Parent involvement in Early Head Start: Dimensions and associations with parenting outcomes

Xiaoli Wen, Purdue University

Abstract

Parent involvement in Early Head Start was examined from both parent and staff perspectives in three dimensions: program participation, staff-parent relationship quality, and program commitment. Study 1, drawn from existing research data, examined how parent program participation and staff-parent relationship quality were related and how they predicted responsive parenting behaviors differently over a six-month period (n = 62). Results showed that program participation and staff-parent relationship quality were correlated at a low to moderate level over time. Staff-parent relationship quality tended to be a stronger predictor of parenting behaviors than program participation at the first assessment, but this association was not detected 6 months later. In Study 2, a new survey was conducted with 138 parents and 58 staff, extending Study 1 by including a third dimension, program commitment, in the parent involvement conceptual model. The study investigated the associations among the three dimensions of parent involvement and their variation in two different service delivery models. Overall, the results suggested that the three proposed components of parent involvement were related to each other at a moderate level. Center-based parents had a higher level of program participation than home-based parents, based on staff reports. The home-based parents' program commitment had a stronger correlation with their perceptions of staff-parent relationship quality than did the center-based parents'. Future research directions and program implications are discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Elicker, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Preschool education

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