Faculty Publications

Social Networks And Parent Motivational Beliefs: Evidence From An Urban School District

Document Type

Article

Keywords

neighborhood conditions, parent involvement, parent motivational beliefs, partnerships, school outreach, social network

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Educational Administration Quarterly

Volume

52

Issue

5

First Page

841

Last Page

877

Abstract

Background: Despite devotion of substantial resources and effort to increase parent/school partnerships, gaps remain between policy rhetoric and practice, especially in high-poverty communities. Current research focuses on parent involvement or effects of parent motivational beliefs on parent choice for behavior; however, it does not address the formation of beliefs or social factors that influence parent motivation to become involved. To gain a better understanding of factors that influence parent motivational beliefs, we examined the effects of parent social network, school outreach, and neighborhood health on parent role construction and parent efficacy in an urban school district. Method/Analysis: Survey data were collected from a random sample of 30 fifth-grade parents from 56 elementary schools in a large urban district in the Midwest. Using a partially latent structural regression model, we tested the relationships between school outreach, neighborhood health, parent social network, and parent motivational beliefs. Findings: The theoretical specification of the hypothesized model was observed in the pattern of the relationships among school outreach, neighborhood health, parent network, and parent motivational beliefs. Results: The results of the structural model confirm the association between parent social network and parent motivational beliefs. Combined parent social network and school outreach accounted for 10% of the variance in parent motivational beliefs. Implications for Research and Practice: Results from this study provide a different lens through which to view parent–school partnerships. Understanding parents as social actors whose perceptions are influenced through connections with other parents can help schools facilitate motivational beliefs that lead to effective partnerships.

Department

Education

Original Publication Date

12-1-2016

DOI of published version

10.1177/0013161X16659345

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

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