Increasing parent participation at local elementary school using the gap analysis approach

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INCREASING PARENT PARTICIPATION AT LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL USING
THE GAP ANALYSIS APPROACH

By
Melissa Bustamante

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

December 2023

Copyright 2023 Melissa Bustamante

ii
DEDICATION
To my wonderful Chris, I could not have achieved this without your love and support. We started
this USC journey as classmates and ended becoming husband and wife. Thank you for always
believing in me and giving me the encouragement I needed to persevere during this doctoral
program. I want to thank my family and friends for always cheering me on through the difficult
moments. A los mejores padres del mundo, Pia y Pancho, Gracias por estar siempre a mi lado,
dándome los mejores consejos. Los amo con todo mi corazón. Por fin tu hija ha conseguido su
sueño y tiene su doctorado de USC. ¡Lo hicimos!

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To my dissertation chair Dr. Yates, words cannot describe how thankful I am for all the
support you have given me throughout this journey. I appreciate all the times you went out of
your way to schedule me in your extremely busy schedule. Thank you for the endless
motivational conversations that meant the world to me. To my committee members, Dr. Patall
and Dr. Martinez, thank you so much for never giving up on me, helping from the start and
seeing this dissertation competed to the very end. I thank each of you from the bottom of my
heart. I am very proud that I am now a part of the USC Trojan Family. I will always fight on!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix
Chapter One: Overview of the Study ...............................................................................................1
Organizational Context and Mission ...................................................................................1
Organizational Performance Status ......................................................................................2
Related Literature .................................................................................................................2
Importance of the Problem to the Organization ...................................................................2
Organizational Performance Goal ........................................................................................3
Description of the Stakeholders ...........................................................................................3
Stakeholders’ Performance Goals ........................................................................................4
Stakeholder Group for the Study .........................................................................................5
Stakeholder of Focus Critical Behaviors .............................................................................5
Purpose of the Project and Questions ..................................................................................5
Definition .............................................................................................................................6
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ...........................................................................................7
Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................................8
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Factors .......................................8
Summary ............................................................................................................................24
Chapter Three: Methodology .........................................................................................................25
Conceptual and Methodological Framework .....................................................................25
Assessment of Performance Influences .............................................................................27
Participating Stakeholders and Sample Selection ..............................................................32

v
Instrumentation ..................................................................................................................33
Data Collection ..................................................................................................................34
Document Analysis ............................................................................................................35
Trustworthiness of Data .....................................................................................................36
Role of Investigator ............................................................................................................36
Limitations .........................................................................................................................37
Chapter Four: Results and Findings ...............................................................................................38
Participating Stakeholders .................................................................................................38
Factual Knowledge ............................................................................................................40
Summary of Validated Influences .....................................................................................68
Chapter Five: Recommendations and Evaluation ..........................................................................71
Recommendations to Address Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences .....72
Summary of Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Recommendations .....................84
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan ................................................................84
Implementation and Evaluation Framework ......................................................................85
Summary of the Implementation and Evaluation ..............................................................97
Limitations and Delimitations ............................................................................................98
Recommendations for Future Research .............................................................................99
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................99
References ....................................................................................................................................101
Appendix A: Instruments to Collect Data ....................................................................................104
Appendix B: KMO Observation Protocol ....................................................................................108
Appendix C: KMO Document Analysis Protocol .......................................................................110
Appendix D: Immediate evaluation instrument ...........................................................................113
Appendix E: Delayed Evaluation Instrument ..............................................................................114

vi
Appendix F: Data and Reporting .................................................................................................115

vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Stakeholders’ Performance Goals ......................................................................................4
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influences on Stakeholders Ability to
Achieve the Performance Goal ......................................................................................................16
Table 3: Summary of Assumed Motivation Influences on Stakeholders Ability to Achieve
the Performance .............................................................................................................................20
Table 4: Assumed Organizational Influences ................................................................................23
Table 5: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Method of Assessment Based on
Critical Behaviors ..........................................................................................................................28
Table 6: Summary of Motivation Influences and Method of Assessment .....................................30
Table 7: Summary of Organization Influences and Method of Assessment .................................31
Table 8: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Parent Meetings/Workshops .........................41
Table 9: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Parent Meetings/Workshops .........................43
Table 10: Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Volunteering at the School .........................44
Table 11: Survey Results for Conceptual Knowledge of Parent Participation in
Meetings/Workshops Help Their Child Succeed in School ..........................................................46
Table 12: Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge of Parents Often Thinking of
How Well Their Child is Doing in School .....................................................................................48
Table 13: Survey Results for Value of Parents Talking to Their Child About School ..................49
Table 14: Survey Results for Value of Parents Frequently Meeting with Child’s Teachers
is Important ....................................................................................................................................51
Table 15: Survey Results for Self-Efficacy ...................................................................................52
Table 16: Survey Results for Cultural Models of Parents Feeling Welcomed at Children’s
Schools ...........................................................................................................................................54
Table 17: Survey Results for Cultural Models of Parents Feeling Welcomed at Children’s
Schools ...........................................................................................................................................55
Table 18: Survey Results for Attribution Theory ..........................................................................57
Table 19: Survey Results for Attribution Theory ..........................................................................58
Table 20: Survey Results for Policies and Procedures ..................................................................60

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Table 21: Survey Results for Organization, Resources .................................................................61
Table 22: Survey Results for Organization, Resources .................................................................63
Table 23: Survey Results for Resources ........................................................................................65
Table 24: Survey Results for Resources ........................................................................................67
Table 25: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influence as Assets or Needs .................................68
Table 26: Summary of Assumed Motivation Influence as Assets or Needs ..................................69
Table 27: Summary of Assumed Organizational Influence as Assets or Needs ............................70
Table 28: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations .........................................73
Table 29: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations .........................................77
Table 30: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations ......................................81
Table 31: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes ........................87
Table 32: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation ...............................89
Table 33: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors ............................................................90
Table 34: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program ........................................94
Table 35: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program .......................................................95

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ABSTRACT
This study conducted a gap analysis to facilitate an examination of the root causes of the low
parent/guardian participation rate in school-related events. The study focused on causes that
emerge due to gaps in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organization. The instrumentation
used for this study included a survey, a semi-structured interview, an observational checklist, and
a document analysis protocol. The stakeholders who participated in the study were the
parents/guardians of students who attend the local elementary school. Survey items were created
for each assumed cause using the parents’ critical behaviors. The parent/guardian responses are a
key component to uncovering the reasoning behind the low parent participation rate in the
school. The 43 surveys conducted were anonymous. The five interview participants were all
female. The new world Kirkpatrick model was used to plan, implement, and evaluate
recommendations for the organization and to optimize achieving the stakeholder and
organizational goals. The recommendations address assets and needs and emphasize consistency,
continuity, and commitment required to improve and maintain parental participation.
Keywords: parent/guardian participation, elementary school, new world Kirkpatrick
model, gap analysis

1
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
The general problem of practice addressed in this case study is the disproportionate
number of parents who actively participate in parent meetings and school activities. Parental
involvement, which for the purposes of this study also includes guardians, is measured by
attendance at general meetings, conferences between parent/caregivers and teachers, attendance
at school events or volunteering. This performance problem affects the organizational mission of
teachers and staff joining parents and community members in a collaborative effort to promote
student development from the acquisition of basic academic skills to the application of those
skills through rigorous standards-based instruction. Furthermore, creating a child-centered
environment focuses on providing a positive, supportive climate that enables students to develop
social interaction skills, fosters personal responsibility, and helps them become successful,
contributing members of a global society. For this case study, a pseudonym was used to protect
the identity of the participants and the school.
Organizational Context and Mission
The people and/or organizations involved in the present study are teachers, parents, and
school administrators at Local Elementary School. The Local Elementary School is one of the 12
schools in the Mountain View School District, which is located in the San Gabriel Valley in the
city of El Monte. The Mountain View School District serves about 8,300 students. Local
Elementary School serves 550 students from Kindergarten to sixth grade. This urban setting is
home to a large, low-income Hispanic population. Students and their families live in mostly
rental units consisting of apartments, trailer parks and motels. The majority of Local Elementary
School students enter Kindergarten with minimal to no English language skills. In order to serve
the English language learners population, 80% of the teaching staff at the school is Hispanic. All

2
teachers are fully credentialed and meet the No Child Left Behind requirements for “highly
qualified” teacher status. Furthermore, five staff members have administrative credentials, and
all instructional assistants are highly qualified and meet No Child Left Behind (NCLB) status.
Organizational Performance Status
The organization’s problem of practice is low parent participation in school-related
activities. The status of its performance related to the problem of practice is specifically tied to
parents failing to attend parent meetings. The school principal reports that approximately eight
parents from a population of 500 students attend school-related meetings. Ultimately, the key
impact of performance on achieving the organization’s mission is student achievement, which
research shows is enhanced by parent or caregiver involvement.
Related Literature
Research has shown that parental involvement has many benefits in increasing student
motivation in their academic performance. Harackiewicz et al. (2012) conducted a study on a
utility value intervention which included the influence of a third party, which in this particular
case was the student’s parents. This intervention used parents to help increase their child’s
motivation in school. Increasing parent involvement is important to address because the result of
parents not communicating with their children effectively may narrow opportunities for
academic advancement. Furthermore, it will continue the poverty cycle in minority communities.
Importance of the Problem to the Organization
It is important to address this problem within the organization because parental
involvement has demonstrated positive effects with elementary students. Students with parents
who are involved in school-related activities show improved academic performance and tend to
have fewer behavioral issues. Further, they are also more likely to complete high school than

3
students whose parents have not been actively involved since elementary school. Parental
involvement gives parents an opportunity to coordinate with teachers to ensure the academic
growth and progress of students. Having parents involved in school also creates a parent-teacher
interaction that builds positive relationships between both stakeholders.
Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of the organization is that staff will work in a cooperative, nurturing atmosphere
that advocates responsibility, respect, and resourcefulness. The overall mission of this
elementary school is that the school team, which includes teachers and staff, will join parents in a
collaborative effort to promote student development from acquisition of basic academic skills to
the application of those skills through rigorous standards-based instruction. The school’s child-
centered environment focuses on providing a positive, supportive climate that enables students to
develop social interaction skills and foster personal responsibility and helps them become
successful, contributing members of a global society. Thus, the goal of the Local Elementary
School is that 100% of parents will be involved in school-related activities.
Description of the Stakeholders
The organization’s stakeholders for this study are teachers, parents, and school
administrators. Although there could be many factors that contribute to parent participation at
this elementary school, these stakeholders have the most influence on student success. The roles
and responsibilities might differ from parent to teacher and from teacher to administrator. Yet, all
stakeholders should strive to achieve the organization’s mission, which includes having teachers
and staff join parents in a collaborative effort to promote student development, including the
acquisition of basic academic skills and their application through rigorous standards-based
instruction.

4
Stakeholders’ Performance Goals
The overall performance goals of the organization are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1
Stakeholders’ Performance Goals
Organizational mission
Teachers and staff joining parents and community members in a collaborative effort to promote
student development from acquisition of basic academic skills to the application of those
skills through rigorous standards-based instruction.
Organizational global goal
By August 2024, parent involvement will increase to 100% , which will allow
parents/caregivers to attend all school-related activities. Parental involvement is measured by
attendance at general meetings, parent/caregivers -teacher conferences, attending school
events or volunteering.
Stakeholder 1: parents
By August 2024, parent
involvement will increase to
100%, which will allow
parents to attend all school-
related activities.

Stakeholder 2: school liaison
By December 2023 school liaison
will collaborate with administrator
to identify the resources needed to
recruit a parental committee.
Stakeholder 3:
administrator
By December 2023,
administrator will
collaborate with school
liaison and parent
committee to plan a mini
gap analysis to uncover
the barriers parents may
experience.

5
Stakeholder Group for the Study
The stakeholders of focus for this study are the parents/guardians of the students
attending Local Elementary School. The aim was to uncover the reasoning behind parents’ low
participation rate in the school. There were several questions given to parents in order to address
knowledge, skills, motivation, and organization causes that might be preventing parents from
attending school-related events.
Stakeholder of Focus Critical Behaviors
According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), critical behaviors are defined as
specific actions that are observable and directed to the desired performance outcome. There are
three critical behaviors required for the stakeholders to ensure their goals are specific,
observable, and measurable. These are
1. Participate in attending all school-related activities, which will include completing a
worksheet for every session.
2. Engage in conversation and surveys so that parents will have the knowledge of how
parent involvement impacts student success.
3. Demonstrate consistent communication between teacher and administrator through
communication log.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to facilitate an examination of
the root causes of the problem described above. The analysis focused on the causes of this
problem due to gaps in the areas of knowledge and skill, motivation, and organizational issues.
The analysis began by generating a list of possible or assumed causes and by then examining
these systematically to focus on actual or validated causes. While a complete gap analysis would

6
focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes, the stakeholders to be focused on in this
analysis were parents/guardians. Two research questions were addressed:
1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational challenges that are
preventing parents from demonstrating 100% participation in school-related activities?
2. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational recommendations for
increasing parent involvement?
Definition
Some terms used in the study have specific meanings and are operationalized as follows.
Parent involvement: According to Child Trends (2013), parental involvement is parent-
reported participation by the education institution. Parent participation includes attending general
school meetings, attending a scheduled meeting with students’ teachers, attending school-related
events, or volunteering in the school or serving on a school committee.

7
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the phenomenon regarding the disproportionate
number of parents that actively participate in parent meetings and school-related activities. The
use of the gap analysis framework is imperative in order to focus on knowledge, motivation, and
organizational causes that might hinder parents from building a collaborative partnership with
teachers, administrators, and school staff (Clark & Estes, 2008). The literature review will
analyze numerous subjects that impact parental participation. The expected critical behaviors of
the parents at Local Elementary School will guide the literature review.
Parental engagement in schools is considered one of the most important aspects that
affect student learning and academic success. Educators consider parental involvement a major
factor in helping students improve their academics (Fan & Chen, 2001). When parents are
involved, there is a positive impact on the child’s academic, social-emotional, and physical
development (Fan & Williams, 2010). Parents who show interest in their children’s education
positively impact their child’s motivation and achievement (Robinson & Aronica, 2018).
Parental school participation may include building a partnership with their child’s teacher
and attending school-related events. Parental involvement encourages student participation
during school activities in addition to improving their learning and retention inside the
classroom. Further, parents attending school-related activities demonstrate positive academic
outcomes while increasing students’ self-efficacy (Fan & Williams, 2010). Students who
perceived that their parents placed a high value on their education are more confident in their
academic endeavors and performed at a higher level (Fan & Williams, 2010).
Parent engagement also promotes networking within the greater school community,
including other parents. Through parental involvement, Bempechat and Shernoff (2012)

8
suggested that a more comprehensive parent-school partnership is built, including stronger
parent-teacher relationships. When parents and schools work together through various methods,
students maintain higher average attendance and graduation rates than their peers in less
collaborative settings (Robinson & Aronica, 2018).
Conceptual Framework
The purpose of the gap analysis framework from Clark and Estes (2008) is to
demonstrate the discrepancy that currently exists in Local Elementary School, which is inhibiting
parents from participating in school-related events. The use of the gap analysis framework helps
to focus on knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes that might hinder parents from
building a collaborative partnership with teachers, administrators, and school staff. This gap
analysis is a systematic, analytical method that helps to clarify organizational goals and identify
the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred performance level within an
organization. Further, this methodology was adapted for the needs analysis. Assumed needs for
the performance gap were generated based on personal knowledge and related literature. These
needs were validated by using surveys, focus groups, interviews, a literature review, and content
analysis. Research-based solutions were recommended and evaluated in a comprehensive
manner.
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Factors
Knowledge and Skills
This study examined knowledge regarding parental engagement and how it affects
children’s academic achievement. According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2002), there are four
different types of knowledge: factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge,
and metacognitive knowledge. To determine parents’ knowledge, critical behaviors must be

9
established. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) suggested that critical behaviors have the largest
impact on the targeted program’s outcomes when performed with consistency and accuracy.
Parents’ critical behaviors were analyzed using the four types of knowledge to understand what
is known through research, while categorizing the parents’ critical behaviors into knowledge
types.
Declarative Factual Knowledge Influences for School
Declarative factual knowledge encompasses the basic elements that researchers use in
their community regarding the understanding and organization of their academic discipline
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2002). According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2002), in the context of
increasing parental involvement in school, parents need to understand what is actually meant by
school parental engagement. This includes building a partnership with the child’s teacher and
school staff through communicating in person, over the phone, via email, text or written notes;
knowing the programs that are offered for students, including tutoring, music, sports, and after-
school programs; learning how to participate school-related activities, school board meetings,
joining the school’s parent group (PTSA), becoming a classroom helper, and volunteering at
special events. The parents also need to understand the organization’s goals, and the progress
being accomplished toward meeting this mission.
According to Bempechat and Shernoff (2012), parent engagement promotes networking
within the greater school community. This is important as networking plays a central role in
increasing parental involvement, collaboration, positive student outcomes, and formulating an
admirable school image within the local community. Additionally, increasing parental
involvement helps build a comprehensive parent-school partnership, including stronger parent-
teacher relationships. This is important to note as, according to Fan and Williams (2010), parent

10
involvement in their children’s school site is correlated to positive student outcomes. Moreover,
parent attendance at school-related activities and participation in school events also promotes
student self-efficacy, which is also correlated with increased student academic achievement (Fan
& Williams, 2010).
As communication between a parent and teacher increases, a stronger connection ensues
(Jeynes, 2005). For a parent/guardian, this is important to develop as a correlation exists between
the parent-teacher relationship and the perception of the student’s academic prowess. For
example, research shows the perception of academic prowess, which is influenced through
parental-teacher relationship/connection, often plays a role in the determination of classroom
grades and positive academic outcomes (Jeynes, 2005). This further reinforces the importance of
parent-teacher relationships and both a student’s real and perceived outcomes. Next,
stakeholders, like principals, parents, and community members, create common goals in order to
build a stronger partnership (Mapp et al., 2008). Therefore, school-based programs that inform
parents of educational opportunities in school-related events experience increased participation
rates among parents and legal guardians. As parental participation rates increase, so too does the
favorable local perception of the school site, in addition to an increase in positive student
outcomes (Mapp et al., 2008).
According to Robinson and Aronica (2018), it is imperative for a school site to not only
attract parents to participate but also improve collaboration among teachers and parents through
regular meetings and workshops. When parents and schools collaborate on a variety of projects
and decisions, positive student outcomes typically ensue. For example, an increase in positive
parent-school collaboration is correlated to higher attendance and graduation rates (Robinson &
Aronica, 2018). This further demonstrates the importance of schools not only garnering greater

11
parental participation in school events, but also helping increase their collaboration within the
greater school community. Furthermore, parent participation helps increase favorable student
behaviors, resulting in positive student outcomes (Mapp, 2003). Additionally, when parents offer
verbal support of their children’s academic endeavors, there is a direct correlation to an increase
in student self-efficacy, which also yields an increase in positive student outcomes (Mapp, 2003).
Parents often consider appropriate social behavior as a necessary trait in order to achieve
student success in both the home and school settings (Reese et al., 1995; Zimmerman et al.,
1992). Therefore, parents often demonstrate appropriate social behavior by modeling desirable
traits and skills in a real-life setting, hoping their child will mimic these behaviors while
attending school. Zimmerman et al. (1992) stated that self-regulation is heavily influenced by a
student’s self-efficacy and personal goals. Additionally, student goals are influenced by a child’s
self-beliefs, confidence, and personal aspirations that are both encouraged and developed by their
individual interests and parental guardians’ guidance. In conclusion, it is important for parents to
know what parental engagement encompasses in order to be aware of their children’s academics
and development. In short, knowing what parental engagement entails will encourage parents to
understand the relationship between parental engagement and students’ development in the
school setting.
Conceptual Knowledge Influences for School
According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2002), conceptual knowledge is the relationship
between the elements within a larger structure that enables them to properly function. In order
for students to be successful, parents must understand the relationship between parental
engagement and the role it plays in relation to their children’s success in school. This consists of

12
actively collaborating with school personnel, engaging in school activities, and exploring various
opportunities the school site offers.
The conceptual knowledge influence for parents revolves around their need to know what
the process and benefits of parental engagement at school sites looks like. The various
components of conceptual knowledge include: (a) building a partnership with child’s teacher and
school staff; (b) communicating in person, phone, email, text or written notes; (c) accessing the
programs offered, tutoring, music, sports and after-school programs; (d) attending school-related
activities, school board meetings, parent groups, volunteering in class and special events.
According to Mapp (2003), parents comprehended the importance of their participation
and how it benefited student academic development. Next, parents who actively volunteered in
their child’s classroom saw a benefit of being involved, and parents proceeded to work within
small reading groups to maximize their time spent in the school (Mapp, 2003). Additionally,
parents were also active in the local school wide community by participating in events and
attending school board meetings (Mapp, 2003). Further, parents were also engaged in numerous
methods of communication with their child’s teacher, including attending in-person meetings,
and/or being an active participant in a phone conference (Mapp, 2003).
Bempechat and Shernoff (2012) stated that working class parents were generally less
actively involved in participating in events that pertain to their child’s learning than their middle-
class peers. Further, socioeconomic status was heavily correlated to the parent perception of the
parent-school relationship. Smrekar and Cohen-Vogel (2001) reiterate that parents generally
comprehend the importance of their participation and the role it plays in their child’s academic
success in the school setting. Therefore, parents also understand that monitoring their child’s
progress is imperative to ensuring educational success and enabling students to reach their full

13
academic potential (Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001). In sum, when parents understand the
relationship between active engagement school settings, parents will support their child’s
academics, emotional development, and psychological development through the proper methods
and strategies.
Procedural Knowledge Influences for School
Anderson and Krathwohl (2002) stated that procedural knowledge includes
comprehending the steps necessary in order to complete a task, solve novel problems, and
possess an understanding of the criteria used to determine when to apply different procedures. In
this study, parents must specifically know how to support their child’s academics. More
specifically, the manner in which procedural knowledge influences parents is critical as they
need to know how to support their child’s academic development, which includes
communicating high academic success and motivating their children to reach their full potential.
The procedural knowledge influences parents to know how to support their child’s
academic and emotional well-being. This consists of knowing how to: (a) communicate with
children regarding high academic expectations; (b) monitoring their child’s progress in school.
According to Fan and Williams (2010), parental communication was responsible for influencing
the level of children’s self-efficacy and when parents communicate the importance of school and
education, students are academically successful. Additionally, the level of children’s self-
efficacy was influenced by parental involvement (Fan & Chen, 2001).
When parents directly communicate the value of schooling and receiving an education,
students have shown an increase in academic success in the classroom (Fan & Chen, 2001).
According to Jeynes (2005), the reinforcing of parental expectations helped establish the
foundations for student achievement. Additionally, parents who were active in supporting their

14
children’s schooling standards showed an increase in positive relationships with their children’s
teachers (Jeynes, 2005).
Parents frequently reminded their children about the importance and value of receiving an
education, and this had a direct correlation with student success in the classroom (Mapp, 2003).
According to Robinson and Aronica (2018), when parents expect students to do well in school, it
follows that children tend to succeed academically as these expectations stimulate their
children’s motivation and achievement in school.
Zhang et al. (2011) stated that communication regarding academic expectations was
associated with student achievement at school. For instance, open communication regarding
daily school experiences had a net-positive impact on student grades. Also, Zhang et al. (2011)
suggested that parents who communicate on a regular basis with their children regarding
academic expectations establish a correlation with positive student achievement outcomes.
Additionally, open communication regarding students’ daily school experiences showed a net-
positive impact on academic grades (Zhang et al., 2011). Thus, when parents know how to
support their children’s academic development, which includes commuting high academic
success and motivating their child to reach their full potential, there is then a strong correlation
between parent involvement and academic success.
Metacognitive Knowledge Influences for School. According to Anderson and
Krathwohl (2002), metacognitive knowledge is the awareness and understanding of one’s own
cognition. To better understand their child’s unique learning process, parents need to reflect on
academic development in order to review the procedures, goals, and yield a positive end result.
Therefore, it is essential for parents to understand how to reflect on their children’s academic
development. This can be done through interacting with their children’s school site, and

15
reflecting on how their involvement in the educational process impacts their children’s academic
success. Additionally, parents must also comprehend how to reflect on their child’s academic
progress and social-emotional development. A study by Bempechat and Shernoff (2012)
indicates that parents believed their limited formal education helped prevent them from
participating and engaging in their children’s academics. Further, parents also felt that the school
site played a larger role in their student succeeding than their own participation and engagement
in their children’s academics (Bempechat & Shernoff, 2012).
Next, parents were less likely to participate in their children’s schooling due to their own
past educational experiences as parents perceive the school setting through their own personal
lens. Therefore, a parent’s past academic experiences played a significant role in shaping their
views on their children’s educational institution (Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001). Thus, it is
important for both parents and the school site to build a collaborative partnership so that parents
can reflect upon how their involvement positively affects their children’s educational
experiences.
When reflecting upon their children’s academic development, parents often perceive the
school site in a positive light (Mapp, 2003). As a result, when parents perceive the institution
positively, they are more likely to increase engagement and participation with the site (Mapp,
2003). This, in turn, also leads to a collaborative relationship between parents and the
educational institutions. Therefore, parents need to reflect positively upon academic development
to better understand their child’s academic progress in school. An overview of the assumed
knowledge influences and links to literature can be seen in Table 2.

16
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influences on Stakeholders Ability to Achieve the Performance
Goal
Assumed knowledge influences Research literature
Declarative factual knowledge
Parents know what school engagement
means: Building a partnership with their
child’s teacher and school staff.
Communicating in person, phone, email, or
written notes.
Bempechat and Shernoff (2012); Jeynes
(2005, 2007); Mapp (2003); Robinson and
Aronica (2018); Smith et al. (2009)
Knowing the programs that are offered for
students, tutoring, music, sports, and after-
school programs
California Department of Education (2014);
Fan and Williams (2010); Mapp (2003)
Knowing to participate in school-related
activities, school board meetings, joining
the school’s parent group, becoming a
classroom helper, volunteering special
events
California Department of Education (2014);
Fan and Williams (2010); Jeynes (2007);
Mapp (2003); Mapp et al. (2008); Robinson
and Aronica (2018)
Conceptual knowledge
Parents know the relationship between parent
participation at school and student
performance.
Mapp (2003); Smrekar and Cohen-Vogel
(2001)
Procedural knowledge
Parents know how to communicate with their
child regarding high academic
expectations.
Fan and Chen (2001); Fan and Williams
(2010); Jeynes (2005); Mapp (2003);
Robinson and Aronica (2018); Zhang et al.
(2011)
Parents know how to build a partnership with
their child’s teacher and school staff.
Communicating in person, phone, email, or
written notes.
Bempechat and Shernoff (2012); Jeynes
(2005, 2007); Mapp (2003); Robinson &
Aronica (2018); Smith et al. (2009)
Parents know how to attend school-related
activities, school board meetings, joining
the schools parent group, become a
California Department of Education (2014);
Fan and Williams (2010); Jeynes (2007);
Mapp (2003); Mapp et al. (2008); Robinson
and Aronica (2018)

17
Assumed knowledge influences Research literature
classroom helper, volunteering special
events.
Metacognitive knowledge
Parents reflect on their child’s academic
progress in school.
Smrekar and Cohen-Vogel (2001)

Motivation
Clark and Estes (2008) posited that there are three observable motivational indicators:
active choice, persistence, and mental effort. Active choice refers to the intention to pursue a
goal and then replacing it by the intended action (Clark & Estes, 2008). Then, persistence is
when an individual continues working toward his or her performance goal(s), despite any
distractions that might occur (Clark & Estes, 2008). Finally, mental effort refers to an individual
creating a novel solution to a given task (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Parental involvement is considered the most important aspect that affects academic
success and student learning (Fan & Chen, 2001). To increase parents’ motivation, it is important
that parents be intentional through active choices, persist despite distractions, and find novel
solutions with mental effort. Other factors that may affect parental motivation include value,
self-efficacy, and mood (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Value
Value can be perceived as personal preference that leads an individual to adopt a course
of action, and further persist regardless of any distractions that may arise from the situation
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Additionally, individuals often place value on actions or services when
they believe they affect them in a positive manner (Clark & Estes, 2008). Therefore, parents

18
must value their child’s academic success in order for their children to reach their full academic
potential. Parents who value education encourage students to be more interested in their
academics.
Next, students who perceived that their parents placed a high value on their education
were more confident in their academic endeavors and performed at a higher level (Fan &
Williams, 2010). Furthermore, the educational values of parents shaped their children’s
motivation to succeed in school, and parents who fostered a joy for learning showed a strong
correlation to their children’s success (Mapp, 2003). According to Reese et al. (1995), Latino
parents rarely differentiate between academics (school) and morals (upbringing), for their
children (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). It is also the case that Latino parents place a
significant value on education and positive behavior in the school setting (Gallimore &
Goldenberg, 2001). Moreover, parental value placed on education (academics and obedience) is
associated with the importance of family unity. Additionally, parents from low socioeconomic
levels within the Latino community generally value their children’s education at a similar level
to those attaining a higher socioeconomic status. Schools also should recognize the fact that
parental involvement may differ from various cultures, however it maintains a similar level
regardless of socioeconomic status within the Latino community (Zhang et al., 2011). Therefore,
it is important for schools to access this information when attempting to involve parents in
formal educational decisions that affect students and participation in school-related events. When
parents are motivated and value their children’s academic development, they are likely to
become more confident about their own involvement in their child’s education at the school site.
Self-Efficacy

19
Self-efficacy refers to a personal judgment of an individual’s capacity to execute given
types of performances (Bandura, 2000). Efficacy beliefs influence whether an individual thinks
optimistically, pessimistically, erratically, or strategically (Bandura, 2006) as well as influencing
the course of action an individual chooses to pursue, the effort they invest, and the outcomes they
expect to produce. According to Bandura (2000), self-efficacy plays a critical role in human
functioning as it affects behaviors while also influencing their impact on other factors such as
goals, outcome expectations, perceptions of limitations, and opportunities in social
environments. To improve student academic achievement, parents must feel confident in
participating in their children’s academic success.
When parents feel respected and validated by the school, they are more likely to voice
concerns and collaborate with the teachers, school staff, and administration (Mapp, 2003).
According to Bempechat and Shernoff (2012), parents feel the highest degree of confidence
when their child’s educational progress is a collaboration between parents and teachers.
Therefore, parents also feel empowered to participate in school-related events. For example,
children’s performance was a motivating factor in increasing parental school participation, and
parents were motivated to ensure their children were academically successful (Mapp, 2003).
Moreover, parents feel motivated to attend school-related activities if they feel welcomed by the
school (Siegel et al., 2018). This includes positive initial impressions, which are in turn
influenced by student registration forms that increase parents’ motivation to engage and
participate in school-related events (Siegel et al., 2018). See Table 3 for an overview of the
different motivation influences and associated supporting literature.

20
Table 3
Summary of Assumed Motivation Influences on Stakeholders Ability to Achieve the Performance
Assumed motivation influences Research literature
Value
Parents value their child’s academic
development at school on a daily basis.
Fan and Williams (2010); Mapp (2003);
Reese et al. (1995); Zhang et al. (2011)
Self-efficacy
Parents are confident they can engage their
child’s academic development.
Bempechat and Shernoff (2012); Mapp
(2003); Pajares (1996)

Organization
An organization needs to establish and communicate clear objectives to in turn
experience effective performance improvement. These are then translated into concrete,
challenging individual and team performance goals. Additionally, individuals involved in the
organization must understand which work goals they should complete to reinforce the
organization’s most significant objectives (Clark & Estes, 2008). When institutions have a
shortage of essential tools, inadequate facilities, or faulty procedures, it may prevent or delay
individuals from performing the outcomes desired by the organization (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Further, the organization should obtain adequate resources that enable parents to have an
opportunity to assist their children in the school setting.
It is critical that parents have access to the resources required to effectively engage with
their child’s academic development. According to the California Department of Education.
(2014), school meetings must be provided to link parents with program activities and to create
student academic goals. Training must be provided while aiding in building respectful

21
partnerships between schools and families (California Department of Education, 2014).
Developing an outreach strategy in order to increase parental involvement will create a message
of trust and partnership among the school and parents; relevant group members should include
teachers, volunteers, and family members from the school community (Mapp, 2003). Therefore,
it is essential the organization obtains the adequate resources for parents to have an opportunity
to increase participation in their children’s school site.
Policies and Procedures
Accountability systems are put in place to improve policies and producers within an
organization (O’Day, 2002). There are four types of accountabilities frequently used in public
agencies and these comprise bureaucratic, legal, political, and professional (Romzek & Dubnick,
1987). The most common policy that demonstrates the bureaucratic model of school
accountability is the NCLB of 2001. Further, local educational agencies that receive the Title I,
Part A portions of financial assistance funds must create a written parental involvement policy
that establishes expectations for parental engagement. Additionally, the policy must be
developed and agreed upon by the parents of children attending the Title I, Part A program or
institution.
Next, there must be policies, processes, and procedures for parents to participate in their
children’s school site activities. The policies must be developed in collaboration and should be
agreed upon with the parents of children participating in the program, according to the California
Department of Education (2014). Teachers, principals, and school staff influence parental
participation in their child’s school setting (Mapp, 2003) so this must be encouraged as much as
possible.

22
Cultural Models
It has been suggested by Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) that cultural models are
shared mental thoughts and normative understandings of how the world should work. Cultural
models are often so familiar that they are seemingly invisible and go unnoticed by those who
obtain them. Culture is further defined by an individual’s core values, beliefs, emotions, and
processes learned and developed over time by family structures, and work and social
environments (Rueda, 2011).
For parents to engage with their child’s academics, their school’s climate must align with
their unique cultural beliefs. According to Mapp (2003), parents’ minimal or extensive
involvement in their child’s education is heavily influenced by their own personal upbringing.
Additionally, parental academic expectations vary depending on the different regions in which
they are raised (Mapp, 2003). In some cultures, both parental involvement and questioning the
status quo is considered disrespectful to the teacher and school (Mapp, 2003).
Cultural Setting
Schunk et al. (2008) defined cultural settings as norms, values, shared beliefs, work
structure, grouping practices, and management structure within an organization. Cultural settings
and cultural models may be useful for understanding the key dynamics in improving an
organization’s climate (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). Additionally, parents must feel they are
a vital part of the school culture for them to actively participate in school-related events.
If students are to be successful in their school studies, parents must feel supported by the
school’s cultural setting. Mapp (2003) suggested that parents were more likely to continue their
school involvement when their efforts were respected by the school community. Additionally, a
school’s encouragement motivates parents to participate in activities from which they would

23
usually refrain (Mapp, 2003). Thus, it remains vital that the parents’ cultural model must be
aligned with the institution’s cultural setting to continue increasing parental involvement in the
school (Mapp, 2003). In relation to the above, Table 4 outlines all relevant assumed
organizational influences together with relevant literature.

Table 4
Assumed Organizational Influences
Assumed organization influences Research literature
Resources
Parents have the resources to engage with
their child’s academic development.
California Department of Education
(2014); Mapp (2003)
Policies, processes, and procedures
There are policies/procedures for parents
engage with their child’s academic
development.
Osterling and Garza (2004); Mapp (2003);
Ramirez (2003)
Culture
Parents believe engaging with their child’s
academic development is aligned with their
cultural beliefs.
Mapp (2003)
Cultural setting
Child’s school supports parents to engage
with their child’s academic development.
Mapp (2003); Mapp et al. (2008); Siegel
et al. (2018)

24
Summary
The purpose of the literature review was to determine the factors that may be inhibiting
the parents from participating in school-related events. To do this, Clark and Estes’s (2008)
performance guide was utilized to identify the performance gap (Clark & Estes, 2008). The three
factors used in this process include knowledge, motivation, and organization.
The objective of this project was to conduct a gap analysis as a means of determining the
causes of low parental participation rates in school-related events. The analysis focused on how
knowledge and skill, motivation, and organizational issues play a critical role on the parental
participation rate. Chapter Three will further identify parental response to the assumed influences
through data collection.

25
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of
the disproportionate number of parents who actively participate in parent meetings and school
activities at Local Elementary School. The analysis focused on the root causes of the stated
problem that emerge due to gaps in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organization. The
analysis began by generating a list of possible or assumed causes, followed by examining the
systemic sources responsible for the gap in performance, which, in turn, would facilitate a focus
on actual or validated causes. While a complete gap analysis often focuses on all stakeholders,
for practical purposes, the parent and guardians were the primary participants in this study.
The questions that guided this gap analysis are as follows:
1. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational challenges that are preventing
parents from fully participating in school-related activities, 100% of the time?
2. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational recommendations for increasing
parental involvement?
Conceptual and Methodological Framework
According to Clark and Estes (2008), a gap analysis is a systematic, analytical
methodology that helps to clarify organizational goals at the same time as identifying the gap
between the actual performance level and the preferred performance level within an
organization. Assumed needs for the performance gap were generated based upon stakeholders’
knowledge and related literature. These needs were validated by using a survey, interviews,
content analysis, and a literature review. Research-based solutions are recommended and
evaluated in a comprehensive manner. The steps involved in the overall research methodology
are as follows (and can also be seen in Figure ):

26
• Step 1: Identify measurable performance goals.
• Step 2: Quantify the current achievement at each level.
• Step 3: Determine gaps between goals and current performance.
• Step 4: Hypothesize and validate how knowledge, motivation and organization,
impact the gap.
• Step 5: Solutions: Recommended proposed solutions to close the gap.
• Step 6: Implementation: Plan for implementing proposed solutions.
• Step 7: Evaluate and modify for continual improvement.

Figure 1
The Sequence of Steps in the Gap Analysis Process

27
Note that the additional steps of Clark and Estes’s (2008) gap analysis model were not
included in this chapter but will be discussed in Chapters Four, Five and Six.
Assessment of Performance Influences
The use of the gap analysis framework is imperative to enabling a clear focus on parent
knowledge, motivation to achieve the goal, and the organizational barriers that may hinder
parents from attending school-related activities at Local Elementary School. The purpose of this
gap analysis is to discover if parents have the knowledge, motivation, and organizational support
to effectively participate in school-related events. Assumed needs for the performance gap were
generated based upon personal knowledge and related literature.
Knowledge Assessment
It is important to establish critical behaviors first to support the determination of parents’
knowledge. According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), critical behaviors have the largest
impact on the targeted program’s outcomes when performed with consistency and accuracy. In
addition, Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) stated that there are four different types of knowledge.
These include factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and
metacognitive knowledge, and to assess these forms of knowledge in relation to the performance
of critical behaviors, the items in Table 5 will be used.

28
Table 5
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Method of Assessment Based on Critical Behaviors
Assumed knowledge influences Survey items Interview items
Declarative factual knowledge
Parents know what school
engagement means:
building a partnership with their
child’s teacher and school
staff. Communicating in
person, phone, email, or
written notes.
This is what I do at my
child’s school.
a. Talk to my child’s
teacher and school staff.
b. I know what activities
the school has like
tutoring, sports, and
after-school programs.
c. I attend parent meetings
and school workshops.
d. None of the above.

Tell me how you get
involved in your child’s
school.

Knowing the programs that are
offered for students, tutoring,
music, sports, and after-school
programs
Knowing to participate in school-
related activities, school board
meetings, joining the school’s
parent group, become a
classroom helper, and
volunteering special events
Conceptual knowledge
Parents know the relationship
between parent engagement
and student performance at
school.
I know my involvement in
my child school helps my
child in.

a. School performance.
b. Feelings and behavior.
c. Physical development.
d. None of the above.
Tell me about the
relationship between
engagement and student
performance at school.
Procedural knowledge
Parents know how to
communicate with children
regarding high academic
expectations.
I know specifically how to
support my child’s
academic development.
a. I talk to my child about
their school work.
Tell me how you talk to
your child about their
academics.
Tell me how you
communicate with the
school.
Parents know how to build a
partnership with their child’s

29
Assumed knowledge influences Survey items Interview items
teacher and school staff.
Communicating in person,
phone, email, or written notes.
b. Give them
encouragement.
c. I talk to my child’s
teacher and school staff.
d. I take my child to
tutoring, music, sports, or
after-school programs.
e. I attend school-related
activities like school
board meetings, parent
groups, become a
classroom helper, and
volunteer for special
events.
f. I set academic goals with
my child.
g. None of the above.
Tell me how you
communicate to the
teacher about your child’s
academics.
Parents know the programs that
are offered for students,
tutoring, music, sports, and
after-school programs.
Parent know how to attend
school-related activities,
school board meetings, joining
the schools parent group,
become a classroom helper,
volunteering special events
Metacognitive knowledge
Parents reflect about their child’s
academic progress in school.
This is what I think about
when my child is at
school.
a. My child’s academics.
b. Their behavior.
c. Social-emotional well-
being.
d. None of the above.

In what way do you think
about your child’s
academics?

Motivation Assessment
According to Schunk et al. (2008), motivation is the process whereby goal-directed
activities are initiated and sustained. Additionally, Clark and Estes (2008) have outlined the three
motivational indicators of active choice, persistence, and mental effort as being of importance.
As shown in Table 6, this study focuses on value, self-efficacy and emotions as primary
psychological factors driving the parent’s choice to participate in school activities.

30
Table 6
Summary of Motivation Influences and Method of Assessment
Assumed motivation
influences
Survey items Interview items
Value
Parents value their child’s
academic development
I value my child’s
schoolwork.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

How do you value your
child’s education?
Self-efficacy
Parents are confident they
can engage their child’s
academic development at
school
Bandura’s self-efficacy rating
scale How confident are
you to engage in your
child’s academic
development at school?
0 Not confident at all
1
2
3
4
5 Moderately confident
6
7
8
9
10 Highly confident
How confident are you to
engage in your child’s
academic development at
school?

Organization/Culture/Context Assessment
Organizational barriers like missing tools and inadequate facilities may prevent
individuals from completing a goal within an organization (Clark & Estes, 2008). The assumed
organizational barriers were identified in Chapter Two. Surveys and interviews were used to

31
assess these factors. Clark and Estes (2008) defined culture as an individual’s core values, belief,
goals, emotions, and processes learned and developed over time. A Likert scale was used to
allow participants to rate if they strongly disagree or strongly agree with the influences the
organization has with their participation. Table 7 lists the items that were used to assess
organizational factors.

Table 7
Summary of Organization Influences and Method of Assessment
Assumed organization
influences
Survey items Interview items
Resources
Parents have the resources to
engage with their child’s
academic development at
school.
I have the resources to help my
child academic development
at school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Tell me about the resources
you have for helping your
child’s academic
development at school.

Policies, processes, and procedures
There are policies/procedures
for parents engage with
their child’s academic
development.
The school encourages me to
help my child academic
development.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
I am encouraged to visit my
child’s school often
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Tell me how the school
encourages you to be
involved with your child’s
academic development
Culture

32
Assumed organization
influences
Survey items Interview items
Parents believe engaging
with their child’s academic
development is aligned
with their cultural beliefs.
I was brought up to believe it
is important to be involved
at my child’s school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Tell me how you believe
parent involvement supports
your culture.
Culture setting
Child’s school supports
parents to engage with
their child’s academic
development.
The school supports my
involvement in my child’s
schoolwork.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Tell me how the school
motivates you to be involved
with your child’s academic
development.

Participating Stakeholders and Sample Selection
The participating stakeholders focus for this study are the parents/guardians of the
approximately 500 students attending Local Elementary School.
Sampling
To identify participants, Merriam and Tisdell (2016) suggested that typical purposeful
sampling may be used to uncover and understand the perspectives of the members within the
study. At Local Elementary School, students range from Kindergarten to fifth grade. For the
purposes of this study, parents/guardians were asked to identify in the survey the grade level of
their child to facilitate analysis by grade level. Survey participants were asked if they would
volunteer to be interviewed and provide their contact information. Interview participants were
categorized by grade level, and then within each grade level randomly selected.

33
Recruitment
Following the authorization of the school principal, the recruitment strategy was to seek
out parents at Local Elementary School through flyers and survey handouts, which include the
institutional review board (IRB) guidelines. Teachers from the school were supplied with the
flyers and survey handouts to provide to students so they could be taken home to parents. The
flyers and surveys were in both Spanish and English in order to address parental language
preferences. Participants were asked to volunteer for a follow-up interview and, if they agree, to
provide information, including name and phone number.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation used for this study included a survey, a semi-structured interview
protocol, observational checklist, and a document analysis protocol.
Survey Design
Survey items were established to measure whether there is a gap in assumed causes by
using Clark and Estes’s (2008) framework of knowledge, motivation, and organization regarding
parents/guardians at Local Elementary School. For each assumed cause using the critical
behaviors of the parents, survey items were created. The survey contained 22 items relating to
faculty knowledge, motivation, and organization factors.
Interview Protocol Design
To facilitate triangulation of the data collected in the survey, semi-structured open-ended
interviews were conducted with parents who chose to volunteer at the end of the survey. The
interview appointments, offered at various times to meet parent availability, included 10
questions. The interview had a time limit of 30 minutes per parent.

34
Observation Checklist Design
Parents who attend the parental workshop sessions provided by the school were observed,
along with the organization’s interactions with other non-participating parents at the school site.
This included parent interactions with the organization including faculty, staff, and
administrators. In order to analyze if the organization’s cultural settings align with the parents’
cultural beliefs, observations were conducted to determine available resources, policies, and
procedures for parental engagement.
Document Analysis Design
I asked the school liaison and school office to provide all handouts that are sent home to
parents. The school website is available to the public and was accessed online to identify
announcements regarding parent engagement.
Data Collection
Following the University of Southern California IRB approval, parents were solicited
through the flyer handouts. Once returned with contact information, a written request was sent to
the school principal for approval to facilitate the questionnaire and interview process.
Surveys
Surveys were delivered to the parents by their child to be completed at home. The survey
should have taken no more than 15 minutes to complete, and parents were asked to send the
completed survey back to the school via their child.
Interviews
Interviews were conducted via in-person sessions, consisting of the participant and the
investigator, and were limited to less than 30 minutes. The interviews were scheduled at least
one week in advance and took place at the school site at a time of the parent’s preference. The

35
interviews were recorded and then transcribed. The eight parents who attended the workshops
are the same parents who participated in the interviews. The parents did not see a problem with
the organization because they were actively involved with school-related events, such as having
consistent communication with their child’s teacher, volunteering at the school, and participating
in school related activities.
Observations
Observations were located at the school site during parent meetings and consisted of
observing the organization’s interactions with parents regarding parental engagement, including
school climate. Observation data included whether the organization’s cultural settings address
parents’ cultural beliefs, while analyzing available resources, policies, and procedures for
parental engagement. Observation took place during weekly parent meetings for a duration of a
month.
Document Analysis
I asked the school liaison and school office to provide all handouts that are sent home to
parents. The school website is available to the public and was accessed online to identify
announcements regarding parent engagement.
Surveys
Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, such as mean, mode, and standard
deviation, for each category of assumed cause of knowledge, motivation, and organization.
Interviews
Transcripts of the interviews were coded using symbols that represent the categories of
knowledge, motivation, and organization. Data that fall outside of these categories were analyzed
for additional emerging themes.

36
Observations
Data collected consisted of observing participants and provided evidence demonstrating
participant perspective. These observations helped to determine if the organization’s cultural
settings address parents’ cultural beliefs, while analyzing available resources, policies, and
procedures for parental engagement.
Documents
Handouts given to participants were collected and the school website was analyzed to
demonstrate participants’ interpretation of the organization.
Trustworthiness of Data
In order to maintain the credibility and trustworthiness of this study, triangulation was
used for the credibility and trustworthiness check. Triangulation refers to the use of multiple
investigators and sources of data collection methods to confirm evolving findings (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). Therefore, this case study triangulated the findings of the survey, observations,
documents, and interviews to enhance the reliability of the data.
Role of Investigator
I was previously employed at Local Elementary School as a special education counselor.
I selected a purposeful sampling for the study in order to gain insight of participant perspectives.
I was also accountable for recruiting participants, collecting consent forms, document analysis,
and surveys. I also conducted observations and interviews. Findings will be reported in Chapter
Four and solutions will be proposed in Chapter Five. I was accountable for the protection of the
participants’ privacy, and this was discussed through the process of the study.

37
Limitations
The primary limitation of the study is that it is being conducted at one school site.
Additional limitations of this study include the time spent with the participants, sample size and
professional relationship between the investigator and the school sight. Further, another
limitation of the study consists of the use of willing participants to uncover potential inhibitors
that were detrimental to parents attending school related events. Gathering insights from
participants who do not regularly attend parental workshops would provide additional
perspectives on the parents’ potential need.

38
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
This chapter reports the results and findings from the data collected related to the
assumed knowledge, motivation, and organization influences. According to Clark and Estes
(2008), a gap analysis is a systematic, analytical methodology that helps to clarify organizational
goals while identifying the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred
performance level within an organization. In this study, assumed needs for the performance gap
were generated based upon stakeholder’s knowledge and related literature. These needs were
confirmed by using a survey, interviews, content analysis, and a literature review. Qualitative
data were collected by surveys, interviews, and parent workshop observations. Research-based
solutions will be recommended and evaluated in a comprehensive manner in Chapter Five.
Participating Stakeholders
The stakeholders that participated in the study were the parents/guardians of students that
attend Local Elementary School. The parent/guardian responses are a key component to
uncovering the reasoning behind the low rate of parent participation rate in the school. The 43
surveys conducted were anonymous. The five interview participants were all female.
Determination of Assets and Needs
After triangulating the quantitative and qualitative data, the results help shed light on
discrepancies highlighted within the surveys, interviews, and observations. While surveys
pointed to the fact that most parents have the knowledge of the importance of parent
participation and emphasize the value of education for their children, it also emphasized that for
most parents, there is not an identified obstacle that would prevent them from attending. For
example, when asked “What is preventing me from being more involved in my child’s school
activities?” 46.5% left the response blank or wrote “N/A.” This points to a need for exploring

39
motivational knowledge issues, in addition to factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge,
procedural knowledge, value, self-efficacy, cultural models, attribution, policies and procedures,
organizational issues and resources. The results of the survey show that while parents are quick
to answer questions demonstrating the value they place in education, they are less motivated to
attend actual school events that have potentially significant benefits for their children. For
instance, I observed four parent workshops. In each workshop, the same eight parents attended
with no new parent participants present. Other study participants were observed visiting the front
office to meet with various faculty, staff, and/or administrative representatives. However, they
failed to attend the workshops that the parents are aware of and possess the factual, procedural,
and conceptual knowledge. Therefore, there is a greater need to explore motivational reasons that
lead to parents not attending on campus workshops.
The gap analysis utilized four sources of data: interviews, surveys, school observations,
and document analysis. For this study, the participating stakeholders were the parents/guardians
of students attending Local Elementary School. The purpose of the document analysis was to
determine if the organization is promoting parent engagement. The school liaison provided all
handouts that are sent home to parents regarding upcoming school events. The school website
was available to the public to enable them to identify announcements regarding parent
engagement, which included volunteer opportunities, parent workshops/meetings, and special
events. The survey consisted of 21 questions, with 43 participants, with a 70% response rate.
Five participants participated in the interviews, which lasted approximately 30 minutes. The
interview questions were recorded, translated, and transcribed and were used to confirm or
dispute the survey questions. The interviews produced several emerging themes.

40
All participants have factual conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge of
parental involvement, along with the value of their children’s education. I observed four parent
workshops conducted at the school site. In each workshop, the same eight parents attended with
no new parent participants present. A walkthrough observation was conducted, participants were
observed visiting the front office to meet with various faculty, staff, and/or administrative
representatives. Parents were asked what was preventing them from being more involved in their
child’s school activities. Of the 43 participants, 20 (or 46.5%) left the response blank or wrote
N/A in the item. Because the results in this category are a substantial percentage, this warrants
further examination as previous survey items show conflicting results. Previous results show that
parents know about the opportunities, how to participate, and value volunteering. However, the
reality is that they do not act upon this knowledge and motivation; furthermore, almost 50% are
not able to express what is preventing them from being more involved. Perhaps the question was
intimidating to the parents or perhaps they just did not have a response.
Parents’ knowledge about meetings/workshops provided by the school was assessed
using surveys, interviews, and document analysis. The results were examined to assess if the
knowledge causes should be considered for improvement.
Factual Knowledge
For each influence in the domain of factual knowledge, the following took place:
Observation
I observed four parent workshops involving the same eight parents. This attendance
indicates a need for a greater number of parents to know about the meetings. Other study
participants were observed visiting the front office to meet with various faculty, staff, and/or
administrative representatives.

41
Document Analysis
The school liaison provided all handouts that are sent home to parents regarding
upcoming school events. The school website was available to the public to enable them to
identify announcements regarding parent engagement, which included volunteer opportunities,
parent workshops/meetings, and special events.
The results of the surveys and interviews for each influence are outlined below.
Factual Knowledge Influence 1. Parents Know of All the Meetings/Workshops the School
Provides
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they knew of all the meetings or workshops the school
provides. As shown in Table 8, 32.5% of participants strongly agreed and 48.8% of the
participants agreed with this statement. Together, then, 81.3% were in agreement, which is well
in excess of the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

Table 8
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Parent Meetings/Workshops
# Factual knowledge item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I know all the parent meetings/workshops the school
provides

1 Strongly disagree 4.6% 2
2 Disagree 13.9% 6
3 Agree * 48.8% 21
4 Strongly agree * 32.5% 14
Total 100% 43

42
Interview Findings
It was evident that all five of the interview participants knew of all the parent
meetings/workshops the school was providing at the time. For example, Participants 2 and 3 both
emphasized that the school currently provides parent workshops to help them stay informed on
how to better assist their children with academic coursework. Participant 4 stressed that the
school was effective at keeping her informed about the availability of upcoming parent
workshops. In addition, Participant 5 stated that “I came to workshops myself, but they were
really interesting so I decided to keep on attending them.” In sum, the participants demonstrated
their knowledge of parent meetings and workshops the school provides.
Summary
Surveys and interviews determined that participants know of all the parent
meetings/workshops; however, the observation indicates participants are not acting on their
knowledge. Thus, although this knowledge influence is identified as an asset, there exists a
deeper need within the categories of motivation or organization.
Factual Knowledge Influence 2. Parents Know the Day and Time of the
Meetings/Workshops the School Provides
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they knew of the day and time meetings or workshops the
school provides. As shown in Table 9, 37.2% of participants strongly agreed and 46.51% of the
participants agreed with this statement, totaling 83.7% of respondents in agreement, which
exceeded the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

43
Table 9
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Parent Meetings/Workshops
# Factual knowledge item (n = 43) Percentage Count
Parents know the day and time of the meetings/workshops
the school provides.

1 Strongly disagree 4.65% 2
2 Disagree 11.6% 5
3 Agree * 45.5% 20
4 Strongly agree * 37.2% 16
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Parents were asked to describe the days and times of the meetings/workshops provided
by the school. It was evident that all five interview participants were aware of the day and time
these were held. For example, Participants 1 and 3 both emphasized that the school currently
provides parent workshops to help students be reclassified. Participant 4 stressed that the school
did a good job of keeping her informed about the availability of upcoming parent workshops. In
addition, Participant 2 stated that “I’m in school communities, in DELAC and school council. I
know the days the meeting takes place.” In sum, the participants demonstrated their knowledge
and awareness of the days and times parent meetings/workshops were held by the school.
Summary
Surveys and interviews determined that participants know the day and time of parent
meetings/workshops; however, the observation indicates participants are not acting on their

44
knowledge. Thus, although this knowledge influence is identified as an asset, there may be a
need in the motivation or organization category.
Factual Knowledge Influence 3. Parents Know All the Volunteer Opportunities the School
Provides
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they knew all the volunteer opportunities the school
provides. As shown in Table 10, 37.2% of participants strongly agreed and 32.5% of the
participants agreed with this statement making a total of 69.7% were in agreement, which is
nearing the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

Table 10
Survey Results for Factual Knowledge of Volunteering at the School
# Factual knowledge item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I know the ways to volunteer at my child’s school
1 Strongly disagree 9.3% 4
2 Disagree 20.9% 9
3 Agree * 32.5% 14
4 Strongly agree * 37.2% 16
Total 100% 43

45
Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways that they volunteer at school. Participants 3
and 5 both emphasized they enjoy volunteering in the classrooms. Participant 1 expressed that
the parent center is like a family while Participant 4 stated
I’m here all the time, especially in the mornings, I help with anything they need me for, I
make copies, if they need me in a class I go, if they need me to go on a field trip I’ll go,
does not matter if it’s not with my own kids. If they need me to make food I will make it,
they just give me the money, anything the school needs I’m here to help.
In sum, the participants demonstrated their knowledge of volunteer opportunities the school
provides.
Summary
Surveys nearly met the 70% threshold, and interviews determined that participants know
of all the volunteer opportunities the school provides; however, the observation indicates
participants are not acting on their knowledge. Thus, although this knowledge influence is
identified as an asset, there may be a need in the motivation or organization category.
Conceptual Knowledge Influence: Parents’ Participation in Parent Meetings/Workshops
Helps Their Child Succeed in School
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether their participation in parent meetings/workshops help their
child succeed in school. As shown in Table 11, 41.8% of participants strongly agreed and 39.5%
of the participants agreed with this statement. Together, 81.3% were in agreement, which
exceeded the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

46
Table 11
Survey Results for Conceptual Knowledge of Parent Participation in Meetings/Workshops Help
Their Child Succeed in School
# Conceptual knowledge item (n = 43) Percentage Count
My participation in parent meetings/workshops help my
child succeed in school

1 Strongly disagree 4.6% 2
2 Disagree 13.9% 6
3 Agree * 39.5% 17
4 Strongly agree * 41.8% 18
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways their participation in meetings/workshops
help their child succeed in school. Parents emphasized that their participation in the workshops
helped forge a closer relationship and increase in communication between themselves and their
children, regarding academic and school-related activities. For example, Participant 1 stated,
“My son always wants to know about the workshops and what they tell me, since I started
attending the workshops he has been on top of his homework.” Participants 2, 3, and 5
emphasized attending parent meetings gave them an opportunity to discuss their child’s
academics with teachers. Moreover, Participant 4 stated,
at a parent meeting, the teacher let me know about class dojo (online application) it has
been wonderful, all teachers should use it because I see what my son does in the
classroom and what he has completed or not completed.

47
In sum, the participants demonstrated their knowledge of parent participation in
meetings/workshops to help their child succeed in school.
Observation
I observed four parent workshops with the same eight parents in attendance.
Document Analysis
The school liaison provided all handouts sent home to parents about upcoming school
events, and the school website was publicly available to identify announcements regarding
parent engagement.
Summary
Surveys and interviews determined that participants know attending parent
meetings/workshops helps their child succeed in school; however, the observation indicates
participants are not acting on this. Thus, although this knowledge influence is identified as an
asset, there may be a need in the motivation or organization category.
Metacognitive Knowledge Influence: Parents Often Think About How Well Their Child Is
Doing in School
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they think often about how well their child is doing in
school. Table 12 shows that 77.74% of participants strongly agreed and 18.60% of the
participants agreed with this statement. Overall, this meant that an overwhelming 96.34% were
in agreement, which clearly means that this influence is an asset.

48
Table 12
Survey Results for Metacognitive Knowledge of Parents Often Thinking of How Well Their Child
is Doing in School
# Metacognitive Knowledge Item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I often think about how well my child is doing in school
1 Strongly disagree 2.32% 1
2 Disagree 2.32% 1
3 Agree * 18.60% 8
4 Strongly agree * 77.74% 33
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe how often they think about how well their child is
doing in school, and it was clear this was a common thought or concern among parents. For
example, Participant 1 stated that “There is no limit in how much I think about my child’s
education, I think more than the average person, I want my child to be prepared in life.”
Participants 2 and 3 both stated they think daily about this, and then Participants 4 and 5 stressed
they often think about the future possibilities their children could have if they are doing well in
school. In sum, the participants demonstrated their knowledge in relation to thinking about how
well their child is doing in school.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.

49
Summary
Surveys determined that participants often think about how well their child is doing in
school, the interview participants also demonstrate the same value, thus, this influence is an
asset.
Value Influence 1:It Is Important for Parents to Talk to Their Child About School
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether it is important for them to talk to their child about school. As
shown in Table 13, 79.06% of participants strongly agreed and 18.60% of the participants agreed
with this statement. Together, this made a very strong total of 97.66% in agreement. Therefore,
this influence is determined to be an asset.
Table 13
Survey Results for Value of Parents Talking to Their Child About School
# Value Item (n = 43) Percentage Count
It is important for me to talk to my child about school.
1 Strongly disagree 2.32% 1
2 Disagree 0% 0
3 Agree * 18.60% 8
4 Strongly agree * 79.06% 34
Total 100% 43

50
Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways they talk to their child about school, and all
five of the parents did this. As an example, Participant 3 stated that “Every day I ask her about
her day at school, I tell her school is really important,” and Participant 2 stated, “Studying is
important to become someone important in the future.” In addition, Participants 1, 4, and 5
emphasized school is very important to becoming successful. To summarize, the participants
demonstrated their knowledge of the value of talking to their child about school.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants talk to their child about school, the interview
participants also demonstrated the same value, and thus, this influence is an asset.
Value Influence 2: It Is Important for Parents to Frequently Meet with Their Child’s
Teachers
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether it is important for them to frequently meet with their child
teacher. The results presented in Table 14 suggest that 60.46% strongly agreed and 32.55% of
the agreed with this statement, for a total of 93.01%. Therefore, this influence is determined to be
an asset.

51
Table 14
Survey Results for Value of Parents Frequently Meeting with Child’s Teachers is Important
# Value item (n = 43) Percentage Count
Parents frequently meeting with child’s teachers is important
1 Strongly disagree 2.32% 1
2 Disagree 4.65% 2
3 Agree * 32.55% 14
4 Strongly agree * 60.46% 26
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways they frequently talk to their child’s teacher,
and all parents indicated that they felt regular meetings the teacher are important. To exemplify,
Participants 2 and 3 both emphasized that volunteering at school makes it easier for them to have
conversations with the teachers. Further, Participant 1 stated, “When I feel my daughter is falling
behind, I talk to the teacher.” Participant 5 stated that “I am also volunteering at school, so it’s
easy for me to talk to the teacher.” In sum, the participants demonstrated their knowledge of
value. Frequently meeting with children’s teachers is important.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.

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Summary
Surveys determined that participants frequently meeting with children’s teachers is
important, and interview participants also demonstrate the same value of meeting with their
child’s teacher making this influence an asset.
Self -Efficacy Influence: Parents Are Confident About Helping Their Child With Their
Academic Development
Survey Results
Parents were asked about their confidence in helping their child with their academic
development. Table 15 shows that 39.53% of participants strongly agreed and 37.20% of the
participants agreed with this statement (a total of 76.73% in agreement). Therefore, this influence
is determined to be an asset.

Table 15
Survey Results for Self-Efficacy
# Self-efficacy Item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I am confident in helping my child with their academic
development

1 Strongly disagree 6.97% 3
2 Disagree 16.27% 7
3 Agree * 39.53% 17
4 Strongly agree * 37.20% 16
Total 100% 43

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Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways they are confident about helping their child
in their academic development, and overall it appeared there was in fact a degree of confidence
among the participants. Participant 2 stated, “I feel good helping my child” while Participant 5
stated, “I am very confident helping my children with their schoolwork.” Participants 1, 3, and 5
all stated they feel confident when they understand the homework when they do not fully
comprehend they seek help from the child’s older siblings, friends or on the internet.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants are confident in helping their child with homework
assignments, and the interview participants also demonstrate the same confidence. Therefore,
this influence is determined to be an asset.
Cultural Models Influence 1: Parents Feel Welcomed at Their Child’s School
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they feel welcomed at their child’s school. It was revealed
that 53.48 % of participants strongly agreed and 39.53% of the participants agreed (see Table
16). Together, then, 93.01% were in agreement. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an
asset.

54
Table 16
Survey Results for Cultural Models of Parents Feeling Welcomed at Children’s Schools
# Cultural models item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I feel welcomed at my child’s school
1 Strongly disagree 6.97% 3
2 Disagree 0% 0
3 Agree * 39.53% 17
4 Strongly agree * 53.48% 23
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways they feel welcomed in their child’s school.
In response to this, Participant 1 stated, “The staff, parent liaison, and other parent volunteers are
like family to me.” Participants 2 and 3 both emphasized that the school is always welcoming
when they come and volunteer. In addition, Participant 4 stated, “I’m here all the time.” In
summary, the participants demonstrated they feel welcomed in their child’s school.
Observation
I observed four parent workshops with the same eight parents attending each. Other study
participants were observed visiting the front office to meet with various faculty, staff, and/or
administrative representatives.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.

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Summary
Surveys determined that participants feel welcome at their child’s school, in addition, all
five participants also feel welcome at their child’s school. Therefore, this influence is determined
to be an asset.
Cultural Models Influence 2: Parents Feel Comfortable Attending School Activities
Survey Results
Parents were asked whether they feel comfortable attending school activities. Table 17
shows that 46.51% of participants strongly agreed and 41.86 % of the participants agreed with
this statement (88.37% total). Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.
Table 17
Survey Results for Cultural Models of Parents Feeling Welcomed at Children’s Schools
# Cultural Models Item (n = 43) Percentage Count
I feel comfortable attending school activities
1 Strongly disagree 6.97% 3
2 Disagree 4.65% 2
3 Agree * 41.86% 18
4 Strongly agree * 46.51% 20
Total 100% 43

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Interview Findings
Participants were asked to describe the ways they feel comfortable attending school
activities. As a response, Participant 1 stated “We have an event coming up, where the school
gives books to the kids, I’m excited to volunteer in that event.” Participant 2 stated, “I like
coming to the school council meetings,” while Participants 3 and 5 both emphasized they like
attending school events. In addition, Participant 4 stated that “if the school needs parent
volunteers in any event, I always volunteer.” Overall, the participants demonstrated they feel
comfortable attending school activities.
Observation
I observed four parent workshops. In each workshop the same eight parents attended with
no new parent participants present. Other participants visited the front office in order to meet
with various faculty, staff, and/or administrative representatives.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants feel welcomed at their child’s school, interview
participants also demonstrate feeling welcomed in child’s school. Therefore, this influence is
determined to be an asset.
Attribution Theory Influence 1. The School is Responsible for My Child’s Success and
Failures
Survey Results
In the survey, parents were asked if the school is responsible for a child’s success and
failures. This item is intended to be a parallel item to Influence 2. In short, it was hoped that

57
parents would acknowledge their responsibility by disagreeing with the statement that suggests
the school is responsible for the child’s success. As shown in Table 18, a combined total of
44.22% of participants strongly disagree or disagree, which does not meet the 70% threshold.
Therefore, this influence is determined to be a need in that parents should take their own
responsibility for their child’s success. This influence is supported by the results of Influence 2.

Table 18
Survey Results for Attribution Theory
# Attribution theory (n = 43) Percentage Count
The school is responsible for my child’s success or failures
1 Strongly disagree* 11.67% 5
2 Disagree * 32.55% 14
3 Agree 30.23% 13
4 Strongly agree 25.55% 11
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.

58
Summary
Surveys determined that participants feel that the school is not responsible for their
child’s success or failures. Therefore, this influence is determined to be a need.
Attribution Theory Influence 2. The Parent is Responsible for Their Child’s Success or
Failure.
Survey Results
Parents were asked if they are responsible for their child’s success or failure. Table 19
demonstrates that 34.88 % of participants strongly agreed and 53.48% of the participants agreed
with this statement. Thus, overall, 88.36 % were in agreement, meaning that this influence is
determined to be an asset.

Table 19
Survey Results for Attribution Theory
# Attribution theory (n = 43) Percentage Count
I am responsible for my child’s success or failures
1 Strongly disagree 0% 0
2 Disagree 11.62% 5
3 Agree * 34.88% 15
4 Strongly agree * 53.48% 23
Total 100% 43

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Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants feel they are responsible for their child’s success or
failures. Therefore, this is determined to be an asset.
Policies and Procedures Influence: The School Informs Parents of Ways to Become
Involved in Child’s School
Survey Results
When asked if the school informs them of ways to become involved in their child’s
school, 48.83% of participants strongly agreed and 39.53% of the participants agreed with this
statement (see Table 20). Together, 88.36 % were in agreement, well above the 70% threshold.
Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

60
Table 20
Survey Results for Policies and Procedures
# Policies and procedures (n = 43) Percentage Count
The school informs me of ways to get involved in my child’s
school.

1 Strongly disagree 4.65% 2
2 Disagree 6.97% 3
3 Agree * 39.53% 17
4 Strongly agree * 48.83% 21
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
I observed four parent workshops with the same eight parents in attendance as previously
mentioned. Again, other participants visited the front office to meet with various faculty, staff,
and/or administrative representatives.
Document Analysis
The school liaison provided all handouts about school events to be sent home to parents.
The school website was again available to the public to assist in identifying announcements
regarding parent engagement.
Summary
Surveys determined the school informs participants of ways to get involved in their
child’s school. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.

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Organization Influence 1: Parents Have Transportation to Attend Their Child’s School
Activities
Survey Results
Parents were asked if they have transportation to attend their child’s school activities. The
responses to this revealed that 32.55 % of participants strongly agreed and 46.51% of the
participants agreed with this statement. This meant that 79.06% agreed overall, which exceeded
the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset (Table 21).

Table 21
Survey Results for Organization, Resources
# Organization, resources (n = 43) Percentage Count
I have transportation to attend my child’s school activities
1 Strongly disagree 9.30 % 4
2 Disagree 11.62 % 5
3 Agree * 46.51 % 20
4 Strongly agree * 32.55 % 14
Total 100% 43

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Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
Observations were not conducted for this influence.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants have transportation to attend their child’s school
activities. Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset.
Organization Influence 2: Parents’ Schedules Allow Them to Attend Their Child’s School
Activities
Survey Results
After being asked whether their schedules allow them to attend their child’s school
activities, parents revealed that 37.20 % of participants strongly agreed and 34.88% of the
agreed. This resulted in a total of 72.08% in agreement, which was just above the 70% threshold.
Therefore, this influence is determined to be an asset (Table 22).

63
Table 22
Survey Results for Organization, Resources
# Organization, Resources (n = 43) Percentage Count
My schedule allows me to attend my child’s school activities
1 Strongly disagree 11.67 % 5
2 Disagree 16.27 % 7
3 Agree * 34.88 % 15
4 Strongly agree * 37.20 % 16
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
As with the other observations conducted, four parent workshops were observed with
eight parents in each (the same eight parents). Again, other study participants were observed
visiting the front office to meet with various other stakeholders. Parents were also seen outside
the school talking among each other, yet those parents did not attend any parent workshops or
meetings.
Document Analysis
Document analysis was not conducted for this influence.
Summary
Surveys determined that participants’ schedules allow them to attend their child’s school
activities. Therefore, from the surveys, this influence is determined to be an asset. The

64
observations, on the other hand, show a need because participants are not attending. Perhaps
there is additional knowledge, motivation, or organization influences not yet accounted for. From
previous data reported, parents know the times and place of meetings, value talking to their
child’s teachers and state that they feel welcomed in school, yet they are not participating in
parent meetings/workshops. Thus, this influence is a need.
Organization Influence 3. Parents Wish They Could Volunteer, They Just Don’t Know
How
Survey Results
Parents were asked if they wished they could volunteer but that they simply did not know
how. Table 23 highlights that 4.65% % of participants strongly agreed while 18.60% of the
participants agreed with this statement. A further 11.67% of participants left the survey question
unmarked yet stated they are currently parent volunteers at the school site. Together, 34.92% of
participants were in agreement, which falls below the 70% threshold. Therefore, this influence is
determined to be a need.

65
Table 23
Survey Results for Resources
# Value (n = 43) Percentage Count
I wish I could volunteer, I just don’t know how.
1 Strongly disagree 16.27 % 7
2 Disagree 48.83% 21
3 Agree * 18.60% 8
4 Strongly agree * 4.65% 2
5 Hand wrote are current parent volunteers 11.67% 5
Total 100% 43

Interview Findings
Interviews were not conducted for this influence.
Observation
The same observation details were applied in this case as with previous influences (four
parent workshops with same eight parents in attendance). As with previously, other participants
were seen to be undertaking front office visits to meet with various faculty, staff, and/or
administrative representatives, but not participating in school activities.
Document Analysis
All handouts were again provided by the school liaison to be sent home to parents
regarding upcoming school events. As is typically the case, the school website remained
available to the public in order to identify announcements regarding parent engagement, which
included volunteer opportunities, parent workshops/meetings, and special events. This supports

66
that the parents may know about the school’s activities and events thus making this an asset for
the school.
Summary
It was clear to me that this item was poorly written as it was a double negative and was
therefore left open to significant interpretation. It is also likely that five participants were also
confused by the question as they handwrote their response stating they were current parent
volunteers. My ultimate interpretation is that parents agree with the statement and that parents do
know how to volunteer. Moreover, previous factual knowledge results determined that 83%
know the day and times parent meetings/workshops take place. Moreover, under policies and
procedures, 88.36 % of parents also stated the school informs them of ways to become involved
in their child’s school activities. These, taken together, support this as an asset.
Organization Influence 4: Causes of Parents Being Prevented from Greater Involvement in
Their Child’s School Activities (Survey Results)
In an open-ended response question, parents were asked what was preventing them from
being more involved in their child’s school activities. As shown in Table 24, this open-ended
question resulted in three categories of responses: No response, Work, and Daily Life. Of the 43
participants, 20 (46.5%) left the response blank or wrote N/A. Because the results in this
category constitute a substantial percentage, this warrants further examination as previous survey
items show conflicting results. Previous results show that parents know about the opportunities,
how to participate, and value volunteering. However, they typically do not act upon this
knowledge and motivation, and furthermore, almost 50% are not able to express what is
preventing them from being more involved (see Table 24) Perhaps the question was intimidating

67
to the parents or perhaps they just did not have a response. In any event, this warrants further
investigation as stated in the future research section of Chapter Five.

Table 24
Survey Results for Resources
# Value (n = 43) Percentage Count
What is preventing me from being more involved in my
child’s school activities?

Category 1
1 No response 30.23% 13
2 N/A 16.27% 7
Category 2
2 Work 27.90% 12
Category 3
5 Childcare 4.65% 2
6 School 4.65% 2
7 Daily obligations 2.32% 1
8 Staff 2.32% 1
4 They are current parent volunteers 11.67% 5
Total 100% 43

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Summary of Validated Influences
Knowledge
As shown in Table 25, six out of six assumed knowledge influences were validated as
assets through interview and document analysis. Recommendations to improve the knowledge
influences that are determined to be a need will be discussed in Chapter Five.

Table 25
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influence as Assets or Needs
Assumed knowledge influences Asset or need
Declarative
Knowing the parent meetings/workshops the school
provides
Asset
Knowing the times of parent meetings/workshops the
school provides
Asset
Knowing all the volunteer opportunities the school
provides
Asset
Conceptual
Parents know the relationship between parent
participation and student performance in school.
Asset
Procedural
Parents know how to help their child in their academic
development.
Asset
Metacognitive
Parents reflect on their child’s academic progress in
school.
Asset

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Motivation
As shown in Table 26, five out of six assumed knowledge influences were validated as
assets through interview and document analysis. Recommendations to improve motivation.

Table 26
Summary of Assumed Motivation Influence as Assets or Needs
Assumed motivation influences Asset or need
Value
Parents value talking to their child about academics
expectations.
Asset
Parents value frequently meeting with their child’s
teachers.
Asset
Parents value communicating with their child’s
teacher, principal, and support staff.
Asset
Self-efficacy
Parents are confident about helping their child’s
academic development.
Asset
Attributions
Parents think the school is responsible for their child’s
success and failures.
Need
Parents think they are responsible for their child’s
success and failure.
Asset

Organization
As shown in Table 27, five out of six assumed knowledge influences were validated as
assets through interview and document analysis. Recommendations to improve the
organizational influences that are determined to be a need will be discussed in Chapter Five.

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Table 27
Summary of Assumed Organizational Influence as Assets or Needs
Assumed organization influences Asset or need
Resources
Parents’ have the resources, like transportation, to
attend their child’s school activities.
Asset
Parents’ schedules allow them to attend their child’s
school activities.
Asset
Parents wish they could volunteer, they just don’t
know how.
Need
Policies and procedures
There are policies and procedures that inform parents
of ways to become involved in a child’s school.
Asset
Cultural models
Parents feel welcomed at their child’s school. Asset
Parents feel comfortable attending school activities. Asset

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CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS AND EVALUATION
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the causes of the
organizational problem addressing the disproportionate number of parents that fail to actively
participate in parental meetings and school-related activities. Due to the inherently low
participation rate among parents at their child’s school, with the exception of eight who are
regularly involved in school activities, there is a disproportionate amount of these parents who
fail to be involved within the school community. Therefore, it is pertinent that we uncover the
reasons for this deficiency in parent involvement in order to help increase parental participation
rates and to address this shortcoming. Interestingly, over 46% of parental survey responders
failed to state a reason for why they were not active participants, while over 27% of responders
stated work was a key factor in inhibiting them from participating in their children’s school
activities.
While a complete gap analysis often focuses on all stakeholders, for practical purposes
the parents/guardians are the primary participants in the present study. The gap analysis focuses
on causes of this problem due to a lack of knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources
among parents/guardians. The gap analysis began by creating a list of possible or assumed
influences that were examined so as to focus on actual or validated causes.
The questions that guided this gap analysis include the following:
1. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational challenges preventing
parents from fully participating in school-related activities, 100% of the time?
2. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational recommendations for
increasing parental involvement?

72
Data were collected as described in Chapter Three and the results reported in Chapter
Four. The present chapter seeks to address the second question. The recommendations and
evaluation outlined in this chapter addresses both assets and needs and emphasize the
consistency, continuity, and commitment required for improving and maintaining parental
participation that includes parent meetings and workshops in Local Elementary School. As an
organization, it is also critical that Local Elementary is committed to developing and
implementing procedures that increase parent participation such as parent workshops and
meetings.
Recommendations to Address Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences
This section consists of three parts: knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO).
The assumed knowledge, motivational and organizational influences related to parent
participation at Local Elementary were examined to determine the organization’s strengths and
areas of improvement. The KMO influences have been given priority for achieving 100% parent
participation in school-related activities. Each KMO table will include the influences and the
evidence-based principles that support the recommendation. Following the table, a detailed
discussion is provided for each influence, the principle, the solution, and support for the solution
based on the literature.
Assets as well as areas for improvement are addressed to provide continuity, consistency,
and commitment. Continuity is understood as “onboarding” for those new to the organization.
Consistency refers to the maintenance of assets by reinforcement and reward. Finally,
commitment relates to providing an example to other institutions that may want to address
similar problems and achieve similar goals.

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Knowledge Recommendations
As shown in Table 28, all seven of the assumed knowledge influences were determined
to be assets during the data collection. Although declarative, conceptual, procedural, and
metacognitive knowledge influences were determined to be assets in which improvement is not
necessary, consistency is important for future parents at Local Elementary. The results of all four
influences are seen as a high priority so that parental participation can continue to increase and
improve. Evidence-based principles are identified to guide context-specific recommendations for
improving performance in these areas. Table 28 lists the causes, principles, and
recommendations. Following the table, a detailed discussion for each high priority cause and
recommendation and the literature supporting the recommendation is provided.

Table 28
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed knowledge
influences
Asset or
need
Principle and citation Context-specific
recommendation
Declarative
Knowing the parent
meetings/workshops
the school provides.
Asset Information learned
meaningfully and
related back to previous
knowledge is stored
more quickly and
remembered more
accurately because it is
elaborated with prior
learning (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).

Provide parents with
information in various
ways about parent
meetings/workshops.
This will include a
handout with times and
date which will be given
during student
enrollment.
Knowing the times of
parent
meetings/workshops
the school provides.
Asset
Knowing all the
volunteer
opportunities the
school provides.
Asset
Conceptual

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Assumed knowledge
influences
Asset or
need
Principle and citation Context-specific
recommendation
Parents know the
relationship between
parent participation
and student
performance in
school.
Asset Integrating auditory and
visual information
maximizes working
memory capacity
(Mayer, 2011).
How individuals organize
knowledge influences
how they learn and
apply what they know
(Schraw & McCrudden,
2006).
Creating a schemata aids
learner to establish
knowledge in a domain
(Schraw et al., 2009).
Provide parents with a
welcome video
demonstrating the
relationship impact they
have on their child’s
academics
Procedural
Parents know how to
help their child with
academic
development.
Asset Modeling to-be-learned
strategies or behaviors
improves self-efficacy,
learning and
performance (Denler et
al., 2009).
Feedback that is private,
specific, and timely
enhances performance
(Shute, 2008).
Provide parents with
opportunities to see
models about parent
participation and to
practice and receive
feedback on their own
participation.
Metacognitive
Parents reflect on their
child’s academic
progress in school.
Asset The use of metacognitive
strategies facilitates
learning (Baker, 2006).
Provide parents with
information about how
to monitor their child’s
progress in school. This
will include a customer
school calendar.
Provide parents
opportunities to use
metacognitive strategies
to monitor their child’s
academics.

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Declarative Knowledge
Declarative knowledge influences include (a) knowing the parent meetings and
workshops the school provides; (b) knowing the days and times of these meetings and
workshops; (c) knowing all the volunteer opportunities the school provides. The results showed
that there does not exist a need for declarative knowledge among the parents/guardians in terms
of knowing the times, days, and volunteering opportunities. However, information processing
theory can be used to make informed recommendations to maintain continuity, consistency, and
commitment to these influences. Schraw and McCrudden (2006) suggested that information
learned meaningfully and related back to previous knowledge is stored more quickly and
remembered more accurately because it is elaborated with prior learning. This suggests that
parents would benefit from being provided with information in various ways about parent
meetings/workshops. Thus, the recommendation is to provide parents with information in
various ways about parent meetings/workshops. This will include a handout with times and date
which will be given during student enrollment.
Parents/guardians at Local Elementary School do need to know about parent meetings
and workshops inclusive of the days and times they are held as well as other volunteer
opportunities, and this can only be achieved through the provision of prior knowledge. Schraw
and McCrudden (2006) described how individuals organizing knowledge influences ways in
which they learn and apply what they know. The result is helping parents use their prior
knowledge when learning new information. This will allow parents the opportunity to store
information quickly and more accurately when elaborated with prior learning.

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Conceptual Knowledge
Conceptual knowledge influences include parents knowing the relationship between
parent participation and student performance in school. Parents know the relationship between
their participation and their child’s academic success. It follows that parents would benefit from
materials that highlight the impact the parental relationship can have on their child’s academics.
Thus, the recommendation is to provide parents with a welcome video that helps to demonstrate
this impact. This will include demonstrating a video during student enrollment.
Procedural Knowledge
Procedural knowledge influence includes parents knowing how to help their child with
their academic development. The results showed no need for procedural knowledge as in
general, parents/guardians know how to help their child in this area. Shute (2008) suggested that
feedback that is private, specific, and timely enhances performance and this aligns with the
principles of information processing theory. This would suggest that parents would benefit from
being provided models about parent participation and to practice and receive feedback on their
own participation. Thus, the recommendation is to provide parents with the opportunities to see
detailed models on how to help their child with their academic development. This would include
videos of parent participation during student enrollment being presented and shown. This would
provide parents with opportunities to see models about parent participation, practice, and receive
additional feedback on their own participation.
Metacognitive Knowledge
The domain of metacognitive knowledge influences include parents reflecting on their
child’s academic progress in school. The results showed no need for metacognitive knowledge
for parents/guardians in this regard. Baker (2006) suggested that the use of metacognitive

77
strategies facilitate learning, which would indicate that parents would benefit from receiving
metacognitive strategies. Thus, the recommendation is to provide information about how to
monitor their child’s progress, and this will be done through the customized school calendar.
Parents/guardians need to know how to properly reflect on their child’s academics, and
using these metacognitive strategies will help provide parents the proper opportunities to use
metacognitive strategies to monitor their child’s academics.
Motivation Recommendations
As shown in Table 29, one out three assumed motivational influences were determined to
be a need during data collection – specifically, this was attribution theory. Although value and
self-efficacy influences are determined to be assets in which improvement is not necessary,
consistency is important for future parents at Local Elementary School. The results of all four
influences are seen as high priority in order to continue to increase and improve parent
participation. Evidence-based principles are identified to guide context-specific
recommendations for improving performance in these areas. Table 29 lists the causes, priority,
principle, and recommendations. Following Table 29, a detailed discussion for each high priority
cause, recommendation, and the literature supporting the recommendation is provided.

Table 29
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed motivation influences Asset or need Principle and
citation
Context-specific
recommendation
Value
Parents value talking to their
child about academic
expectations.
Asset Include rationales
about the
importance and
Identify and
facilitate
opportunities

78
Assumed motivation influences Asset or need Principle and
citation
Context-specific
recommendation
Parents value frequently
meeting with their child’s
teachers.
Asset utility value of
the task
(Pintrich, 2003).

with the parents
to remind them
of the value of
their
participation in
their child’s
school.
Parents value communicating
with their child’s teacher,
principal, and support staff.
Asset
Self-Efficacy
Parents are confident about
their academic development.
Asset Achieving small
successes
increases one’s
confidence to
achieve more
difficult tasks
(Bandura,
1997).
Provide goal-
directed practice
coupled with
frequent,
accurate,
credible,
targeted, and
private feedback
on progress in
learning and
performance
(Pajares, 2006).

Encourage
participation of
parents through
text messages.
Provide individual
frequent
feedback to
parents each
time they
engage with the
school.
Attributions
Parents think the school is
responsible for their child’s
success and failures.
Need Attribute success
or failures to
effort
(Anderman &
Anderman,
2009).
Building
supportive and
caring personal
relationships in
Schools need to
appropriately
inform parents
that they play a
critical role in
their children’s
successes and
failures.
School needs to
build productive
Parents think they are
responsible for their child’s
success and failure.
Asset

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Assumed motivation influences Asset or need Principle and
citation
Context-specific
recommendation
the community
of learners
(Pintrich, 2003).
relationships
with parents.

Value
Various assumed motivational influences were considered assets by the parents of
children attending the school. First, this involved parents talking to their children regarding
academic expectations. The second concerned parents valuing frequent meetings with their
child’s teacher. Finally, the third related to parents appreciating regular communication with
their child’s teacher, principal, and support staff. According to Pintrich (2003), in order to have
continuity at the school, the organization must, include rationales about the importance and
utility value of the specific task. Additionally, it is important that the organization identify and
facilitate opportunities with the parents in order to remind them of the inherent value of their
participation at their child’s school.
Self-Efficacy
When analyzing self-efficacy, it was determined to be an asset according to parental
responses when they expressed confidence in helping their children with their academic
development. According to Bandura (1997), In order to continue to have high self-efficacy
responses among parents, it is vital that the organization must apply the principle that, small
successes increases the confidence to achieve more complex tasks. Further, in order to maintain
high self-efficacy among parental guardians, it is critical that the organization also provide
individual frequent feedback to parents each time they engage with the school.

80
Attributions
In the survey, parents were split with regard to their views of attribution and what role the
school and parents play in their children’s academic success or failure. Numerous responders
note that they currently view the school as being responsible for the success or failure of their
children, so this is clearly a need to be addressed by the organization. In contrast, other parents
cited that their role as parents includes responsibility for their children’s academic successes or
failures, which is viewed as an asset. According to Pintrich (2003), building supportive and
caring personal relationships in the community of learners requires the organization to
appropriately inform parents that they play a critical role in their children’s successes and/or
failures.
Organization Recommendations
As shown in Table 30, one out of the three assumed organization influences – namely,
resources - was determined to be an actual need during data collection. Although influences
pertaining to cultural models, policies and procedures are determined to be assets in which
improvement is not necessary, consistency is important for future parents at Local Elementary
School. The results of all three influences are seen as high priority to continue to increase and
improve parent participation. Evidence-based principles are identified to guide context-specific
recommendations for improving performance in these areas. Table 30 lists the causes, priority,
principle, and recommendations. Following Table 30, a detailed discussion for each high priority
cause, recommendation, and the literature supporting the recommendation is provided.

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Table 30
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed organization
influences
Asset or need Principle and
citation
Context-specific
recommendation
Resources
Parents’ have the resources,
like transportation, to attend
their child’s school activities.
Asset Effective change
efforts ensure
that everyone
has the
resources
materials, staff,
time, etc.)
needed to do
their job and
that if there are
resource
shortages, then
resources are
aligned with
organizational
priorities (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Provide parents
with workshops/
meetings at a
time when
parents could
attend.
Provide pre-
recorded
workshops/
meetings sent
via
text/email/schoo
l website.
Provide live
workshops/
meetings
through Zoom.
Parents’ schedules allow them
to attend their child’s school
activities.
Asset
Parents wish they could
volunteer, they just don’t
know how.
Need
Policies and procedures
There are policies and
procedures that inform
parents of ways to become
involved in their child’s
school.
Asset Effective
organizations
ensure that
organizational
messages,
rewards,
policies, and
procedures that
govern the work
of the
organization are
aligned with or
are supportive
of
organizational
goals and values
(Clark & Estes,
2008).
A review
committee
composed of
administrator,
school liaison,
teachers, and
parent
volunteers to
conduct a
comprehensive
review of parent
involvement.

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Assumed organization
influences
Asset or need Principle and
citation
Context-specific
recommendation
Cultural models
Parents feel welcomed at their
child’s school.
Asset Effective change
efforts ensure
that all key
stakeholders
perspectives
inform the
design and
decision-making
process leading
to the change
(Clark & Estes,
2008).
Organizational
performance
increases when
individuals
communicate
constantly and
candidly to
those involved
about plans and
process (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Provide parents
with surveys in
the beginning of
the school year
with topics and
changes that
they would like
to be
implemented.
Provide parents
with follow-up
surveys every 3
months.
Provide parents
with a parent
portal to connect
with school
staff,
administration,
and other
parents in the
school.
Parents feel comfortable
attending school activities.
Asset

Resources
When analyzing the survey, assumed organization influences were determined to be an
asset. First, parents possess the resources, like transportation, and had compatible schedules that
allowed them to attend their child’s school activities. Effective change efforts require that
everyone has the resources (e.g., materials, staff, time) needed to do their job and that if there are
resource shortages, then resources are aligned with organizational priorities (Clark & Estes,
2008). These may include providing parents with workshops/meetings at a time when parents

83
could attend, providing pre-recorded workshops/meetings sent via text/email and school website,
and providing live workshops/meetings via Zoom calls.
Policies and Procedures
It was assumed that there are policies and procedures that inform parents of ways to
become involved in their child’s school. The results of the survey revealed that this was deemed
to be an asset. Effective organizations ensure that organizational messages, rewards, policies, and
procedures that govern the work of the organization are aligned with, or are supportive of,
organizational goals and values (Clark & Estes, 2008). To maintain policies and procedures as
assets, a review committee composed of an administrator, school liaison, teachers, and parent
volunteers should conduct a periodic comprehensive review of parent involvement at the school
site.
Cultural Models
The data showed that parents feel welcome at their child’s school and feel comfortable
attending school activities. Clark and Estes (2008) suggested that effective change efforts ensure
that all key stakeholders perspectives inform the design and decision-making process leading to
the change. As such, for parents to continue to feel welcome and comfortable at school activities,
it is imperative that their ideas, recommendations, and concerns are considered. This requires the
school to provide parents with surveys at the beginning of the school year with topics and
changes that they would like to be implemented, then provide them with follow-up surveys every
3 months, and provide them with a parent portal to connect with school staff, administration, and
other parents at the school site.

84
Summary of Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Recommendations
The recommendations and evaluation outlined in this chapter address both assets and
needs and emphasize the consistency, continuity, and commitment required for improving and
maintaining parental participation that includes parent meetings and workshops in Local
Elementary School. It is also important as an organization, Local Elementary School, is
committed to developing and implementing procedures that increase parent participation such as
parent workshops and meetings.
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
The mission of the Local Elementary School is for teachers, staff, parents, and
community members joining together in a collaborative effort to promote student development
from acquisition of basic academic skills to the application of those skills through rigorous
standards-based instruction. The mission states, “Local Elementary School child-centered
environment focuses on providing a positive, supportive climate that enables students to develop
social interaction skills and foster personal responsibility and helps them become successful,
contributing members of a global society” (Local Elementary School, 2022). The organization’s
goal is to increase parent involvement to 100%, which would allow parents/caregivers to attend
all school-related activities. Parental involvement is measured by attendance at general meetings,
parent/caregiver conferences with teacher, attending school events or volunteering.
The primary stakeholder group is the parents, specifically those parents/guardians of the
students attending Local Elementary School. The school wants to uncover the reasoning behind
parents’ low participation rate in the school. The goal was selected in order to bring parental and
community involvement into the process of student academic success at Local Elementary

85
School. In order to meet the goal stated above, parents must be involved and attend school-
related activities in order to help ensure student academic success.
There were several questions given to parents in order to address knowledge, skills,
motivation, and organization causes that might be preventing parents from attending school-
related events. The purpose of this project is to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes
of the problem described above. The analysis began by generating a list of possible or assumed
causes and then by examining these systematically to focus on actual or validated causes.
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The new world Kirkpatrick model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) is the framework to
integrate the implementation and evaluation plan for this study, and it builds on the historical
model created by the late Dr. Donald Kirkpatrick in the 1950’s. This new model is designed to
maximize the effectiveness of the four levels within organizations (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016) and has a reverse approach of the original model in that the planning begins at Level 4 and
concludes at Level 1:
• Level 4: Results, The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training
and support and accountability package.
• Level 3: Behavior, The degree to which participants apply what they learned during
training when they are back on the job.
• Level 2: Learning, The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge,
skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training.
• Level 1: Reaction, The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging
and relevant to their jobs.

86
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), Level 4 Results is the degree to which
targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability. The
leading indicators are put in place to assist bridge the gap between individual initiatives and
organizational results. Furthermore, the short-term observations and measurements in Level 4
suggest that critical behaviors are on track to create a positive impact on the desired results
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Table 31 shows outcomes, metrics, and methods for external
and internal outcomes and how they will be observed and measured.

87
Table 31
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metrics Methods
External outcomes
Increased positive
feedback from parents
and community leaders.
Number of social media
followers and positive
comments/likes from social
media accounts.
School liaison will and reply
to social media comments
and will track positive and
negative feedback.
Increased daily
volunteering
opportunities provided
by the school for
parents and community
members.
Number of parents attending
volunteer orientation/training
meetings.
School liaison will create a
sign in sheets for in
school parental volunteer
orientation/training
meetings.
Number of parents taking on
volunteer roles on campus,
such as traffic direction, hall
monitors, etc.
Front office manager will
create a sign in sheet for
parent volunteers to track
volunteer hours.
Internal outcomes
Increased parent
participation rate
Number of parents attending
meetings and school-related
events
Sign in sheets collected by
the School Community
Liaison
Increased positive
parental feedback.
Number of parents participating
in social media surveys.
Monthly survey sent to
parents via social media
to track parental
satisfaction.
Increased student
achievement
Grades Teacher

Level 3: Behavior
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) described Level 3: Behavior as behaviors, required
drivers, and on-the-job learning in which participants apply what they learned during training.
According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), there are several behaviors a given employee
might perform on the job, yet critical behaviors have been identified as the most important in
order to achieve organizational success. The key to creating programs that deliver value to the

88
organization, training, along with critical behaviors and leading indicators need to be aligned.
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Critical Behaviors
Parents/Guardians/Participants will participate in attending all school-related activities,
which will include completing a worksheet for every session. Through conversation and surveys
parents will have the knowledge of the role parent involvement impacts students’ success,
Demonstrate consistent competent communication between teacher and administrator through
communication log. Table 32 demonstrates the critical behaviors, metrics, methods, and timing
for evaluation.

89
Table 32
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical behavior Metrics
Methods
Timing
Participate in
attending all
school-related
activities, which
will include
completing a
worksheet for
every session
Number of parents
volunteering in
different areas
within the school
site and attending
community
informational
meetings
During the open
enrollment period,
parents must
attend a mandatory
orientation with
the principal and
school liaison to
provide
information on
parental
participation.
During open
enrollment or new
student enrollment
at the school site.
Through
conversation and
surveys parents
will have the
knowledge of the
role parent
involvement
impacts students’
success.
Number of
completed survey
results
demonstrating
knowledge of
parental
involvement’s role
in student success.
Surveys sent to
parents via school
app and/or text.
Surveys sent
monthly by the
school.
Demonstrate
consistent
competent
communication
between teacher
and administrator
through
communication
log.
Number of parents
having regular
open
communication
with teachers.
Parental
communication
with teachers via
school app, phone
calls, text
messages, and/or
emails.
Throughout the
entire school year.

Required Drivers
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) described required drivers as the processes and
systems that reinforce, monitor, encourage, and reward performance of critical behaviors on the
job. They argued that active execution and monitoring of required drivers might be the biggest

90
indicator of a program’s success for any initiative. The required drivers to support critical
behaviors is by carried out through reinforcement. The organization will provide parents with
information in various ways about parent meetings/workshops. Table 33 demonstrates the
required drivers to support critical behaviors.

Table 33
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Methods Timing
Critical
behaviors
supported
1, 2, 3 etc.
Reinforcing
Provide parents with information in various ways
about parent meetings/workshops. This will
include a handout with times and date which will
be given during student enrollment.
Ongoing
Provide parents with a welcome video demonstrating
the relationship impact they have on their child’s
academics.
Ongoing
Provide parents with opportunities to see models
about parent participation and to practice and
receive feedback on their own participation.
Ongoing
Encouraging
Encourage participation of parents through text
messages.
Ongoing
Provide individual frequent feedback to parents each
time they engage with the school
Ongoing
Monitoring
Provide parents with surveys in the beginning of the
school year with topics and changes that they
would like to be implemented

Provide parents with follow-up surveys Monthly

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Organizational Support
The organization, which includes administration, teachers, and support staff, will play a
critical role in supporting parents/guardians with the required drivers to support their critical
behaviors. The organization will provide parents with information through various means about
parent meetings/workshops, and this will include a handout with times and date which will be
given during student enrollment. The organization will demonstrate parents/guardians with a
welcome video demonstrating the relationship impact they have on their child’s academics.
Level 2: Learning
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) defined Level 2: Leaning as the degree to which
participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, conference, and commitment based
on their participation in the training. In order to close the gap between learning and behavior, as
well as to prevent the cycle of waste when training is repeated for people who possess the
required knowledge and skills but fail to perform appropriately on the job, confidence and
commitment have been added to Level 2 in the new world Kirkpatrick model (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Learning Goals
The KMO solutions are obtained from the end of Chapter Four and are listed below.
Listed below, the learning goals represent what the parents/guardians need to know and be able
to do following the learning event or implementation of the program so that they are able to
perform the critical behaviors listed above.
1. Describe the meetings/workshops the school provides.
2. Describe the times and days of meetings/workshops the school provides.
3. Describe all the volunteer opportunities the school provides.

92
4. Describe the relationship between parent participation and student performance in
school.
5. Reflect on their child’s academic progress in school.
6. Value communicating with their child’s teacher, principal, and support staff.
7. Value frequently meeting with their child’s teachers.
Program
The following program is recommended in order for parents/guardians to achieve the seven
learning objectives identified in Chapter Four. It is recommended that the school site creates a
committee that includes the school administrator, school liaison, support staff and parent
volunteers. This committee is specifically designated for parent involvement and participation. In
order to maintain relevance for the schools and parents’ needs, the committee should meet every
two weeks to discuss concerns, feedback, recommendations, and upcoming events.
For parent participation to be increased, it is critical the school emphasizes the
importance of communication between the school and parents. During open enrollment and/or
registration, parents will be shown a welcome video in English and Spanish, and the video
should include the relationship between their involvement and their child’s academics and social-
emotional well-being. The second slide should include a directory with teachers, school
administrators and school staff which includes a picture of the staff, phone-app information, and
email addresses. The third slide should include how parents can navigate through the school’s
website. This will include school resources, school calendar, parent portal, PTA, and recent
news. After the welcome video is completed the support staff will facilitate a workshop
specifically for the purpose of instructing parents on how to download a parent/teacher
communication app onto their phones. This platform is designed to help facilitate and create

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positive communication between teachers, school, and parents in a casual manner. Through this
app, the teachers, school, and parents will have the opportunity to text message, share pictures
and videos, and view upcoming school events.
Evaluation of the Components of Learning
Table 34 lists the methods or activities used to evaluate declarative knowledge,
procedural skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment of parents/guardians.

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Table 34
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Methods or activities Timing
Declarative knowledge: “I know it.”
The relationship between their involvement and their
children’s academics and social-emotional well-being
as demonstrated by pre-post assessments
At the beginning and end of the
workshop
Contact information of school administrators, teachers,
and school staff as pre-post assessment
At the end of the welcome
presentation
Procedural skills: “I can do it right now.”
Download parent/teacher communication apps onto
their phones.
At the end of the workshop
Navigate through the school’s website, which will
include school resources, school calendar, parent
portal, PTA, and recent news.
At the end of the welcome
presentation
Send and receive text messages, pictures and videos to
teachers, school administrators and or support staff.
At the end of the workshop
Find upcoming school events on cell phone application
portal.
At the end of the workshop
Attitude: “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Likert scale survey completed by parents/guardians at
the end of welcome presentation.
At the end of the welcome
presentation
Discussion and Q and A about the value of parent
participation in school
During and end of the welcome
presentation
Confidence: “I think I can do it on the job.”
Likert scale survey completed by parents/guardians at
the end of workshop.
At the end of workshop
Discussion and Q and A about the value of parent
participation in school.
At the end of workshop
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Likert scale survey completed by parents/guardians at
the end of workshop.
At the end of workshop
Discussion and Q and A about the value of parent
participation in school
At the end of workshop

Level 1: Reaction
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) defined Level 1: Reaction as participants’ measure of
satisfaction on relation to training. This level is composed of the three categories of participant

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satisfaction, engagement, and relevance. According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016),
participant satisfaction is beneficial when formatively identifying and eliminating the barriers to
learning. Then, engagement acknowledges the degree of involvement and contribution the
participant performs, and relevance refers to how applicable the training is to the participants.
Table 35 lists the methods used to determine how the participants react to the learning events.

Table 35
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Methods or tools Timing
Engagement
Parents ask meaningful questions During presentation
Active interaction during activities During presentation
Relevance
Anonymous survey End of presentation and workshop
Group discussion for relevance check During workshop
Customer satisfaction
Anonymous survey End of presentation and workshop
Group discussion for participant satisfaction
check
During workshop and workshop

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Evaluation Tools
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) suggested implementing a blended evaluation that
consists of immediate and delayed evaluation as this will maximize the program’s evaluation
resources and assist in gathering extensive data. Immediate evaluation tools are used to evaluate
Levels 1 and 2 at the end of the training to in turn be able to measure results. According to
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), delayed evaluation is best used after participants have had
the opportunity to apply what they have learned.
Immediately Following the Program Implementation. An immediate evaluation tool
has been created to evaluate Level 1, which includes engagement, relevance and customer
satisfaction and Level 2 which includes declarative knowledge, procedural skills, attitude,
conference, and commitment based on parent/guardian experiences. An immediate evaluation
too will be given with survey questions for Level 1 and Level 2.
Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation. Delaying the evaluation
allows parents/guardians the opportunity to reflect on the learning that took place during the
workshop (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The delayed evaluation will be sent 2 months after
the workshop has been conducted. The evaluation will include Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, and
questions will pertain to participants’ knowledge of parent involvement learned during the
welcome video and workshop training.
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) posited that blended evaluation is optimal to discover
the degree of confidence and knowledge among the participants. Participants are asked Level 1
questions about confidence and commitment so that they can apply what was learned during the
training/workshop from Level 2, and questions related to anticipated outcomes. Furthermore,
using the blended evaluation method provides an indicator of what the participants have learned.

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A Likert Scale and multiple-choice survey will be provided to participants regarding their
knowledge of parent participation, the relationship with their involvement between the students’
academic and social-emotional well-being, and what they have learned during the workshop
training.
Data Analysis and Reporting
The data analysis will be presented to the school administrator/school principal and
community liaison, and the findings include the results of both the immediate and delayed
evaluations. The findings give the team an opportunity to discuss and implement effective
strategies to support changes to future workshops.
I will provide a data analysis to the school administrator/school principal and community
liaison. The findings include the results of the immediate and delayed evaluations, external
outcomes from Level 4, and metrics pertaining to the critical behaviors from Level 3.
Communicating these findings will monitor the progress of parent participation. The short-term
observations and measurements in Level 4 suggest that critical behaviors are on track to create a
positive impact on the desired results, which will bridge the gap between individual initiatives
and organizational results.
Summary of the Implementation and Evaluation
The new world Kirkpatrick model (2016) was used to plan, implement, and evaluate
recommendations for the organization, and to optimize achieving the stakeholder and
organizational goals. The workshop was created as a means of providing parents/guardians with
the knowledge, skills, motivation, and organizational tools necessary to increase their
participation in school-related events and activities. The four levels of the Kirkpatrick and

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Kirkpatrick (2016) training evaluation was also planned to increase parents’ learning behavior,
which should correlate to maximize parent participation and involvement.
Measurements will be given to each of the four levels of the new world Kirkpatrick
model (2016) to determine if the workshop will accomplish the organization’s goal, which
consists of, for Level 1, whether parents found the workshop engaging, favorable and relevant.
For Level 2 this related to whether the parents received the intended knowledge, skills and
confidence based on their participating in the workshop. Level 4 pertained to whether the parents
were able to apply what they learned. Finally, Level 4 related to whether the organization’s goal
accomplished as a result of the workshop.
Limitations and Delimitations
A limitation of this study consisted of the sample size. The organization currently has an
enrollment of 432 students. Only 10% of parents/guardians completed the survey questionnaire.
At first glance, this may seemingly point to a lack of parent involvement in their children’s
education, which is directly related to this case study. However, on closer inspection, other
factors may be partially responsible for these results, including the possibility that numerous
parental guardians are potentially undocumented immigrants and were reluctant to participate in
the survey questionnaire and interviews. An additional limitation is the location of the study.
This study was conducted at one elementary school site, within the local city. Due to the narrow
scope of the location of this study, different locations may yield differing results. Next, I propose
altering the survey questions to gather additional information from the participants, which may
help answer the research question in a more conclusive manner. Additionally, I propose seeking
out supplementary parents to participate in the interviews in addition to the eight participants, to
garner additional perspectives on parental engagement. Finally, the study only focuses on the

99
one stakeholder – the parents – so having data collected from various stakeholders like teachers,
school administrators and community members may provide different perspectives and ideas of
how to increase parent participation.
Recommendations for Future Research
Recommendation for future research can consist of addressing the limitations that have
been identified. One specific recommendation for future research to garner greater survey and
interview participation should include creating a clearer explanation that involvement could, in
no way, be used to disclose immigration status. A letter, email and text should be sent out to all
parents/guardians stating and reassuring that partaking in research is solely used for positive
educational outcomes and remains strictly confidential. Additionally, widening the scope of the
survey to reach other schools within the district, and through the city, could uncover additional
findings. This could include providing additional questions to participants to assist in answering
the research question. These additional questions could focus on the parents’ needs so that the
organization could better assist with those specific needs. Lastly, further examining teachers,
school administrators, and community members’ knowledge and motivation could also result in
a broader understanding of the lack of parent participation and result in increasing their school
wide participation rates.
Conclusion
This gap analysis study examined the reasons for the low participation rate among the
parents at Local Elementary. This problem impacts the organization, as a lack of parent
involvement in their children’s school activities may hinder students’ academic success.
Recommendations have been suggested that would help address the problem of practice. First, it
is critical that the school creates a committee that includes the school administrator, liaison,

100
support staff and parent volunteers. This committee should be specifically designated to increase
parent involvement and participation. Second, the organization should also emphasize the
importance of communication between the school and parents. During open enrollment and/or
registration, parents will be shown a welcome video in English and Spanish that will include
information that emphasizes the positive attributes resulting from the relationship between parent
involvement and students’ academic and social-emotional well-being. Lastly, a workshop is
critical to demonstrate the variety of ways parents could be involved through digital platforms.
This workshop will be specifically for the purpose of instructing parents on how to download a
parent/teacher communication app onto their phones. Additionally, this workshop is designed to
help create and facilitate positive communication channels between the teachers, school, and
parents in a casual manner. Through this app, the teachers, parents, and school will have the
opportunity to text message, share pictures and videos, and view upcoming school events
pertinent to the success of each student. Further, research has shown that parental involvement
facilitates numerous benefits, including increasing students’ motivation in their academic
performance. These recommendations are necessary to implement because it represents the
larger national/international/societal problem of parents not communicating with their children’s
educational institutions, which may result in the narrowing of academic advancements in low-
income communities.

101
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APPENDIX A: INSTRUMENTS TO COLLECT DATA
April 8, 2019
Invitation Letter
Perspective Participant:

Let me introduce myself. I am a doctoral student at the University of Southern California.
The focus of my research entails analyzing how parent involvement affects a students academic enrichment.
This letter is being distributed to all parents of students currently enrolled in the school and your participation is
important to the outcome of the project. There are two options for participation. The first is to participate in a 10
minute home survey. You have the option to not respond to selected questions of your choice. Surveys could be
dropped off at the front office. Option two includes the home survey and one 20 minute audio-recorded interview
and perhaps some follow-up clarifying questions. Your participation in the study is strictly voluntary.
The interview will take place at the school. Please contact me at (323) 535-7917 to schedule your interview.

Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, I can assure you that your responses are totally confidential.
Neither your name nor location will be mentioned in the study. Moreover, the data collected through the interview
will only be for the purpose of educational research. I also wanted to emphasize to you that participation in this
research project is voluntary. If you require further clarification and assistance do not hesitate to contact me.
I can be contacted at: (323) 535-7917; or emailed at: bustamam@usc.edu

I appreciate your time, commitment, and participation in this research project.

Sincerely,
Melissa Bustamante
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8 de abril del 2019
Carta de Invitación
Posible Participante:
Déjeme introducirme. Soy una estudiante de doctorado en la Universidad del Sur de California.
El enfoque de mi investigación consiste en analizar cómo la participación de los padres afecta el enriquecimiento
académico de los estudiantes. Esta carta se distribuye a todos los padres de estudiantes actualmente matriculados en
la escuela y su participación es importante para el resultado del proyecto. Hay dos opciones de participación.
La primera es participar en una encuesta de 10 minutos en su hogar. Tiene la opción de no responder cualquier
pregunta que no desee. Una vez completa puede dejar la encuesta en la oficina. La segunda opción incluye llenar el
cuestionario en su hogar y una entrevista de 20 minutos grabada y quizás unas preguntas para no dejar en duda sus
repuestas. Su participación en el estudio es totalmente voluntaria. La entrevista se llevará acabo en la escuela. Favor
de comunicarse conmigo para concertar su entrevista al (323) 535-7917

Debido a la delicadeza del tema, puedo asegurarle que su respuesta es totalmente confidencial. Ni su nombre ni
ubicación serán mencionados en el estudio. Toda la información recaudada se mantendrá en anonimato. Además, los
datos recolectados a través de la entrevista solo serán para el propósito de la investigación educativa. Quiero

105
enfatizar que su participación en el estudio es completamente voluntaria. Si usted desea clarificación o asistencia
adicional siéntase libre de contactarse conmigo al (323) 535-7917; o correo electrónico (email): bustamam@usc.edu

De antemano aprecio su tiempo, compromiso, y participación en este estudio.

Atentamente,
Melissa Bustamante

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Please answer the following questions based on what you think or feel. There are no right or
wrong answers. This survey is confidential.

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Please check only one box.

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
I often think about how well my child
is doing in school.

It is important for me to talk to my
child about school.

It is important to communicate with
my child’s teacher, principal and
support staff.

I am comfortable talking to my child's
teacher, principal and support staff.

Meeting frequently with my child’s
teacher is important to me.

I know all the parent
meetings/workshops the school
provides.

My schedule allows me to attend my
child’s school activities.

I have transportation to attend my
child’s school activities.

I know all the ways to get involved in
my child’s school.

I feel comfortable attending school
activities.

I feel welcomed at my child’s school.
I know the day and time the parent
meetings/workshops take place.

My participation in parent meetings/
workshops help my child succeed in
school.

I know the ways to volunteer at my
child’s school.

I would like to be more involved in
my child's school.

I am responsible for my child’s
success or failure in school.

The school is responsible for my
child’s success or failure in school.

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What prevents you from being more involved in your child’s school activities?

How do you prefer to be notified by the school regarding events? Please check only one box.

▢ Email
▢ Phone calls (automated voice services)
▢ Postal Services (mail)
▢ School handouts (with child)
▢ Text messages
▢ Social media
▢ School website
▢ Monthly calendar
▢ Other_________________

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APPENDIX B: KMO OBSERVATION PROTOCOL

Date: _____________________

Parents who attend the parental workshop sessions, provided by the school, will be observed,
along with the organization’s interactions with other non-participating parents at the school site.
This will include parents’ interactions with the organization, including faculty, staff, and
administrators. In order to analyze if the organization’s cultural settings align with the parents’
cultural beliefs, observations will be conducted in order to observe available resources, policies,
and procedures for parental engagement.
Knowledge

Influence Observation Observed? Comments:
Building a partnership with child's
teacher and school staff.
Communicating in person, phone,
email or written notes
Observe parents visiting
school asking for teachers,
principal and/ or school staff.

❏ Yes
❏ No

Knowing to participate in school
related activities, school board
meetings, joining the schools
parent group, become a classroom
helper, volunteering special events.
Observe parents attending
parent workshops/ meetings
❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents reflect about their child's
academic progress in school and
home.
Observe parents are asking
for teachers in order to
discuss child's school
performance
❏ Yes
❏ No

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Motivation

Influence Observation Observed? Comments:
Parents value their child’s
academic development
Observe parent interactions
at school with teachers,
principal and/ or school
staff.
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

Parents are confident they can
engage their child’s academic
development
Observe parents proactive
with teachers, principal
and/ or school staff.
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

Parents feel positive about
engaging with their child’s
academic development.
Observing parents being
comfortable when talking
to teachers, principal and/
or school staff.
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

Organization

Influence Observation Observed
?
Comments:
There are policies/procedures
for parents engage with their
child’s academic development
Parents know who to seek if
they need assistance.
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

Parents believe engaging with
their child’s academic
development is aligned with
their cultural beliefs
School provides translators
for spanish speaking parents
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

Child’s school supports
parents to engage with their
child’s academic development.
School climate is
welcoming to parents.
❏ Y
es
❏ N
o

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APPENDIX C: KMO DOCUMENT ANALYSIS PROTOCOL
Investigator will ask the School Liaison and school office to provide all handouts that are sent
home to parents. The school website is available to the public and will be accessed online to
identify announcements regarding parent engagement.

Knowledge

Influence Documents Observed? Comments:
Building a
partnership with
child’s teacher and
school staff.
Communicating in
person, phone, email
or written notes
- Front office
parent sign-up
sheet

❏ Yes
❏ No

Knowing to
participate in school
related activities,
school board
meetings, joining
the schools parent
group, become a
classroom helper,
volunteering special
events.
- School
handouts given
to student

-School
handouts mailed

- Outside school
announcements

- School website
includes
volunteer
opportunities,
parent
workshops/meet
ings and special
events

❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents reflect about
their child's
academic progress
in school and home.
- Parent
workshops/
meetings sign-
ups
❏ Yes
❏ No

111
Motivation

Influence Documents Observed? Comments:
Parents value their
child’s academic
development
- Front office
parent sign-up
sheet. Parents
concerned about
student progress

❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents are confident
they can engage their
child’s academic
development
- Parent phone log.
Parents concerned
about student
progress
❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents feel positive
engaging with their
child’s academic
development.
- list of active
parent volunteers
❏ Yes
❏ No

112
Organization

Influence Documents Observed? Comments:
There are
policies/procedures
for parents engage
with their child’s
academic
development
- Visible poster
board of staff
directory.

- List of parent
volunteer
opportunities.

❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents believe
engaging with their
child’s academic
development is
aligned with their
cultural beliefs
- All
announcements and
documents are also
in spanish
❏ Yes
❏ No

School supports
parents to engage
with their child’s
academic
development.
- School website
includes volunteer
opportunities,
parent
workshops/meeting
s and special events

- Monthly event
calendar

❏ Yes
❏ No

Parents have the
resources to engage
with their child’s
academic
development.
- Parent workshops
are available at
different times.

-Child care is
provided
❏ Yes
❏ No

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APPENDIX D: IMMEDIATE EVALUATION INSTRUMENT
Levels 2 and 1, surveyed on the day of the training or workshop, Likert Scale of highly disagree
to highly agree

Immediate Evaluation Instrument

L2 and L1 combined evaluation Likert survey question

Declarative knowledge: “I know it.” I know my participation in parent meetings/ workshops
help my child succeed in school

Procedural skills: “I can do it right now.” I can navigate through the school’s website, which
includes school resources, school calendar, parent
portal, PTA, and recent news.

Procedural skills: “I can do it right now.” I can send and receive text messages/emails , pictures
and videos to teachers, school administrators and or
support staff.

Attitude: “I believe this is worthwhile.” I believe this workshop and training is worthwhile
and going to help me be more involved in school
related activities.

Confidence: “I think I can do it on the job.” I am confident I will be able to attend more school
related activities

Commitment “I will do it on the job.” I will communicate more with my child’s teacher,
administrator and/ or support staff

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APPENDIX E: DELAYED EVALUATION INSTRUMENT
Levels 4, 3, 3, 1 Likert Scale of highly disagree to highly agree

Delayed Evaluation Instrument

Level Likert survey question

L1: Reaction What I learned in the workshop and training continues to be valuable during my
child’s education.

L2: Learning I was able to communicate more frequently with my child's teacher and/or
support staff.

L3: Behavior As a consequence of the workshop and training I have built a positive
relationship with the school

L4: Results As a result of the workshop and training I attend most of the school related
activities.

115
APPENDIX F: DATA AND REPORTING

Asset Metadata

Creator Bustamante, Melissa (author)

Core Title Increasing parent participation at local elementary school using the gap analysis approach

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education

Degree Conferral Date 2023-12

Publication Date 08/25/2023

Defense Date 08/15/2023

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Latino students,OAI-PMH Harvest,parent participation,parent workshops

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Advisor Yates, Kenneth A. (committee chair), Martinez, Brandon David (committee member), Patall, Erika (committee member)

Creator Email bustamam@usc.edu,bustamanteusc@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113302209

Unique identifier UC113302209

Identifier etd-Bustamante-12279.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-Bustamante-12279

Document Type Dissertation

Format theses (aat)

Rights Bustamante, Melissa

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20230823-usctheses-batch-1087 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email uscdl@usc.edu

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study conducted a gap analysis to facilitate an examination of the root causes of the low parent/guardian participation rate in school-related events. The study focused on causes that emerge due to gaps in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organization. The instrumentation used for this study included a survey, a semi-structured interview, an observational checklist, and a document analysis protocol. The stakeholders who participated in the study were the parents/guardians of students who attend the local elementary school. Survey items were created for each assumed cause using the parents’ critical behaviors. The parent/guardian responses are a key component to uncovering the reasoning behind the low parent participation rate in the school. The 43 surveys conducted were anonymous. The five interview participants were all female. The new world Kirkpatrick model was used to plan, implement, and evaluate recommendations for the organization and to optimize achieving the stakeholder and organizational goals. The recommendations address assets and needs and emphasize consistency, continuity, and commitment required to improve and maintain parental participation.