Sectorial Perceptions of Parental Involvement: Similarities and Dissimilarities

Arab teachers’ perception of parent involvement (PI): components and differences

“…In recent years, the question of the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and parental involvement is frequently raised in the research literature, and the strong relation between those variables is quite established (Leithwood and Levin, 2005; Zedan, 2012). It was found that the influence of the principal to increase PI is not dependent only on his or her views, but also on the way she/he influences teachers and encourages them to promote PI (Fisher et al , 2015). School principals’ transformational and transactional styles of leadership encourage staff collaboration, teacher development, and improved teaching.…”

“…Literature indicated perceived language barriers, cultural understanding conflicts, financial and work-related restraints, and an atmosphere that is not always welcoming (Barge and Loges, 2003; Manz et al , 2014). Teachers also have an effect on parental involvement levels, which depends on their qualification, training, and school culture (Fisher et al , 2015). The racial composition of teachers and parents, and the patterns of teacher-parent communication also affect parental involvement (Wright, 2009).…”

“…The Israeli Arab minority is no exception. Socio-cultural changes in Israeli Arab society are among the causes that have led to an ever-growing urge on the part of parents to become more involved: first, the change of family patterns from extended to nuclear family (Fisher et al , 2015); second, the increase in parents’ education level especially that of female education; and third, the greater emphasis in this minority society on children’s academic achievement, as they consider education to be an instrument of socio-economic mobility. Furthermore, involvement among the new age educated parents in the public sector affairs has increased (Arar and Abu-Asbah, 2013).…”

“…Fisher et al (2015) argue that since parents view schools as ultimately responsible for their children’s education, they tend to confront school staff and the education authorities. According to Arar et al (2014), such confrontation may be more extreme among Arab parents for whom scholastic achievement is a highly respected value.…”

“…Despite the significant contribution of parental involvement to the educational endeavor, few studies have focused on Arab PI in the Arab schools in Israel (Arar et al , 2014; Bishara and Shachar, 2008; Fisher et al , 2015; Zedan, 2012). The findings of these studies indicated a low level of parental involvement in the Arab education system, compared to that of their Jewish counterparts.…”