Parents involvement in inclusive education: An empirical test for the psycho-educational development of learners with special educational needs (SENs)

There is mounting evidence that involvement paradigm is a major strategy that supports positive learning outcomes and is critically vital for educating learners with special educational needs (SENs). To illuminate the parental involvement concept and potential in a concrete context, this paper explains 1) the empirical literature that explains the interaction between parental involvement, inclusive education and learners’ educational achievement, 2) synthesizes findings that relate parental involvement paradigms with psycho-educational development of children, 3) uses both developmental ecological perspectives and  the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model (1995) to analyze and explain the interaction amongst  parents’ involvement, school ecology and students’ academic success. Finally, findings revealed a strong and meaningful relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement and that parents’ beliefs, expectations and experiences are important ingredients that support better learning outcomes for children.