Parental involvement as a teaching strategy : attitudes, opinions, and perceptions in Thunder Bay

Abstract

During the 1970s and into the 1980s the communications media and educational theorists have reported and analyzed public dissatisfaction with school systems. One cause of this dissatisfaction is that school systems have become isolated from other institutions, such as the home, the church, and the media, which participate in the education of children (Goodlad,1984). Involving the home in the formal educational process could form a link between home and the school and, indeed, may be necessary to the survival of public education (Goodlad,1984). The education of a child begins at home before he enters school and continues there throughout the school years. Acknowledging the value of and making use of the home educational process can greatly enhance the total educational experience of the child. Involving the home in classroom programs can promote better understanding between home and school and a positive public perception of educational systems. This study focuses on linking home and school. It investigates teachers' use of and attitudes to home instruction which is coordinated with the classroom program, and the attitudes of parents toward this practice.