The Effects of the Amount of Children in a Household on Parental Involvement.
Abstract
The relationship between family size and parental involvement in children’s education is an important but understudied area, specifically in early education. Existing research shows that larger family size tends to lead to lower parental involvement, which impacts the child’s development in various ways (Kidwell,1981; Zedan, 2011). The purpose of this study is to explore how parental involvement is affected by the amount of children in a household. This study involved parents and guardians of Head Start children ages 3 to 5 in seven counties in Virginia. This study used mixed methods, quantitative data was collected by an online survey that measured various aspects of parental involvement, the quantitative results show a decrease in parental involvement with an increase in family size, except for the outlier shown in Table 2. Qualitative data was collected through open-ended questions to understand the parent/guardian’s experiences. The qualitative themes included outdoor activities, emotional connections, and coping mechanisms. The statistical results show a mean of 8.81 out of 10 in parental involvement. The findings of this study have practical implications for understanding child development and the effects of parental involvement. Understanding these dynamics can help parents and guardians as well as schools to create an effective environment and enhance academic success.
Keywords: Parent Involvement, Survey Research, Head Start
Introduction
The relationship between parental involvement in children’s education and family size is a critical and complex topic. As families evolve it is important to understand how family size affects parental involvement, this has become increasingly important to understand how to set a child up for academic success. This research problem is especially relevant today as educational outcomes become more important than ever for a successful future.
Previous studies support the idea that larger families usually result in lower involvement. Black (2005), Kidwell (1981), and Zedan (2011) all have various research on this topic discussing how the amount of children in a household has significant effects on how involved a parent can really be. In larger families there tend to be fewer resources and support for each child (Kidwell,1981). However, some studies suggest that family dynamics in larger households can take on unique strategies to support their children (Kidwell,1981).
The purpose of this study was to explore what affects parental involvement with a focus on family size. The families studies had children ages 3 to 5 that attend Head Start in Virginia. By examining the results educators, policymakers, and families can draw insight to best support child education and academic success. This study aims to fill the gaps in existing research and contribute to raising parental involvement and developing more effective approaches to children’s success.
Literature Review
The dynamics of family structures play an essential role in shaping a child’s educational experience and development. A significant factor that impacts parental involvement is family size (Kidwell, 1981). This literary review aims to explore the relationship between the number of children and the level of parental involvement in their children’s education.
How does the amount of children in a family impact parental involvement? Epstein (2010) defines parent involvement through parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. The ability to provide these aspects of involvement is all greatly impacted by the number of children in a family (Kidwell, 1981). Zedan (2011) found that the more children there are in a family, there is a lower amount of support, monitoring, and encouragement available for each child. Research shows that although parent involvement can lessen with larger families, it directly affects a parent’s satisfaction with their children’s education (Shao, 2022). This suggests that while parents in larger families may struggle to maintain high levels of involvement, they still recognize its importance. Epstein (2010) emphasizes that to have successful parental involvement there needs to be a partnership between family, school, and community. This idea aims to create a partnership that supports the child to be as successful as possible.
Sibling dynamics and birth order are also huge variables when looking at how they affect parental involvement and child development. Kidwell (1981) found that the birth order and number of children directly influence family relationships. Research shows smaller families tend to have closer relationships overall. However, some research suggests that larger families may form strategies to support parental involvement (Black, 2005). For example, older siblings may take on supportive roles, helping with younger siblings’ schoolwork or attending school events when parents are unable to do so. This suggests that the impact of family size on parental involvement is not always straightforward or negative.
Parental involvement is linked to educational success as early as preschool (Deloatche, 2014). This has been a common theme throughout many sources, parent involvement is very important but can be challenging to maintain, especially for lower socioeconomic status families who may not have time for intensive parental involvement on top of managing multiple children (Booth, 2009; Zedan, 2011).
An interesting finding across articles is that the relationship between family size and parental involvement can vary across cultures (Black, 2005; Wei, 2016). For example, Wei (2016) found that in China, the effects of family size on parental involvement and education were less pronounced than in Western studies, likely due to cultural factors and the prevalence of the one-child policy. Booth (2009) found that both larger family size and higher birth order negatively affected educational achievement in Britain. This shows that educational success and the ability of parental involvement is dependent on societal norms and the family’s culture.
In conclusion, while some of these sources did not align, it can be understood that family size, educational achievement, and parental involvement are all impacted by outside factors such as socioeconomic status, culture, and parental ability. While larger families could face challenges in maintaining adequate parental involvement, they often acknowledge the importance and have strategies to support the family (Booth, 2009). Finally, understanding the dynamics of family structures and their influence on educational outcomes is crucial for developing effective approaches to support children’s academic success.
Data and Methods
Instrument
An online survey questionnaire was created by a research collaborative at Longwood University. The survey created in Qualtrics included an informed consent question and open and close-ended items. There are twenty-three close-ended items that cover parent/guardian needs, resources, comfort, time, finances, mental health needs, and demographics. The questionnaire included three open-ended items. The questionnaire had an estimated completion of ten minutes.
Sample
The convenience sample for this project is parents and guardians of Head Start children who are between the ages of three and five who reside in seven counties in Central Virginia. There are approximately 119 families in this sample population. Head Start headquarters e-mailed the online survey to county Head Start teachers. Teachers then e-mailed the survey to all families in their classrooms. Surveys were emailed home at least three times during data collection. This resulted in twenty-six surveys being submitted. The response rate was approximately 25%. No incentive was offered for completing the survey.
Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The dependent variable of interest was parent involvement. The question was operationalized by parent involvement with the survey question, “How involved do you feel in your child’s education on a scale of 0 – 10?”. The independent variable of interest was the amount of children in a household. Data on this was collected through the question “How many children are in your household?” This question has a blank space for parents/guardians to enter a number.
Qualitative Analysis
Qualitative analysis was based on the open-ended items. Thematic coding was used to analyze parent/guardian responses.
Findings
Quantitative Findings
The dependent variable is “involvement in their child’s education”. This is asked on a 0 (Not at all) to 10 (an extreme amount) scale. The independent variable is the amount of children in a household. Respondents answered by filling in a blank space answering with a number. 11 out of the 25 surveys responded stating they have 2 children and only one responded stating they have 4 children. There were 5 respondents with 1 child and 3 respondents with 3. This range in the family size results gives a clearer idea of how parental involvement can be affected.
The mean score for involvement in their child’s education was 8.81. The standard deviation was 2.06. With a deviation of 2.06, this shows a medium amount of deviation.
Table 1
Count of families with amount of children
| Number of children | Number of families |
| 1 Child | 5 |
| 2 Children | 11 |
| 3 Children | 3 |
| 4 Children | 1 |
Note=25
Table 2 shows the comparison between respondents’ involvement in their child’s education and the number of children in a family. The table shows the parental involvement for families with 1 child marked as a mean of 9.60. For families with 2 children, the parent involvement is a mean of 8.45. Families with 3 children go down to a mean of 8. In this table, we had 1 family with 4 children who rated their involvement a 10 which throws off the trend of involvement decreasing with an increasing amount of children.
The original hypothesis stated that if there are more children in a household then the parental involvement will be lower. Overall this is true aside from the one respondent with 4 children who stated their involvement is a 10.
Table 2
Means of parental involvement in relation to the amount of children in a household
| Parent Involvement | Means |
| 1 | 9.60 |
| 2 | 8.45 |
| 3 | 8.00 |
| 4 | 10.00 |
Note=25
Qualitative Findings
In the survey, there were a few common themes found: outdoor activities, emotional connections, and coping mechanisms. We pulled these themes from the qualitative findings from three open-ended questions: “What are some things you enjoy doing most with your child?”, “How do you deal with stress?”, and “Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your needs as a parent?”.
Some examples of the theme of outdoor activities in question eleven “What are some things you enjoy doing most with your child?” and question thirty “How do you deal with stress?” are respondent one in question eleven states they enjoy having “outdoor adventures” with their child. Respondent eleven states they enjoy “horseback riding” with their child. Under question thirty respondent two stated they “take a walk” to cope with stress. As well as respondent twelve stated they deal with stress by “reading books or going outdoors”.
The second theme is emotional connections. Both question eleven and question thirty had responses aligning with this theme in relation to an activity with their child and with how the parent responds to stress. Under question eleven respondent six answered what they enjoy doing best with their child is “having conversations” respondent twenty-two also stated “Our conversations” this response shows the parents or guardians are fostering emotional connection and understanding with the children.
The third theme is coping mechanisms. This theme was mostly found in question thirty because the parents are answering how they deal with stress, most of the responses could be categorized under coping mechanisms. For example, parents mention communication and alone time as stress management. Under question thirty respondent fifteen states they use “being alone and thinking” as an outlet for stress. There are a variety of coping mechanisms listed under question thirty all demonstrating how the parents or guardians respond and deal with stress.
Question twenty-nine could not be grouped because the respondents either responded with no or left the question blank.
Overall the qualitative findings demonstrate the parents/guardians approaches to parenting and how they spend time with their children. Under question eleven we had eighteen responses out of twenty-four submitted surveys. This gives us a fairly thorough understanding of the children’s and parents/guardians’ favorite activities. Under question twenty-nine we received only ten responses and the majority responded “No” to the question about if there was anything else they would like to share about their needs as a parent. Under question thirty we received sixteen out of twenty-four potential responses, this question had the most variety in response to the different ways that parents/guardians deal with stress.
Conclusion
This study explored the relationship between parental involvement in the education of children in Head Start programs and family size. Overall the findings supported the hypothesis that larger family sizes resulted in lower parental involvement, with the exception of one family. The quantitative data showed a decrease in parental involvement as the number of children in a household increased, and qualitative data revealed themes such as emotional connections, outdoor activities, and coping mechanisms that parents implement. These findings align with research from Black (2005), Kidwell (1981), and Zedan (2011), which states that larger families have lower resources and time for each child individually. This study has significance in the overall context of early childhood education and family systems. As parental involvement is crucial for a child’s academic success, understanding how a family’s size can impact each child is essential for parents when planning their family and educators when providing resources and building relationships with the families. This is particularly important for families with lower socioeconomic status who face even more barriers when raising their children.
In conclusion, this research has emphasized the need for collaboration between families, communities, and schools to support children’s education as discussed by Epstein (2010). By recognizing the challenges families face particularly larger families more supportive educational environments can be created. Educators and policymakers can create more supportive and productive resources that enhance children’s educational experience regardless of family dynamics.
References
Black, S. E., Devereux, P. J., & Salvanes, K. G. (2005). The More the Merrier? The Effect of Family Size and Birth Order on Children’s Education. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 120(2), 669-700. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/120.2.669
Booth, A. L., & Kee, H. J. (2009). Birth order matters: the effect of family size and birth order on educational attainment. Journal of Population Economics: Journal of the European Society for Population Economics (ESPE), 22(2), 367–397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-007-0181-4
DeLoatche, K. J., Bradley-Klug, K. L., Ogg, J., Kromrey, J. D., & Sundman-Wheat, A. N. (2015). Increasing parent involvement among Head Start families: A randomized control group study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43, 271-279.
Epstein, J. L. (2010). School/Family/Community Partnerships: Caring for the Children We Share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 81-96.
Hilado, A., Kallemeyn, L., Leow, C., Lundy, M., & Israel, M. (2011). Supporting child welfare and parent involvement in preschool programs. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(5), 343-353.
Kidwell, J. S. (1981). Number of Siblings, Sibling Spacing, Sex, and Birth Order: Their Effects on Perceived Parent-Adolescent Relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family, 43(2), 315-332. https://doi.org/10.2307/351383
Shao, M., He, W., Zhao, L., & Su, Y. (2022). The Influence of Parental Involvement on Parent Satisfaction: The Moderating Effect of Parental Educational Level and the Number of Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 752802. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752802
Wei, W., Wu, Y., Lv, B., Zhou, H., Han, X., Liu, Z., & Luo, L. (2016). The Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Elementary Students’ Academic Achievement in China: One-Only Children vs. Children with Siblings. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 47(4), 483–500. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44109641
Zedan, R. (2011). Parent involvement according to education level, socioeconomic situation, and number of family members. Journal of Educational Enquiry, 11(1), 13-28.