Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Abstract

Parent and family engagement in middle school has been demonstrated to increase students' academic achievement; however, barriers often prevent parental participation. This study focused on parents' and teachers' perceptions of the parents' role in the educational process and sought to answer research questions about parents' perceptions, parents as equal partners in the educational process, and barriers to parental participation. A qualitative research design was used for the study. Teachers and parents from a middle school in West Tennessee participated in interviews to generate data used in this study. Teachers and parents identified common themes affecting the parent-school partnership, including communication, time, work, and socioeconomic constraints. The themes included parent engagement as a shared responsibility, the emotional weight of communication, recognizing visible barriers, seeking belonging, and parent empowerment. Integrating both thematic and interpretive phenomenological analysis methods yielded a more in-depth view of parents' and teachers' perceptions. The study found that while parents and teachers demonstrated similar perspectives, there were breakdowns that occurred in communication as well as the definition of the parent-school relationship.

Year manuscript completed

2026

Year degree awarded

2026

Author's Keywords

teacher perceptions, parent perceptions, student success, parent-school relationship, middle school

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

College/School

College of Education & Human Services

Dissertation Committee Chair

Dr. Jennifer N. Gaylord

Committee Chair

Dr. Tamekia Dancy

Committee Member

Dr. Chanel Schwenck

Document Type

Dissertation

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