Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey Scales

Gehlbach, H., et al. (2013). Assessing Home-School Relationships. Symposium presentation at the 2013 American Edu- cational Research Association (AERA) Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Schueler, B. (2012). A new tool for understanding family-school relationships: The Harvard Graduate School of Edu- cation PreK–12 Parent Survey. Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) Newsletter, V(1). Retrieved from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/a-new-tool-for-understanding-familyschool-relationships-the-harvard-graduate-school-of-education-prek-12-parent-survey

Comments: The Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey is a set of survey scales designed to assess key aspects of family-school relations. As of the summer of 2013, the scales had been used by more than 1,000 schools in over 300 districts through the SurveyMonkey website. The scales are currently available in English and Spanish. Currently written reports to detail the scale development process and provide evidence of validity for each of the scales is being done. A scale to assess parent perceptions of Family-School Communication is in the process of being developed.

Sample: Parents (n = 651) with children between the ages of five and 18, drawn from SurveyMonkey’s national panel. Reliability: The alpha coefficients (Cronbach) for the related Parent Support sub-scales are .71 (Parent Learning Sup- port), .65 (Parent Social Support), and for the following scales they are .84 (School Fit), .80 (Parent Self-efficacy), .78 (Family-school Engagement), and .90 (School Climate). The alpha coefficients for the related Child Behaviors subscales are .76 (Positive Behaviors) and .79 (Negative Behaviors). Two sets of items that function as inventories rather than traditional scales: Roles and Responsibilities and Barriers to Family-School Engagement have also been developed.

Validity: To develop the scales, Gehlbach and Brinkworth’s (2011) six-step process for designing survey instruments. The goal of this process is to build in validity from the outset of the design phase by front-loading input from both scholars and potential respondents. The extant literature was identified to identify key aspects of each construct re- lated to family-school relations. Second, 45 to 60 minute open-ended interviews and focus groups with parents was conducted to learn how they conceptualized the constructs. Third, the list of literature-based indicators with interview- based indicators was compared to identify those that appeared in both and to note differences in the terminology used by researchers and parents. Fourth, items were developed, prioritizing indicators that were found in both the research literature and parent focus groups and worded items to be consistent with the language parents used. Research-based best practices for survey development (Artino, Gehlbach, and Durning, 2011) were followed. Fifth, scholars and prac- titioners familiar with family-school relationships completed an online survey to provide feedback on the clarity and relevance of items, possible missing items, and appropriateness for parents of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and with children of all ages. Finally, a cognitive pretesting procedure was employed with parents to ensure that poten- tial respondents understood the items as intended (Karabenick et al., 2007). Specifically, 40 to 60 minute one-on-one interviews were conducted in which parents were asked to restate each question in their own words, without using words from the item itself, and then to “think aloud” as they came to their own answer to the question.

Factor Analysis: SurveyMonkey administered the scales to large national samples of parents and using the resulting data, confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify theory-based factor structures that fit the data well for each scale. A two-factor model for the Parent Support scale included three indicators of social support and four of learning support (χ2 = 35.11, df = 13, p < .01; RMSEA = 0.05, RMSEA 90% CI [0.03, 0.07]; CFI = 1.00; No residual correlations > |0.10|). For the Child Behaviors scale, the model also included two factors: positive learning behaviors and negative learning behaviors (χ2 = 13.99, df = 13, p = 0.37; RMSEA = 0.01, RMSEA 90% CI [0.00, 0.04]; CFI = 1.00; No residual correlations > |0.10|). A seven-item, single factor model was identified for the following scales: School Fit (χ2 = 77.95, df = 14, p < 0.001; RMSEA = .086, RMSEA 90% CI [0.068, 0.105]; CFI = .981; 4.76% of residual correlations > |0.10|), School Climate (χ2 = 31.90, df = 14, p < 0.01; RMSEA = 0.05, RMSEA 90% CI [0.03, 0.07]; CFI = 1.00; No residual correlations > |0.10|). A six-item, single factor model was identified for the Parent Self-Efficacy scale (χ2 = 34.06, df = 9, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.07, RMSEA 90% CI [0.04, 0.09]; CFI = 0.99; No residual correlations > |0.10|). Finally, a four-item single factor model was identified for Family-School Engagement, (χ2 = 9.73, df = 2, p = 0.01; RMSEA = 0.078, RMSEA 90% CI [0.03, 0.13]; CFI = 1.00; No residual correlations > |0.10|).

Definitions of Factors: The Parent Support scale measures parents’ perceptions of the amount of academic and social support they provide for their children. The Child Behaviors scale measures parents’ perceptions of their child’s learning-related behaviors, including both positive and negative learning behaviors. The School Fit scale assesses parents’ perceptions of how good of a match their child’s school is for their child’s individual developmental needs. The School Climate scale assesses parents’ perceptions of the climate of their child’s school. The Parent Self-Efficacy scale measures how confident parents are in their ability to support their children’s academic and social development. The Family-School Engagement scale assesses parents’ perceptions of the degree to which they engage with their child’s school. The Barriers to Family-School Engagement inventory measures the degree to which different factors create challenges that make it difficult for families to engage with their child’s school. Finally, the Roles and Responsibilities set of items assesses parents’ perceptions of who has responsibility for key aspects of children’s success in school. It asks parents to indicate whether they think parents, schools, or children are primarily responsible for a set of factors that help determine school success.

References

Parent Perceptions of Parental Support for Their Children

Social Support

1. How often do you and your child talk when s/he is having a problem with others? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes Frequently       Almost all the time
2. To what extent do you know how your child is doing socially at school? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit A tremendous amount
3. How well do you know your child’s close friends?

Not well at all   Mildly well    Fairly well    Quite well    Extremely well

Learning Support

4. How often do you have the conversations with your child about what his/her class is learning at school? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes         Frequently Almost all the time
5. How often do you help your child understand the content s/he I learning in school? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes Frequently       Almost all the time
6. How often do you help your child engage in activities which are educational outside the home? Almost never Once in a while Sometimes   Frequently            Almost all the time
7. How much effort do you put into helping your child learn to do things for himself/herself?

Almost no effort A little bit of effort    Some effort   Quite a bit of effort   A tremendous amount of effort

Parent Perceptions of Children’s Learning Behaviors

Positive Learning Behaviors

1. How much effort does your child put into school-related tasks?

Almost no effort   A little bit of effort   Some effort   Quite a bit of effort   A tremendous amount of effort

2. How motivated is your child to learn the topics covered in class?

Not at all motivated   Slightly motivated    Somewhat motivated    Quite motivated Extremely motivated

3. How regularly does your child read for fun?

Almost never    Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time

4. In general, how well does your child learn from feedback about his/her work? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well Extremely well

Negative Learning Behaviors

5. When working on school activities at home, how easily is your child distracted? Not easily at all Slightly easily Somewhat easily    Quite easily    Extremely easily
6. How often does your child give up on learning activities that s/he finds hard? Almost never Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time
7. How often does your child struggle to get organized from school?

Almost never    Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time

Parent Perception of School Fit

1. How well do you feel your child’s school is preparing him/her for his/her next academic year? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well   Extremely well
2. Given your child’s cultural background, how good a fit is his/her school? Not good at all Mildly good    Fairly good    Quite good   Extremely good
3. How well do the teaching styles of your child’s teachers match your child’s learning style? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
4. How well do the activities offered at your child’s school match his/her interests? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well Extremely well
5. How much of a sense of belonging does your child feel at his/her school?

No belonging at all    A little bit of belonging    Some belonging    Quite a bit of belonging    A tremendous amount of belonging

6. At your child’s school, how well does the overall approach to discipline work for your child? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
7. How comfortable is your child in asking for help from school adults?

Not comfortable at all    Mildly comfortable    Quite comfortable   Extremely Comfortable

Parent Perceptions of School Climate

1. How well do administrators at your child’s school create a school environment that helps children learn? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
2. How motivating are the classroom lessons at your child’s school?

Not at all motivating   Slightly motivating    Somewhat motivating   Quite motivating    Extremely motivating

3. How fair or unfair is the school’s system of evaluating children?

Very unfair   Somewhat unfair   Slightly unfair    Neither far nor unfair   Slightly fair    Somewhat fair   Very fair

4. To what extent do you think that children enjoy going to your child’s school? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit        A tremendous amount
5. Overall, how much respect do you think the children at you child’s school have for the staff?

Almost no respect    A little bit of respect    Some respect    Quite a bit of respect    A tremendous amount of respect

6. Overall, how much respect do you think the teachers at your child’s school have for the children?

Almost no respect    A little bit of respect    Some respect    Quite a bit of respect    A tremendous amount of respect

7. How much does the school value the diversity of the children’s backgrounds? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit        A tremendous amount

Parental Self-Efficacy

1. How confident are you that you can motivate your child to try hard in school?
2. How confident are you in your ability to support your child’s learning at home?
3. How confident are you that you can help your child develop good friendships?
4. How confident are you in your ability to make sure your child’s school meets your child’s learning needs?
5. How confident are you in your ability to connect with other parents?
6. How confident are you in your ability to help your child deal with his or her emotions appropriately?

Scoring: Not confident at all = 1; Slightly confident = 2; Somewhat confident = 3; Quite confident = 4; and Extremely confident = 5.

Parent Perceptions of Family-School Engagement

1. How often do you meet in person with teachers at your child’s school?

• Almost never
• Once or twice per year
• Every few months
• Monthly
• Weekly or more

2. In the past, how often have you discussed your child’s school with other parents form the school? Almost never Once or twice per year             Every few months Monthly           Weekly or more
3. How involved have you been with a parent group(s) at your child’s school?

• Not at all involved
• A little involved
• Somewhat involved
• Quite involved
• Extremely involved

4. In the past, how often have you helped out at your child’s school?

• Almost never
• Once or twice per year
• Every few months
• Monthly
• Weekly or more

Parent Perceptions of Barriers to Family-School Engagement

How big of a problem are the following issues for becoming involved with your child’s current school?

1. How busy your schedule is
2. Transportation-related challenges
3. Childcare needs
4. Concerns about getting to the school safely
5. Your child does not want you to contact the school
6. Negative memories of your own school experience
7. You feel unsure about how to communicate with the school
8. The school is not welcoming to parents
9. The school provides little information about involvement opportunities
10. The school doesn’t communicate well with people from your culture
11. School staff seem too busy
12. You worry that adults at the school will treat your child differently if you raise a concern
13. You do not feel a sense of belonging with your child’s school community

Scoring: Not a problem at all = 1; Small problem = 2; Medium problem = 3; Large problem = 4; Very large problem = 5.

Parent Perceptions of Roles and Responsibilities Related to School Success

Many different factors play a role in school success. Each statement below represents something that may contribute to children’s success in school. Please indicate who you think is primarily responsible for each factor by checking the appropriate box. If you do not think an item is important for school success, please check “N/A.”

1. Make time for doing fun activities that are unrelated to schoolwork
2. Help children deal with their emotions appropriately
3. Identify what children are most interested in learning
4. Ensure good communication between home and school
5. Call attention to decisions about learning that do not seem to be in the best interest of the children
6. Make sure the children’s learning environment is safe
7. Make sure children are supported to do their best in school
8. Make sure that the children understand what is being taught at school
9. Make sure that the children have an adult to talk to at school
10. Make sure that children have enough time set aside to do all of their school-related work
11. Ensure children have good relationships with their peers

Scoring: Primarily parents = 1; Primarily schools = 2; Primarily children = 3; and N/A = 4.