Evaluating the Normative View on Parental Involvement

Abstract

Abstract:

While there is plenty of research around the benefits of parental involvement in schools and after-school programs, there is a lack of literature and examination into the negative effects of enforced parental involvement at this institutional level—particularly in cases where parents are triggers to youth who carry a history of trauma. In these cases, parental involvement may exacerbate the harmful effects of trauma and stress for youth. Though there need to be larger, wider-scoped studies about this concern, I attempt to address the problem through a case study conducted at Mar Vista Family Center. In their mission, the enforcement of parental involvement is explicitly detailed through their ‘Shared Responsibility Model’. Data of this study are collected using evaluative interviews and analytic memos. After five months, I found that the intention for creating safety centered parents, and that consideration around trauma-informed programming is deficient. There was no evidential data showing that youth at the center, who interact with parents, were dealing with trauma; however, the limitations of my study—namely, the absence of data from youth participants—prevented such deductions. Therefore, I infer that there has been significant negligence to understand this problem in both research and the institutional setting, and that broad applications of parental involvement as a fail-safe solution for most youth, is still potentially harmful for some. I conclude that youth-centered spaces and organizations ought to focus on creating safe spaces with the input of youth and with care around every experience.

List of Contributors:

Dominic Guidry, main author

dominicguidry@gmail.com

Dr. Douglas Barrera, research advisor

dbarrera@college.ucla.edu

Supporting Agencies:

University of California, Los Angeles

References:

Adams, P. (2006) Exploring social constructivism: theories and practicalities, Education 3-13, 34:3, 243-257, DOI: 10.1080/03004270600898893

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Cottee, G., & Roman, N. V. (2014). Perceptions of parental practices which place children at-risk for abuse and neglect. 9.

Davis, J. M., & McKay, T. H. (Eds.). (2018). A Guide to Useful Evaluation of Language Programs. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvvngs5

Dods, J. (2015). Bringing Trauma to School: Sharing the Educational Experience of Three Youths. 25.

Gioia, D. A., & Pitre, E. (n.d.). Multiparadigm Perspectives on Theory Building. 20.

Hardaway, C. R., Sterrett-Hong, E., Larkby, C. A., & Cornelius, M. D. (2016). Family Resources as Protective Factors for Low-Income Youth Exposed to Community Violence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(7), 1309–1322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0410-1

Hodgdon, H. B., Kinniburgh, K., Gabowitz, D., Blaustein, M. E., & Spinazzola, J. (2013). Development and Implementation of Trauma-Informed Programming in Youth Residential Treatment Centers Using the ARC Framework. Journal of Family Violence, 28(7), 679–692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9531-z

Kirkhaug, B., Drugli, M. B., Klöckner, C. A., & Mørch, W.-T. (2013). Association between parental involvement in school and child conduct, social, and internalizing problems: teacher report. Educational Research and Evaluation, 19(4), 346–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2013.771893

Langley, A., Santiago, C. D., Rodríguez, A., & Zelaya, J. (2013). Improving Implementation of Mental Health Services for Trauma in Multicultural Elementary Schools: Stakeholder Perspectives on Parent and Educator Engagement. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 40(3), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9330-6

Learn, J. M. (2014). Impact of adverse childhood events on child behaviors, attachment, and parenting in low-income families (Psy.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1608995788/abstract/A965E5E35B024288PQ/1

Lecompte, M. D. (1994). Sensible Matchmaking: Qualitative Research Design and the Program Evaluation Standards. The Journal of Experimental Education, 63(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1994.9943824

Leenarts, L. E. W., Diehle, J., Doreleijers, T. A. H., Jansma, E. P., & Lindauer, R. J. L. (2013). Evidence-based treatments for children with trauma-related psychopathology because of childhood maltreatment: a systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 22(5), 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-012-0367-5

Lefebvre, H. (1991) The Production of Space: Oxford: Blackwell.

Lynch, B. K. (1990). A Context-Adaptive Model for Program Evaluation. TESOL Quarterly, 24(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586850

Mar Vista Family Center. (2020, June 4). The Shared Responsibility Model. https://marvistafc.org/the-shared-responsibility-model/

Mullaney, T. N. (2018). Litigating Trauma as Disability in American Schools. 13, 18.

Richman, J. M., & Fraser, M. W. (2001). The context of youth violence resilience, risk, and protection. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Steck, A. J., & Steck, B. (2016). Chapter 10: Stress and Trauma. In Brain and mind: Subjective experience and scientific objectivity (pp. 122-143). New York, NY: Springer.

Themane, M., & Osher, D. (2014). Editorial: Schools as enabling environments. South African Journal of Education, 34(4), 1–6.

Trost, K., 2, kari.trost@bsr.oru.se, Biesecker, G., Stattin, H., & Kerr, M. (2007). Not wanting parents’ involvement: Sign of autonomy or sign of problems? European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4(3), 314–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405620601008980