involvement in education; however, there is limited knowledge regarding how African American parents are involved in the educational
journeys of their high school age children. This qualitative study examined formal and informal forms of African American parental involvement in children’s education and the barriers to and facilitators of parental involvement. I analyzed data collected in 2018 from parents of African American high school students who participated in one of five partnering organizations in Western Pennsylvania. The sample consisted of 30 parents of African American high school students. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify codes and themes. The participating parents more often mentioned ways in which they engaged in their children’s education than
barriers or facilitators. Most often they described home-based involvement strategies; school-based strategies and academic socialization also were discussed. The parents most often engaged in what can be considered traditional forms of home-based involvement, wherein they focused on supporting their children’s learning and academic success outside of school by providing structure for schoolwork completion and by offering resources and activities designed to be
intellectually stimulating. This emphasis on home-based involvement is consistent with the contingency that African American parents tend to be more involved in activities at home where they have greater influence and control. Moreover, through what I describe as both positive and negative messaging, the parents were intentional with their communication with their children about their educational expectations. The parents believed they were encouraging their children to value education and aspire to be successful. The parents also expressed their desire to have
proactive communication with school officials, with each party being able to initiate communication. And they wanted regular communication with school personnel, not just when
there were problems. Racialized involvement strategies were identified, although this occurred less frequently than anticipated perhaps because the children were participating in programs specifically for African American youth. These findings hold important implications for educational practice and future research.
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Details
Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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Status: |
Unpublished |
Creators/Authors: |
Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID |
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Cherry Jr, Melvin Clark | mcc59@pitt.edu | mcc59 | |
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ETD Committee: |
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Date: |
28 August 2024 |
Date Type: |
Publication |
Defense Date: |
20 June 2024 |
Approval Date: |
28 August 2024 |
Submission Date: |
20 August 2024 |
Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
Number of Pages: |
93 |
Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
Refereed: |
Yes |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Parental involvement
African American parents
Education
High school students
Qualitative study
Formal and informal involvement
Barriers and facilitators
Home-based involvement
School-based strategies
Academic socialization
Traditional involvement
Educational expectations
Communication
Racialized involvement strategies
Educational practice
Parent engagement |
Date Deposited: |
28 Aug 2024 15:44 |
Last Modified: |
28 Aug 2024 15:44 |
URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46948 |
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