Examining home-school dissonance as a barrier to parental involvement in middle school

Home-school dissonance (HSD), or differing values, beliefs, and behavioral expectations between home and school may contribute to variation in parental involvement (Arunkumar, Midgley, & Urdan, 1999 Arunkumar, R., Midgley, C., & Urdan, T. (1999). Perceiving high or low home–school dissonance: Longitudinal effects on adolescent emotional and academic wellbeing. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9(4), 441–466. doi:10.1207/s15327795jra0904_4[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This study utilized data from parent and teacher interviews to examine perspectives on parental involvement and HSD in middle school. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Teachers described a spectrum of HSD ranging from low parental involvement (high-HSD) to high involvement (low-HSD). Although all parents reported involvement in school, some parents described negative experiences related to race and a fear of retaliation from school officials. Schools may benefit by improving policies and practices that decrease HSD, and thus increase parental involvement in schools.