Parental involvement in the schools with Hungarian teaching language in Transcarpathia: Results of an empirical study Hungarian parents in Ukraine
Katalin Pallay
Abstract
Parental involvement is a process in which parents actively participate in their children's school life, support their academic progress, and collaborate with the school community. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive picture of the characteristics of parental involvement in the Transcarpathian Hungarian community. The research examines the extent and form of parental involvement in the children's school and the factors that influence this involvement. Parental involvement is of particular importance in the Transcarpathian community, especially in light of the challenges posed by the war, where - although there is a school reform that supports parental involvement - social and economic difficulties limit the parents' active participation in the school community. The study analyzes data from an empirical study conducted by the Cooperation of Families and Teachers Research Group at the University of Debrecen, under the Educational Development Research Program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The survey was conducted during the spring of 2023 in three countries: Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine, with a focus on Hungarian parents, ethnic minority living in Ukraine and Romania. A total of 960 parents were surveyed of whom 122 were from Transcarpathia. The results show that mothers are more involved in school activities than fathers, partly due to the war situation and foreign employment. The analysis revealed that religious parents are more active in school events, while the financial situation of parents living in urban areas better supports school involvement. Financial status is a significant factor that can limit parental participation in school life. Our findings indicate that to support parental involvement, it is important to consider parents' economic and social backgrounds, as well as their religiosity and the type of settlement they live in.
Keywords: parental involvement, volunteering, Transcarpathian Hungarian ethnic minority parents, school participation, school community