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Parental Involvement in School Scale
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About Parental Involvement in School Scale
Scale Name
Parental Involvement in School Scale
Author Details
Multisite Violence Prevention Project (MVPP) (2004b), adapted from Jacquelynne S. Eccles and Rena D. Harold (1993) for the parent version, and Carolyn A. Smith, James P. Connell, John C. Wright, et al. (1997) for the student version
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Parental Involvement in School scale, developed by the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (MVPP) in 2004 and adapted from Eccles and Harold (1993) for parents and Smith et al. (1997) for students, is a dual-report questionnaire designed to assess three aspects of parental involvement: parent involvement with the child’s schoolwork, parent involvement with teacher and school activities, and teacher involvement with the parent. Targeting middle school students in grades 6-8 (ages 11-14) and their parents in urban settings, the scale was part of the MVPP’s efforts to examine family-school connections as protective factors against youth violence. Cited in Dahlberg et al. (2005), it aligns with ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and social development theory (Hawkins & Weis, 1985), assessing how parental engagement influences youth outcomes.
The scale comprises 12 items per version (4 items per subscale), rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “never” to 5 = “always” for students; 1 = “strongly disagree” to 5 = “strongly agree” for parents). Examples include “My parents help me with my homework” (student: parent involvement with child) and “I attend parent-teacher conferences” (parent: involvement with teacher/school). Scores are summed per subscale (range: 4-20 each), with higher scores indicating greater involvement. Validated in urban samples, it is used to assess family-school linkages, predict academic and behavioral outcomes, and inform school-based interventions.
Psychologists, educators, and public health researchers use the scale to evaluate parental engagement, design violence prevention programs, and study school-family dynamics. Its dual-report, multi-subscale structure and good reliability are strengths, though its English-only availability may limit cross-cultural use.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the scale from authorized sources, such as Dahlberg et al. (2005) Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths or MVPP publications, ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses parental involvement in school to support positive youth development, emphasizing anonymity and using age-appropriate, non-judgmental language.
- Provide instructions, asking students and parents to rate the frequency (students) or agreement (parents) of involvement behaviors over the past month, using the 5-point scale. Administer both versions separately to capture perspectives.
- Approximate time for completion is 4-5 minutes per respondent, given the 12-item format.
- Administer in a school, home, or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment. Oral administration may be used for students with reading difficulties or younger respondents.
Reliability and Validity
The Parental Involvement in School scale demonstrates good psychometric properties, as reported in Dahlberg et al. (2005). Internal consistency is strong across subscales: for students, Cronbach’s alpha is 0.75 (parent involvement with child), 0.74 (parent involvement with teacher/school), and 0.69 (teacher involvement with parent); for parents, it is 0.81, 0.76, and 0.79, respectively, indicating good to excellent item cohesion. Test-retest reliability is not reported, but stability is inferred to be moderate to high based on similar family-school measures (r ≈ 0.65-0.85 over weeks).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as academic achievement (r ≈ 0.20-0.40) and reduced delinquency (r ≈ -0.15 to -0.35) for higher involvement. Discriminant validity is evidenced by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, like peer attitudes (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to predict positive academic and behavioral outcomes in MVPP studies. Factor analyses are not detailed, but the three-factor structure (parent-child, parent-teacher/school, teacher-parent) supports construct validity. The strong reliability supports its use, though multi-informant data (e.g., teacher reports) can enhance accuracy.
Available Versions
18-Items
Reference
Project, M. V. P. (2004). The multisite violence prevention project: background and overview. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1), 3-11.
Dahlberg, L. L., Toal, S. B., Swahn, M. H., & Behrens, C. B. (2005). Measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Centers for disease control and prevention.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Parental Involvement in School scale measure?
It measures parental involvement with schoolwork, teachers/school, and teacher-parent interactions.
Who can use the scale?
Psychologists, educators, and researchers studying middle school students and parents.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 4-5 minutes per respondent.
Is the scale specific to certain groups?
It targets urban middle school students (grades 6-8) and their parents.
Can the scale inform interventions?
Yes, it supports school-based interventions with strong reliability (α = 0.69-0.81).
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