Factors affecting early childhood educators’ views and practices of parental involvement

Authors

• Sevcan Hakyemez-Paul University of Turku, Finland
• Päivi Pihlaja University of Turku, Finland
• Heikki Silvennoinen University of Turku, Finland

Keywords:

parental involvement, educator practices, educator characteristics, early childhood education, parental involvement types, Finnish context

Abstract

Past research has shown the significant role of parental involvement in children’s academic achievements as well as their healthy development and well-being. For effective parental involvement, it is imperative to understand the views of early childhood educators and the factors affecting their parental involvement practices. The present study investigates Finnish early childhood educators’ views on parental involvement and uncovers the relationship between their parental involvement practices and their education level and backgrounds, the age groups of pupils they work with and their experience in the field of early childhood education. A quantitative method was employed, and a representative sample of 287 educators from one of the biggest municipalities of Finland completed a questionnaire. Their views of parental involvement and the types of parental involvement they employ are certainly impacted by their experience in the field. Our findings show that while the educational level of the participants and the age groups they work with impact their views and practices of parental involvement, their educational background did not have any effect on this.