Abstract:
ABSTRACT
PERCEPTIONS OF APPROPRIATE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT:
A STUDY COMPARING THE DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES OF
FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS, PARENTS/GUARDIANS
OF FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND FACULTY
by
Damiana Carol Hammer
Master of Science in Social Science
California State University, Chico
Fall 2009
Parents have been encouraged to be an active, involved participant in their
child’s education. While parental involvement at the elementary and secondary level is
encouraged and thought to be beneficial for students, there is much discussion about
“over involved parents” at the college level. Emerging trends in the research seem to
suggest that the hovering and over involvement by parents results in graduates’ inability
to demonstrate independent living skills and decision-making skills. The purpose of this
study was to take a small step towards gaining a better understanding of what the appropriate
level of parental involvement ought to be in a college students’ educational
experience. A total of 357 participants comprised the sample group for this study. The
total participant population was divided into three separate cohorts: students, parents,
and faculty. Participants were asked to express direct opinions to hypothetical scenarios
on a quantitative survey. Each had an opportunity to provide input on what they believe
to be appropriate level of parental involvement in an attempt to measure the amount of
agreement or divergence between the three groups. The research revealed that all three
cohorts do not agree as to what the most important outcome is to be achieved from a
college education. In addition, the research implied that while independence may be a
desirable goal to be achieved in life, it is not necessarily an outcome that need come
from the college experience.
