Parental role construction leading to parental involvement in culturally distinct communities

Abstract

The home environment, especially parental involvement in the learning process, plays a substantial role in cultivating beneficial student learning outcomes. As a special issue on parental involvement, the articles herein share new insights on parental role construction and parental involvement within diverse contexts. The central focus spotlights the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (HDS) model of parental involvement and more specifically the psychological construct of parental role construction. Special attention is given to sociodemographic and cultural differences that influence parent involvement in an increasingly diverse school population that offers a collective counter narrative to deficit approaches of parental involvement. The ideas and methods shared within the articles are also situated within other trends in parent involvement practices that include parents’ role in supporting students’ positive development, self-sufficiency in their academic learning and future decision-making, as well as how parents view their role amidst the increasing use of digital tools for at-home learning. Each article within the special issue considers the complexities of the context, alignment to parental role construction and involvement, and new trends and directions for research on parental involvement.