JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY

80 SHAW BOULEVARD, MANDALUYONG CITY

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

THE PARENTAL INVOLMENT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 11 STUDENTS HUMSS D OF NOVA SCHOLA
TANAUAN FOR THE 1ST QUARTER OF S.Y. 2019- 2020

For the Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements in Methods of Research
For the Degree of
Master of Arts in Education
Major in Social Science

Submitted by:

Ms. Ellen Fajardo

May 18, 2019

Submitted to:

Dr. Grace Satumbaga

ABSTRACT
TITLE : Importance of Parental Involvement in School Performance of

Senior High School Students in Nova Schola (formerly NTC) of

Tanauan, Batangas

No. of Pages :

Researcher : Ellen N. Fajardo

Adviser : Dr. Grace Satumbaga

School : Jose Rizal University

School Year : 2019- 2020

Degree : Master of Arts in Education

Major : Social Science

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

It is a common knowledge that parents are the ones who brought the children
in life. They are the ones who reproduce a human kind in a certain society, as in this
way they contribute to the development of the human history. Parents are one of the
direct holder of educational work to their children.
The parents take a crucial stand, when it comes to their children’s development
and education as whole, as the parents themselves are the ones to take care on the
overall children physical and intellectual development, till the point they get
independent and ready to face the challenges of the society they live in. Parents are
aware of the work on the development of children, but at the same time they need
pedagogical information on the right to education of their children. (Mojsovsja Koteva
Tatjana. 2006)
Parents involvement has been a very essential component of every teacher-
student- school academic endeavor. Parents are considered as one of the
stakeholders of the school community and they play a tremendous roles in the child’s
educational and environmental transformation. Thus, we have to realize the intensity
or extent of their participation or involvement in their child’s education and school.
Most parents, whose children are currently enrolled in a particular school, are
usually active to assist in their child’s classroom, communicating constantly with their
child’s teachers, assisting with their homework, getting involved with school projects,
and discussing their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses with teachers.
Unfortunately, there are some parents who are quite passive in their child’s education.
Some of them are not directly involved. Neither are they visible in the school premises
and get involved in the desired goals of the school where their children are getting
what they need most in life.
When parents involve themselves in the education process of their children,
usually the outcome can be qualified as a positive and encouraging one. In this regard,
they are usually connected and act under their own parental attitudes, which are
transmitted through their demonstration of mutual confidentiality regarding the
children’s capabilities and their overall learning capacity which leads them towards
succeeding over the learning, education as a complex process. Therefore, parents
should get involved in supporting their children in doing their homework, as in this way
they offer their parental support as one of the key strategies leading towards a
successful education of their children at school.
Parents involvement towards their children’s learning not only improves a
child’s morale, attitude, and academic performance in different subject areas, but it
also promotes a better behavior and social adjustment and adaptation. Family
involvement in education helps children to grow up to be functional, productive and
responsible members of the society. It only means that if we involve the parents in
educating their children, it is close to saying that the school is proactive in
implementing innovations or development among the students. As parent’s
involvement increased, teachers and school administrators also raise the chance to
realize quality reform in education.
Most school have programs designed to intensify the parental involvement such
as boys and girls scouting, school- community socio-economic project-s, disaster
volunteer task force, and school- community work brigade like the program called
“Brigada Eskwela”. However, increasing parental involvement remains a challenge
among school administrators and teachers despite their programs and efforts.

Background of the Study

The study will investigate the importance, benefits, barriers and extent of
parental involvement in school performance of high school students in Nova Schola
located at Tanauan, Batangas.

Statement of the Problem

The study will focus on the perceived importance of parental involvement as
correlates to the overall school performance of senior high school students in Nova
Schola, Tanauan, Batangas. Specifically, the following questions will be answered
upon conducting this study:
1. How parents can be involve in the school performance of senior high school

student?

2. What are the benefits of parental involvement in the school performance of

senior high school students?

3. What are the hindrances to parental involvement in the school performance of

senior high school students?

4. What are the limitations or extent of parental involvement in the school

performance of students?

5. How to increase parental involvement in the school performance of senior high

 school students.

Hypotheses
The hypotheses were formulated and to be tested.

1. There is a significant relationship between parental involvement and senior high

school students’ school performance.

Significance of the Study
The importance of the study lies on its significant contribution to individuals and
groups such as students, teachers and curriculum planners, parents and the
community, and the future researchers.
Students. The students will be benefitting from this study since they are the
ultimate reasons for the enhancement of the education process. Once home and
school relations are improved, the students will be ensured of an improvement in their
early literacy.
Teachers. Teachers will be benefitting from this study since its result will
provide them understanding of the importance of home and school relationships. In
doing so, they will be more aware of its benefits to the school performance of the senior
high school students.
Curriculum Planners. Moreover, the curriculum planners will be benefitted
from this study for them to plan curriculum innovations that will enhance home and
school relationships that will affect the students performance positively.
Parents and the Community. In addition, parents and the community will
benefit from the outcome of this study since an improved home and school relationship
means an enhanced school performance among senior high school students.
Likewise, any improvement with the students will give the community progress and
development by having its citizens literate.
Researchers. Lastly, the future researchers will be provided with a research-
based data on the importance of parental involvement in the school performance of
senior high school students. Hopefully, the outcome of this research will help them
understand fully the nature of the problem being investigated.

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature

This chapter presents the related literature and studies which were reviewed to
give a deeper insight to the problem that will be investigated.
Related Literature
The concepts on home and school relationship as well as parental involvement in
the education of their children are given in this section.

Foreign

Parents and extended families have the most direct and lasting impact on
children's learning and play a key role in supporting their education. Research shows
that when parents are involved in their children’s education, children are more
engaged with their school work, stay in school longer, and achieve better learning
outcomes. This also translates into longer-term economic and social benefits. Even
though the role of a parent in their children’s education evolves as children get older,
it’s important to remember that parents remain role models. Their attitudes towards
education can both inspire children and empower them as they go through their own
educational journey. Educators believes that parents should be actively involved in
their children’s education, and be part of efforts of ensuring that all children receive a
quality education.
Parents have as much responsibility for their children’s education as teachers

do. It should be a collaborative effort because education is not something that only

happens at school. A recent study on the importance of parents’ involvement in their

children’s education shed some light on the impact parents can have regarding the

level of involvement in their children’s education. The study, which formed the basis

of SG Maluleke’s thesis titled Parental involvement in their children’s education in the

Vhembe District, examined the level of input parents showed and the effects thereof.

There are some cited benefits of parental involvement in their children’s education.

One of these is that parental involvement enhances academic performance. Academic

achievement increases when parents are involved in their children’s education. The

more intensively involved the parents are, the greater the positive impact on academic

achievement. Another one is that parental involvement leads to better classroom

behavior of a child. It not only enhances academic performance, but also has a positive

influence on learners’ attitudes and behavior. A parent’s interest in and

encouragement of his or her child’s education can affect the child’s attitude towards

school, classroom conduct, self-esteem, absenteeism and motivation. Parental

involvement also lifts the morale of a teacher. Schools and teachers benefit from

parental involvement because involved parents develop a greater appreciation for the

challenges that teachers face in the classroom. Communication between home and

school helps a teacher to know a learner better, which in turn allows the teacher to

teach the learner more effectively. Communication also helps to dispel any mistrust or

misperceptions that may exist between teachers and parents.

By becoming involved in their children’s education, parents get the satisfaction

of making a contribution to their children’s education and future. They have a better

understanding of the school curriculum and activities, and can be more comfortable

with the quality of education that their child is receiving. They spend more time with

their children and are able to communicate better with them. Some studies show that

a parent’s participation in a child’s education may inspire the parent to further his or

her own education.

Parent involvement in a child's early education is consistently found to be

positively associated with a child's academic performance. Specifically, children

whose parents are more involved in their education have higher levels of academic
performance than children whose parents are involved to a lesser degree. The

influence of parent involvement on academic success has not only been noted among

researchers, but also among policy makers who have integrated efforts aimed at

increasing parent involvement into broader educational policy initiatives. Coupled with

these findings of the importance of early academic success, a child's academic

success has been found to be relatively stable after early elementary school

(Pedersen, Faucher, & Eaton, 1978). Therefore, it is important to examine factors that

contribute to early academic success and that are amenable to change.

Researchers have reported that parent-child interactions, specifically

stimulating and responsive parenting practices, are important influences on a child's

academic development (Christian, Morrison, & Bryant, 1998). By examining specific

parenting practices that are amenable to change, such as parent involvement, and the

mechanisms by which these practices influence academic performance, programs

may be developed to increase a child's academic performance. While parent

involvement has been found to be related to increased academic performance, the

specific mechanisms through which parent involvement exerts its influence on a child's

academic performance are not yet fully understood (Hill & Craft, 2003). Understanding

these mechanisms would inform further research and policy initiatives and may lead

to the development of more effective intervention programs designed to increase

children's academic performance.

Parent involvement has been defined and measured in multiple ways, including

activities that parents engage in at home and at school and positive attitudes parents

have towards their child's education, school, and teacher (Epstein, 1996). The
distinction between the activities parents partake in and the attitude parents have

towards education was highlighted by several recent studies. Several studies found

that increased frequency of activities was associated with higher levels of child

misbehavior in the classroom (Izzo, Weissberg, Kasprow, & Fendrich, 1999), whereas

positive attitudes towards education and school were associated with the child's

increased academic performance (Rimm-Kaufman, Pianta, Cox, & Bradley, 2003).

It is reported that an increase in the parent's school activities, such as

increased number of parent-teacher contacts, was associated with worsening

achievement, as increased contacts may have occurred to help the teacher manage

the child's existing behavior problems (Izzo et al. 1999). The significance of parent

attitudes toward education and school is less well understood, although attitudes are

believed to comprise a key dimension of the relationship between parents and school

(Eccles & Harold, 1996). Parents convey attitudes about education to their children

during out-of-school hours and these attitudes are reflected in the child's classroom

behavior and in the teacher's relationship with the child and the parents.

Several methods are used to measure child academic performance, including

standardized achievement test scores, teacher ratings of academic performance, and

report card grades. Standardized achievement tests are objective instruments that

assess skills and abilities children learn through direct instruction in a variety of subject

areas including reading, mathematics, and writing (Sattler, 2001). Teacher rating

scales allow teachers to rate the accuracy of the child's academic work compared to

other children in the class, and allow for ratings on a wider range of academic tasks

than examined on standardized achievement tests (DuPaul & Rapport, 1991). Report
card grades allow teachers to report on classroom academic performance, but are

used by few studies for early elementary school children due to, among other reasons,

a lack of a standardized grading system and uniform subject areas children are

evaluated on.

Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that parents who have a

positive attitude towards their child's education, school, and teacher are able to

positively influence their child's academic performance by two mechanisms: (a) by

being engaged with the child to increase the child's self-perception of cognitive

competence and (b) by being engaged with the teacher and school to promote a

stronger and more positive student-teacher relationship. Perceived cognitive

competence as defined as the extent to which children believe that they possess the

necessary cognitive skills to be successful when completing academic tasks, such as

reading, writing, and arithmetic (Harter & Pike, 1984). Previous research found

evidence that higher parent involvement contributes to an increase in a child's

perceived level of competence (Gonzalez-DeHass, Willems, & Holbein, 2005).

There are theoretical pathways through which children's perceptions and

expectations of their cognitive competence are influenced by others: (a) performance

accomplishments/performance mastery, (b) vicarious reinforcement, (c) verbal

persuasion, and (d) emotion regulation (Bandura, 1977). In addition, a child's

increased perception of cognitive competence is consistently related to higher

academic performance (Chapman, Skinner, & Baltes, 1990).

Based on theory and previous findings, (Gonzalez-DeHass, 2005) suggest

that perceived cognitive competence be examined to explain the relation between

parent involvement and a child's academic performance. A positive student-teacher

relationship has been defined as the teacher's perception that his or her relationship

with the child is characterized by closeness and a lack of dependency and conflict

(Birch & Ladd, 1997). Closeness is the degree of warmth and open communication

between the student and teacher, dependency is the over-reliance on the teacher as

a source of support, and conflict is the degree of friction in student-teacher interactions

(Birch & Ladd, 1997). Previous research found that close, positive student-teacher

relationships are positively related to a wide range of child social and academic

outcomes in school (Hughes, Gleason, & Zhang, 2005). Specifically, a close student-

teacher relationship is an important predictor of a child's academic performance

(Birch & Ladd, 1997; Hamre & Pianta, 2001). Previous research has also found that

parent involvement in a child's education positively influences the nature of the

student-teacher relationship (Hill & Craft, 2003; Stevenson & Baker, 1987). Therefore,

the student-teacher relationship was examined for its ability to explain the relation

between parent involvement and a child's academic performance.

Generally parental involvement is broken down into two categories: school-

based involvement (e.g. parent-teacher conferences and volunteering at the school)

and home-based involvement (e.g. homework help and engaging their children in

intellectual activities). Benefits go beyond students’ academic achievement, including

improved teacher-parent relationships, attendance, parental confidence and parental

interest in their own education (Pomerantz, 2007; Hornby & Lafaele, 2011). While

parental involvement in students’ education has long been known to be effective and

is encouraged by both the literature and policy, consistent parental involvement has
not yet been achieved.

In 2012, Mutch and Collins reviewed barriers to parental involvement in New

Zealand based on six key factors found by the Education Review Office external

evaluation of over two hundred schools. They claim that historically parental

involvement is well entrenched in the New Zealand schooling system, but that an

increasing number of immigrants, changes in family structure, impacts of educational,

social and economic reforms, and changes in technology have all influenced parental

involvement. There is a general commitment in New Zealand to involving whanau in

partnerships with schools, however there are still gaps in having consistent

involvement of families in education. It is not just how the school went about engaging

parents, but also the spirit in which that engagement was sought that led to successful

engagement, including shared values and mutual respect, collaborative approaches

and effective communication. Six factors were found to influence the contributions of

parents to the school: Vision and commitment from school leaders, time and energy

invested in building relationships, the clear expectation that partnership was in the

child’s best interests, a positive school culture including a commitment to inclusiveness

of diversity, networking with community groups, and effective communication

strategies. Where these partnerships were fostered and working well, the report claims

there were many benefits to students, including maximized learning time, and a

positive atmosphere to the school. However, other than suggesting that school policy

needs to reflect the desire to work within these key factors, the report does not suggest

other methods of breaking down barriers to parental involvement.

Year 2009, Yanghee Kim investigated the lack of involvement of minority

parents in their children’s schooling. Often viewed as being less interested in their

children’s education, research Journal of Initial Teacher Inquiry (2015), Volume 1 69

suggested that home-based involvement was no less for minority families than for

other families, but that it was in the area of school-based involvement that participation

was lacking.

Individual variables were identified as contributing to why minority parents do

not volunteer at their children’s schools, including language barriers, differences in

child-rearing practices, and lack of social networks. However, Kim argues that these

are all individual barriers and that it is the school system that creates a barrier for

minority parents to become involved in schooling. Attitudes of the school are often a

barrier, with Kim suggesting that negative attitudes towards the capacity of minority

parents, a lack of positive communication, a lack of diversity of parental involvement

programs and school policies and leadership all play a role in influencing the

participation of minority parents. While individual barriers, such as language, definitely

influence parental involvement, these barriers are time consuming to break down and

removing school barriers to parental involvement are more within the realm of what is

achievable for the schools. The biggest change suggested by Kim is that of school

policy, emphasizing family involvement in the school and administrative support for

teachers to implement parental involvement.

Barriers also exist for parents with mental and/or physical disabilities. Stalker,

Brunner, Maguire and Mitchell in 2009 conducted a study of 24 parents with disabilities

in Britain, chronicling their experiences and both barriers and positive actions by their

children’s schools to involve them in their children’s education. Perceptions of disabled

parents were found to be the greatest barrier to involvement in their children’s

education. Disabled parents involved in the study said they were often perceived as

lacking parenting skills and often not consulted about policies or services, and that

schools often did not see it as their duty to involve disabled parents. While physical

accessibility was an issue for some parents, the overwhelming majority spoke of the

perceptions of the school and its staff as being the biggest barrier. The investigation

concluded that there was an “urgent need for local authorities to implement disability

equality training, including information about anti-discrimination legislation” in schools

for all staff. Knowledge of a parent’s disability was at the forefront of the solution, but

no conclusion was made as to the best method of obtaining such information or how

many within the school should or needed to know. Suggestion was also made for

parents to inform the schools of support they would require in order to be involved in

their child’s schooling (eg. accessibility, Braille books sent home alongside reading

books), and parents appreciated a flexible, pro-active approach on the schools part.

The parents studied indicated that they were more likely to disclose their disability if

doing so would have a positive impact on their child’s education.

Many of the other articles investigated determined that school policy is at the

forefront of what needs to change in order to remove barriers to parental involvement

but, as Hornby and Lafaele in 2011 determine in their article, there is considerable

variation between rhetoric and reality in parental involvement. Simply changing policy

is unlikely to involve more parents in schools unless those policy changes are backed

up with action. The gap between rhetoric and reality is due to factors at the parent and

family, child, parent-teacher, and societal levels acting as barriers. Individual parent
and family factors include parents’ beliefs about parental involvement; if parents

believe their only responsibility is to get their child to school, they are unlikely to ever

become involved in their child’s education. Similarly, if parents doubt their ability to

help children, for example due to low-levels of parental education, they are also

unlikely to involve themselves in the school community. Parents need to feel that their

involvement is valued by schools, and therefore prefer to be invited to help rather than

volunteer. More practical considerations such as parents who work full time or have

large families may find time is a barrier to their involvement in the school community.

Class, ethnicity and gender also can act as barriers, with white middle class

values of many schools ignoring diversity. As children age, involvement of parents

tends to decline. This is in part due to children finding their independence and being

less interested in having their parents involved in their lives, however at older ages

children still desire their parents to be involved in things such as homework. Children

who struggle with school are more likely to have their parents involved in their

education as this is often sought by the school. Similarly, students who are doing well

at school are likely to have more involved parents as their involvement is a pleasure.

Conversely, those with children with behavioral challenges are less likely to be

involved. Common goals and agendas between teachers and parents are more likely

to result in parental involvement. However schools are more likely to be focused on

parents as a method of reducing costs and addressing cultural disadvantage, while

parents are more often focused on improving their children’s performance. Attitudes

to the relationship between education and schooling also play a part, where parents

who believe most of their child’s education comes from schooling being less likely to
be involved in their child’s education. Historical attitudes to parental involvement,

where it consisted mostly of fundraising activities, also form a barrier. At a political

level contradicting information, such as a push for parental involvement while policy

leans towards competition rather than collaboration, can hinder parental involvement.

With little or no funding given to schools for the development of parental involvement,

the political push for parental involvement appears to be nothing more than talk.

Pomerantz and Moorman in 2007, investigated the type of parental involvement

that was effective in students’ education. While they acknowledge that educational

policy has a key goal for increasing parental involvement, they focused on how

effective parental involvement was in education. While Pomerantz and Moorman claim

that school-based parental involvement is shown to have a positive effect on student

achievement academically and often foreshadowed students achievements later in

life, home-based parental involvement was a different matter. While indirect parental

involvement at home (e.g. reading with their children) also had a positive effect, the

outcome of parental involvement at home directly related to school based activities,

such as homework, was less clear. Several studies actually concluded the more

parents were involved in their children’s homework, the less well students were

performing at school. However one study showed that once the children’s performance

was monitored, their level of achievement increased with persistent homework help.

Other studies determined that there was no added benefit of parents helping with

homework. That the usefulness of parental help in the home with school based

activities is doubtful is of concern, as this is where the majority of parents are involved

in their children’s education, and warrants future investigation.

Local

Experts have repeatedly explained that parents are the crucial link in improving

Philippine education, and school simply have to do a better job of reaching out to them.

Parental expectations regarding their children seems to be constant in students’

academic performance and social adaptation.

Although many parents may not be certain on how to help their children with

school works, with guidance and support they can become actively involved in their

children’s home learning activities, have an opportunity to teach, be a model, and

guide their children.

Many studies have revealed that the parental involvement improves the

chances of student’s success at school, yet research also suggests that parental

participation may be on the decline.

Many researchers asserted that student achievement represents more than just

the grades. Student’s attitude, school attendance and the drop-out rate are all

connected to students achievement.

In the Philippines, a developing country with high rates of poverty and input

deficit in basic education, school dropout rates are high especially among the poor.

Given that many children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get enough support

(PIDS, 2012) and many parents are not equipped with skills to support their children’s

education, it is essential to investigate how Filipino parents can help and contribute to

their children’s academic success.

The traditional Filipino family is characterized by strong cohesion among

immediate and extended family members. Obedience, respect for elders, fear of God,

and meeting familial obligations are highly valued and are taught to children at an early

age. Hiya (shame) and utang na loob (debt of gratitude) are also pivotal values in the

Filipino culture. With these values, children are expected to care for their aging

parents, as a way to pay the parents back for rearing them. Traditional Filipino

parenting roles are distinct for mothers and fathers (Alampay & Jocson, 2011). Fathers

serve as the protector and primary financial provider of the family (“haligi ng tahanan”

or “pillar of the home”) whereas mothers are considered the primary caregiver in the

household (“ilaw ng tahanan” or “light of the home”), in charge of the children’s

everyday needs, discipline, and school management. In all, Filipino parents are

described to be nurturing and supportive (De la Cruz, Protacio-Marcelino, Balanon,

Yacat, & Francisco, 2001), and one of the Filipino family’s primary and important

functions is to educate the children (Reyes & Resurreccion, 2015). Filipino parents

view education not only as an investment for their children, but also for the whole

family (Blair, 2014; Medina, 2001; Ying & Han, 2008).

Correspondingly, a study among Filipino college students showed that they

value education as a way of fulfilling familial obligations (Reyes & Galang, 2009).

Reyes and Galang in 2009, said that parents and family contribute positively to

students’ motivation in school.

In 2014, Blair’s findings revealed that middle- and high- income Filipino parents

scored high in involvement with homework and in volunteering. Another local

preliminary study, using univariate analyses, found that Filipino parents always remind

their child of the importance of going to school (Tabbada-Rungduin, Abulon, Fetalvero,

& Suatengco, 2014). The same study also found that parents believe that they are

their children’s first teacher, especially in learning how to read. Given that children

from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get enough support (PIDS, 2012) and many

parents are not equipped with skills to support their children’s education, it is essential

to investigate this topic and explore how Filipino parents can help and contribute to

their children’s academic success.

According to the 2010 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey conducted by the

National Statistics Office, lack of personal interest in school and the high cost of 21

education are the top two reasons why Filipino youth do not attend school. Despite

government efforts to improve the access and state of education in the country, such

as participating in United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal and allocating the

biggest portion of the national budget for the Department of Education (Albert,

Quimba, Ramos, & Almeda, 2012), 36 million of the 6 to 24-year-old population is out-

of-school. That is one in every ten Filipino children and youth (FLEMMS, 2013). The

low quality of education in Philippine public schools manifests in the students’ poor

performance in national and international assessment tests. For example, in the

National Achievement Tests, the students only scored 68% in school year 2009 –

2010. The Philippines was also one of the worst participating countries in the Trends

in International Mathematics and Science Study (Yap, 2011). In the hope of

addressing this problem, the Philippines is currently transitioning from a 10-year basic

education curriculum – the only country in Asia to still adapt this – to a 12-year cycle

(K-12 program). However, many educators believe that the country is not well

equipped for this transition to be successful. In fact, the current secretary of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) commented that many public

schools still do not have enough classrooms, teachers, chairs, and books (Ibon

Foundation, 2016). The negative repercussions of low-quality education and limited

educational resources are more pronounced for children in poverty. Data from 2002

to 2010 from the Department of Education show that in both private and public schools,

children in poverty showed lower participation (enrollment) rates compared to non-

poor children. Even more children in poverty drop out when they reach high school,

with 89% participation rate in elementary school dropping to 65.1% in high school

(Yap, 2011). Critics are especially wary that this problem will be solved by the K-12

program, mainly because government resources are not yet guaranteed and additional

school years entail extra cost on the part of the household (Yap, 2011). It will be helpful

to know then what parents can do, despite these challenges, to effectively support

their children to stay and perform in school.

This review of literature summarizes findings on what constitutes parental

involvement, the various factors that facilitate or inhibit involvement, and how the

different types of parental involvement influence children’s academic outcomes. This

section also gives an overview of the state of education in the Philippines, the Filipino

family, and education-related Filipino cultural beliefs.

 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research method to be used, the will be respondents of

the study, the instrument to be utilized, and the preparation for validation of

questionnaires, procedures in gathering data.

Research Design

A qualitative design, rather than quantitative, is chosen for this study for the

following reasons. First, the use of semi-structured interviews best matches the objectives

of this study: to explore, describe, and explain (Daly, 2007). Second, the lack of research

on parental support and involvement in the Philippine context precludes definitive

hypotheses and conclusions to explore parental involvement and how it affects academic

outcomes among Filipino children. As it is not preemptive, qualitative research design

allows for the exploration of the phenomenon straight from the data and avoids imposing

assumptions on the participants’ experiences (Merriam, 2009).

A phenomenological approach will be used in this study. According to Creswell

(2007), phenomenology is best suited for research that aims to understand individuals’

common experiences of a phenomenon, which is parental involvement among low

income Filipino families in this case. There are two schools of thought in phenomenology

– descriptive and interpretive (Reiners, 2012). In descriptive phenomenology, it is

assumed that the researcher’s experiences and judgments are set aside during the entire

research process. The ultimate goal of this approach is to describe a phenomenon without

regard for the researcher/s’ preconceived notions. On the other hand, interpretive

phenomenology, also called hermeneutic phenomenology, acknowledges that the

researchers cannot entirely remove themselves from the meanings obtained from the

interviews. Moreover, the researcher’s subjective views and beliefs help in interpreting

and, subsequently, understanding the phenomenon. Interpretive phenomenology was

used in this study as its tenets are more suitable to the present study’s research goals. In

this study, exploring the meaning and the nature of parental involvement and how it

relates to children’s academic outcomes relied not only on the narratives of the

participants, but also on the researcher’s knowledge of the construct and interpretation

and examination of the interviews and field notes. A parental involvement study

conducted in New Zealand successfully utilized the interpretive phenomenological

approach (Hall, Hornby, & Macfarlane, 2015). The goal of their study was to explore the

factors which facilitate or hinder parental engagement among the Maoris, an indigenous

group in New Zealand. The study also used an indigenous methodology in data collection

and a cultural lens in interpreting their findings. These lend support that the

phenomenological approach is an appropriate and effective way to answer the present

study’s research questions.

Besides from using the phenomenological approach, the data collection procedure

for this study will draw from the research methodology of Sikolohiyang Pilipino, which is

the psychology that is born out of the experience and orientation of the Filipinos (Enriquez,

1994). In Sikolohiyang Pilipino, it is important to examine and understand the local

language and to explain the phenomenon through the lens of the native Filipino in order

to develop knowledge that is contextualized within indigenous concepts (Pe-Pua &

Protacio-Marcelino, 2000). Sikolohiyang Pilipino’s approach is regarded as

“indigenization from within” where conclusions are directly derived from the experiences

and socio-cultural realities of the Filipino people (Pe-Pua & Protacio-Marcelino, 2000).

From this description, it is apparent that the approach of Sikolohiyang Pilipino is

analogous to that of phenomenology (drawing conclusion only from the data and avoiding
assumptions). As such, Sikolohiyang Pilipino suitably complemented the goals of the

interpretive phenomenological approach.

This study will utilize the indigenous method of pakikipagkwentuhan (exchanging

stories). This can be likened to the traditional method of interviewing, except for the role

of the researcher and the participant and the manner of data collection. In

pakikipagkwentuhan, the researcher motivates the participants to narrate their

experiences about the topic. Pakikipagkwentuhan aims for systematic procedures, for

example, using a semi-structured predetermined interview protocol. However, flexibility

was allowed in the questions (e.g., adding or omitting questions when deemed

appropriate) and each interview was set in a less formal tone that can be more likened to

a friendly, casual conversation. In addition, prior to starting the interview, the researcher

tried to build rapport with the participant by engaging her in conversation and by sharing

a light snack at the researcher’s home. Rapport-building is very important, especially in

Sikolohiyang Pilipino, to minimize the gap between researcher and participant and to help

facilitate a comfortable relationship between the two (pakikipagpalagayang-loob; Pe-Pua

& Protacio-Marcelino, 2000). This approach was used as this has been found to be

culturally-sensitive and more appropriate in doing research with Filipino samples (de

Guzman, 2014). According to Sikolohiyang Pilipino, this is a type of data-collection that

uses a mutual-orientation model (Viney, 1988). This model engenders an equal status

between the researcher and the participant, where each gives something to, and gains

something from, the data collection. This equal and amicable relationship between the

researcher and the participant, rather than a more formal and distant one, positively

influences the quality of data collected (Pe-Pua, 2006).

Data Gathering

The researcher will employ purposive sampling with the help of the school (i.e.,

the school principal and one classroom adviser) to identify the potential participants in

terms of the students’ academic grades. The researcher will ask for help from school in

identifying students with average grades and students who were on academic probation

to comprise the sample of underachieving students. Upon identification of the potential

participants, researcher will be sending recruitment letters to parents through the school

with the instruction to contact the school or the researcher if the parent is willing to be

interviewed. The researcher then will contact the interested parents through phone call

and/or text message to provide a brief overview of the study and what the participation

entails. A date and time for the interview will be set for parents who agreed to participate.

Each interview will last from 19 minutes to 71 minutes, averaging 39.13 minutes in length.

According to Creswell (2013), participants for a phenomenological study may vary

in size, from 3 to 4, to 10 to 15. The target minimum number of participants for this study

is 24 to 30 (8 to 10 from each group) or until data saturation is reached. This number is

considered sufficient for doing phenomenology and helps ensure heterogeneity of

participants’ experiences. In addition to conducting the interviews, the researcher will

be diligent in keeping a record of her observations and reflections throughout data

collection. Bernard (2005) identified three types of field notes and these three were

utilized in this study. First, there were methodological notes where thoughts and insights

on recruitment and data collection procedures were logged. Second, descriptive notes

included observations and reflections on each interview were recorded, as well as the
researcher’s personal reactions and perceptions of the interview. Finally, analytic notes

contained initial reflections on the participants’ responses and ideas on emergent themes.

Validity and Verification Procedures

To ensure validity of findings, three verification procedures from the strategies

suggested by Creswell and Miller (2000) were conducted. First, rich and thick description

of the participants’ experiences were presented to give a vivid and clear narrative to the

readers, giving them enough evidence to make sense of the study and to make decisions

regarding transferability. Second, the results were presented to a group of about 20

researchers at a professional conference on cross-cultural studies. This audience

will provide feedback and additional insights on the findings. This will led to the addition

of further descriptions of some concepts and behaviors to ensure that readers understand

the context and the interpretation of findings. Lastly, the researcher will continuously

engage in reflexivity. Reflexivity refers to the continuous process of reflection on the

researcher’s personal values and preconceptions which can influence data collection and

interpretation (Parahoo, 2006). In phenomenology, it is very important that the

researcher’s subjective views and potential biases are made explicit (Creswell, 2007). As
a parent itself, the researcher have a similar cultural background with the participants,

and this can serve as a common ground to give way to a smooth interaction with the

participants. The researcher will be especially careful not to interpret the data according

to her own beliefs and assumptions. In addition, the researcher will constantly refer to the

recorded field notes to aid in data analysis. For the researcher, to be involved means to

know important information about the child’s school life. Nonetheless, the researcher
will honor the participant’s response that she is an involved parent as that must be

reflective of her lived experiences and how she views the phenomenon. Finally, there was

regular consultation with the advisor to ensure that the findings remained objective and

grounded on the data.

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
Research Aim:
Research Objectives or Research Questions:
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS:
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER 2: Review of Related Literature and Studies
RELATED AND STUDIES:
RELEVANCE OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES TO THE CURRENT
STUDY:
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND/OR CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS OR VARIABLES:
CHAPTER 3: Methodology
RESEARCH DESIGN:
POPULATION AND SAMPLE:
RESEARCH LOCALE:
METHOD OF PROCEDURE:
INSTRUMENTS:
STATISTICAL TREATMENT: