A closer look at parent involvement in their children's education: Is gender, sector (urban and rural) and parent's level of education an issue?

Abstract

A study was conducted in order to understand the factors that affect parents' involvement in their children's education. The involvement of parents in their children's education is defined in terms of its key components (communication with the school, communication with the children, knowledge of the school). An intentional sample was taken from primary schools in the urban and rural sectors of Ambato, Ecuador, and a sample of 163 parents of students who voluntarily agreed to respond to the instrument was selected. It was found that the factors that most affect the level of involvement of parents in their children's education are the sector of origin of the parents (urban or rural) and the educational level of the parents. This research concentrated its efforts on a relatively small sample of a single city in Ecuador. More studies are needed across the country, and additional factors that may be affecting parents' involvement in their children's education need to be considered.