Date
3-22-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)
Chair
Jose Puga
Keywords
foreign language immersion program, parental role construction, parental self-efficacy, parent involvement, parent motivation, dual language education
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Kempen, Kate Marie, "A Transcendetal Phenomenology on Parents’ Motivational Beliefs Towards Involvement in Their Children's Education: The Lived Experiences of Parents Whose Children Have Attended a Kinder Through Fifth Grade Foreign Language Immersion Program" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5291.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5291
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand parents’ lived experiences in relation to their motivational beliefs for involvement in their children’s education in a K-5 foreign language immersion program. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of parents whose children have attended at least 2 years of a K-5 foreign language immersion program regarding their motivational beliefs towards involvement in their children’s education? Three sub-questions addressing the specific aspects of motivational beliefs were used to further examine parent involvement. The theory that guided this study was the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model of the parent involvement process, as it addressed how parental role construction, sense of efficacy, and other factors converge to influence parents’ motivational beliefs and decisions to become involved in their child’s education. There were 25 participants in the study that were selected using a recruitment survey. Data collection methods included in-depth one-on-one interviews, an open-ended questionnaire, and focus groups. Data analysis included: (1) coding all data using a provisional list of codes, adding codes as needed; (2) combining like codes to create themes; (3) creating a composite for each participants’ experience; (4) creating a composite structural description of the group’s experience; and (5) synthesizing all participants experiences in to one clear statement. Findings revealed parents were involved in a variety of ways to understand the immersion program and support their child. Participants felt their role was to support their student and most had high self-efficacy in their ability to do so. Parents were influenced by invitations to be involved as well as their own life factors of time, knowledge, and access to resources.
