The Level of Involvement of Jordanian Parents of Kindergarten Children and Its Relationship to Parents’ Gender and Educational Qualification

Abstract

ABSTRACT Parent involvement in early childhood education has been researched extensively in many countries around the world. However, there is a lack of research on this topic in Jordan, as well as in Arab countries in general. The current study sought to explore the views of Jordanian parents on their involvement in their children’s education. Furthermore, the study aimed to find the influence of parent gender and academic qualification on parent involvement. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 178 Jordanian parents of children attending private kindergartens in Amman using a questionnaire consisting of 30 items across three domains (supportive home learning environment, direct school contact activities, and inhibited involvement). The results showed that Jordanian parents’ involvement level was high in both supportive home learning environment activities and direct school contact activities. Parents, however, reported experiencing barriers to involvement. The results also showed that there was a statistically significant association between parent gender and parent involvement, but parent educational level was not significantly associated with parent involvement. The limitations and implications of these findings were discussed.