Family Involvement: How do I help my child study?

A research-based discussion on what kind of involvement is beneficial for

students
Written by Chie Sipin-Bjarenas
Subject Specialist, English Language Department

The great upheaval of 2020 has proven to be a catalyst of change in the

field of education. It brought many challenges to the school community and
forced students, teachers, and parents and guardians to reconsider the
teaching and learning landscape.

As schools and teachers scrambled to continue to provide healthy learning

environments for our students, parents and guardians were left to figure
out how to support their child: What device did they need? How much
technical support should be provided? How will classes be conducted? How
will learning now happen? Should parents/guardians take on the role of the
teacher as well?

All are valid concerns, with the last one taking central stage. Parents and
guardians, who were dealing with their own professional shifts, now had to
oversee their child’s learning. How should learning at home be managed?
How much help should be provided? How much help is help?

It is quite fortunate that a lot of parents and guardians were already

actively supporting their child academically and socially. Many parents do
believe supporting their child at school is their responsibility as parents,
that it is helpful to their child, and that it is expected by the school
community (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001). This is all well and good as
research after research proves that ‘Parent involvement in the schools
promotes student success and achievement’ (Johnston, 1998). A major
concern that parents and guardians seemed to struggle with, though, is
just how much support or help should they provide to ensure their child’s
continual success?

There are two major types of parent/guardian involvement: school-site and

home involvement (Zellman & Waterman, 1998).

School-site involvement refers to attending or volunteering for school

events and activities, and meeting teachers and other parents at school
(Grolnick, 1997). Grolnick & Slowiaczek (1994) call this behavioural
involvement and it supports students’ success as it highlights the
parent’s/guardian’s belief in the ‘importance of school by attending school
activities and meeting with teachers.’ According to Walker et al. (2004)
these visits also provide an opportunity for parents and guardians to
interact with their child’s teachers to discuss homework and school
expectations.

©NHJS/Weekly Bulletin/ChieSB/2021
How can parents support learning through behavioural
involvement as children attend school from home?
1. Participate in school events with your child, even if it’s via
Zoom.
2. Attend parent-teacher meetings. If possible, have your child
join you as you talk with their teacher.
3. Support your child in school-initiated off-screen or offline
activities (e.g. contests, projects, etc)

Home involvement, on the other hand, refers to off-school and/or at-home

interactions that support learning. This used to be limited to homework
support after school (Epstein, 2002), but it now seems to encompass the
whole day as students stay at home to learn.

Parents and guardians can support their children at home by exercising

personal involvement and cognitive/intellectual involvement
(Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994). The former aims to ‘communicate positive
attitudes about school and the importance of education to the child’ while
the latter ‘refers to behaviours that promote children's skill development
and knowledge, such as reading books and going to museums’ (Grolnick,
1997).

When parents and guardians exercise personal involvement, they highlight

and support positive learning behaviours by talking about school and how
to succeed as students. These discussions, which are beneficial on their
own as they guide the child’s response to school and learning, also show
‘that activities related to schooling are worthy of adult interest and time’
(Dempsey & Sandler, 1995). They continue to say that when parents and
guardians reinforce positive learning behaviour by ‘affirming success in the
classroom, reinforcing the positive value of academic accomplishment, and
developing the skills that enable academic success’ they enable their child
to succeed in school.

How can parents support learning through personal involvement?

1. Ask questions about the day.
2. Talk about concerns at school (studies, friends, teachers, etc).
3. Share your own stories about school life so your child can
learn vicariously through you.
4. Discuss strategies your child can use to overcome both
academic and social challenges.
5. Celebrate your child’s successes and achievements.

©NHJS/Weekly Bulletin/ChieSB/2021
Another way for parents and guardians to support their child at home is
through cognitive/intellectual involvement. This refers to two separate
but related sets of activities: activities that promote learning but are not
directly connected to school (Grolnick, 1997) and activities that are directly
related to school work (Dempsey & Sandler, 1995).

Promoting learning through off-school activities include visits to the

museum, libraries and book shops, watching plays and documentaries,
participating in cultural activities, and the like. These visits aim to support
learning through actual experiences that will greatly benefit and support
their performance in school.

Activities that are directly related to school work employ the need for direct
instruction. This area has proven to be quite confusing and sometimes even
frustrating for parents and guardians as we continue with home-based
learning. Let’s clear the air by starting with the definition of ‘instruction’.
Oxford defines instruction as ‘detailed information on how to do or use
something’ and it comes in two forms and each one produces different
learning outcomes in the student (Dempsey & Sandler, 1995).

Direct and closed-ended instruction is focused on facts, repeating and

echoing information, singular ‘correct answers’, and the ‘right way’ of
solving a problem. It does not influence nor promote critical thinking skills.
It is quick and to the point, and is prone to lead to controlling behaviour
from the adult (“That’s not how you do it, let me show you how it should
be done.”).

While closed-ended instruction might seem more time-efficient, it also

makes it easy for the adult to take over the learning. For children to benefit
from learning and succeed in school, they should be allowed to learn
autonomously or on their own. ‘In order to help children be autonomous in
their (class)work, (parents and guardians) should not do their children’s
homework.’ (Cunha et al., 2015) How can parents then instruct their
children in learning? This brings us to the second form on instruction.

Direct and open-ended instruction involves questions, planning, developing

strategies, anticipating shifts, and explaining information. It ‘promotes
critical thinking skills, as well as factual learning and knowledge’ (Dempsey
& Sandler, 1995). This type of instruction is time-consuming but very
beneficial to the child. It is not merely homework supervision but an active
participation in the learning – not towards one single answer but towards
what mental process or strategy the child needs to use to benefit from a
learning opportunity. (“I see that you’re struggling with this, let’s try to
review the question and what you’ve done so far.” or ”Can you explain to
me how you’ve arrived at this answer? Is there another way to do this? Can
we find a better way to complete this?)

©NHJS/Weekly Bulletin/ChieSB/2021
Parental involvement in open-ended instruction is quite valuable. Parents
and guardians have a great advantage in really knowing their child and are
more able to spot the gaps between where the child is and where they need
to be. And while they might not have the expertise in what the child needs
to learn, they can help support the child by equipping them with strategies
to remain focused, control their emotions, and steadily work with the tools
provided in class to accomplish their task (Hoover-Dempsey, 2001).

When parents and guardians enthusiastically and positively participate in

the child’s learning using direct and open-ended instruction, they support
positive attitudes toward learning (Leone & Richards, 1989) and greater
enjoyment of school tasks (Shumow, 1998). When children relate
classwork to positive experiences, they tend to have a positive attitude
towards learning and ‘develop attributes directly associated with school
success’ (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001).

How can parents support learning through cognitive/intellectual

involvement?
1. Create a home environment that encourages learning. Provide
space and a protected time for class work and learning.
2. Let your child know that you have set high, yet reasonable,
expectations for the child’s achievement and future careers.
3. Talk to your child’s teachers and collaborate with them to
mutually support learning with consistent goals and
expectations. This will relieve your child of the stress in
meeting different expectations in school and at home.
4. Review and monitor classwork. Provide direct and open-
ended instructions to help your child bridge the gap when
completing their tasks at home. Do not answer their work for
them. Help them move from what they know to what they
need to do. If unsure of the lesson, help the child consult with
their teacher.
5. Find creative ways to support learning. Cooking with your
child might help reinforce math skills. Gardening or watching
documentaries might support science skills. Asking strategic
questions while watching a play or a movie might help boost
comprehension skills that are useful not only in languages but
in all other subjects.

The year 2020 gave parents and guardians opportunities to be more

present in their children’s lives. In 2021, use these stronger connections to
build a more robust support system for these learners at home.

©NHJS/Weekly Bulletin/ChieSB/2021
References

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453-461. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2017.181

Cunha, J., Rosário, P., Macedo, L., Nunes, A., Fuentes, S., Pinto, R., & Suárez, N. (2015). Parents’
conceptions of their homework involvement in elementary school. Psicothema, 27(2), 159-
165 . doi: 10.7334/psicothema2014.210

Dempsey, K., & Sandler, H. (1995). Parental Involvement in Children’s Education: Why does it
make a difference? Teachers College Record, 97 (2), 310-331.

Epstein, J. Ph.D., et. al. Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Involvement. Partnership Center for
the Social Organization of Schools.

Ferguson, C. (2008). The School-Family Connection: Looking at the Larger Picture. A Review of
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Grolnick, W.S. & Slowiaczek, M.L. (1994). Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Schooling: A
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(2001). Parental involvement in homework. Educational psychologist, 36(3), 195-209.

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Trautwein, U,. Niggli, A., Schnyder, I., & Ludtke, O. (2009). Between-Teacher Differences in
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©NHJS/Weekly Bulletin/ChieSB/2021