Focus Groups: Parent Involvement In The Classroom

Focus groups were conducted in this study for the purpose of generating discussions among parents, teachers, and administrative participants regarding parent involvement, barriers preventing involvement, and methods of communicating with the school. The purpose of the focus groups design was to obtain perceptions of parent involvement in a permissive, non-threatening environment. There were two focus groups; one focus group consisted of six parents representing students in grades 6 -12 and the other was comprised of seven teachers and administrators from the middle school and high school levels. The researcher facilitated the discussions among members of the group using the teacher and administrator and the parent focus group protocol (Appendix Q & R). Each member of the focus groups was provided with a copy of the protocol questions prior to giving responses. The focus group interviews were recorded to ensure accuracy, and focus group interview protocols (Appendices Q & R) were used to create consistency while allowing the researcher to maximize the allotted time set aside for the interviews. The session was limited to 1 hour to gain full support of each respondent.
Parent Focus Group
The parent focus group was conducted on Monday, March 7, 2016, after school in the Board of Education conference room. The parent …show more content…
SY, a middle school parent, stated, “A friendly, open teacher who is willing to communicate in addition to having an open, inviting staff that makes you feel welcome.” DBR, a high school parent, stated, “It helps knowing that the teacher is open and that you can approach them or contact them to work through any problem.” Four of the six parent participants’ responses referred to friendly, open teachers who were willing to work collaboratively with parents as being influential to them being involved in the educational process of their