Parental Involvement and School Leadership: A Study of Public Schools in China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53797/ujssh.v4i2.5.2025Keywords:
Parental Involvement, School Leadership, China, Public Schools, Home-School PartnershipAbstract
This quantitative correlational study investigated the relationship between school leadership practices and parental involvement in public primary and secondary schools across selected regions of China. Recognizing the evolving educational landscape and the critical roles of both parents and leaders, the study aimed to identify how principals' actions influence parental engagement. Data were collected from school principals and parents using the School Leadership Practices Survey (SLPS) and the Parental Involvement Questionnaire (PIQ), respectively. Descriptive findings indicated that principals perceived strong engagement in communication and fostering a welcoming climate, while support for parental involvement in decision-making was comparatively lower. Multiple regression analysis revealed that all five dimensions of school leadership significantly predicted overall parental involvement (R 2=0.49,p<.001). Specifically, "Communication Strategies" (β=0.35,p<.001) and "Creation of a Welcoming School Climate" (β=0.22,p=.003) emerged as the strongest unique predictors. These findings underscore the pivotal role of proactive and strategic school leadership in cultivating robust home-school partnerships in China. The study recommends targeted professional development for principals focusing on communication and fostering inclusive school environments to enhance parental engagement and support educational reforms.
References
Acar, S., Chen, Ching-I., & Xie, H. (2021). Parental involvement in developmental disabilities across three cultures: A systematic review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 110, 103861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103861
Bettencourt, A. F., Gross, D., Bower, K., Francis, L., Taylor, K., Singleton, D. L., & Han, H. R. (2020). Identifying Meaningful Indicators of Parent Engagement in Early Learning for Low-Income, Urban Families. Urban Education, 58(10), 004208592096861. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920968619
Froiland, J. M. (2020). A comprehensive model of preschool through high school parent involvement with emphasis on the psychological facets. School Psychology International, 42(2), 103–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320981393
Haryati, S., Sukarno, S., & Purwanto, S. (2021). Implementation of online education during the global Covid-19 pandemic: Prospects and challenges. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 40(3), 604–612. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v40i3.42646
Jeynes, W. H. (2022). A Meta-Analysis: The Relationship Between the Parental Expectations Component of Parental Involvement with Students’ Academic Achievement. Urban Education, 59(1), 004208592110738. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859211073892
Kong, C., & Yasmin, F. (2022). Impact of Parenting Style on Early Childhood Learning: Mediating Role of Parental Self-Efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(928629). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.928629
Leithwood, K. (2021). A Review of Evidence about Equitable School Leadership. Education Sciences, 11(8), 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080377
Liu, S., Keeley, J. W., Sui, Y., & Sang, L. (2021). Impact of distributed leadership on teacher job satisfaction in China: The mediating roles of teacher autonomy and teacher collaboration. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 71, 101099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101099
McLeod, S., & Dulsky, S. (2021). Resilience, Reorientation, and Reinvention: School Leadership During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Education, 6, 637075. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.637075
Parveen, K., Tran, P. Q. B., Alghamdi, A. A., Namaziandost, E., Aslam, S., & Xiaowei, T. (2022). Identifying the Leadership Challenges of K-12 Public Schools During COVID-19 Disruption: A Systematic Literature Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 875646. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875646
Ribeiro, L. M., Cunha, R. S., Silva, M. C. A. e, Carvalho, M., & Vital, M. L. (2021). Parental Involvement during Pandemic Times: Challenges and Opportunities. Education Sciences, 11(6), 302. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11060302
Şengonul, T. (2022). A review of the relationship between parental involvement and children’s academic achievement and the role of family socioeconomic status in this relationship. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 12(2), 32–57. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.12.02.04
Wei, F., & Ni, Y. (2020). Parent councils, parent involvement, and parent satisfaction: Evidence from rural schools in China. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 174114322096816. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220968166
Wu, W., & Koh, A. (2021). Being “international” differently: a Comparative Study of Transnational Approaches to International Schooling in China. Educational Review, 74(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.1887819
Ye, Y., Wang, C., Zhu, Q., He, M., Havawala, M., Bai, X., & Wang, T. (2021). Parenting and Teacher–Student Relationship as Protective Factors for Chinese Adolescent Adjustment During COVID-19. School Psychology Review, 51(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966x.2021.1897478
Yulianti, K., Denessen, E., Droop, M., & Veerman, G.-J. (2019). Transformational Leadership for Parental Involvement: How Teachers Perceive the School Leadership Practices to Promote Parental Involvement in Children’s Education. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 20(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2019.1668424
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fang Ma, Mazni Muhammad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
