Understanding Parent Involvement and Student Success: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Parent Role Models Who Have Attended School Based Parent Support Programs

This transcendental phenomenological study described the lived school involvement experiences of parent role models who attended parent support programs in various charter schools in a southwestern county in North Carolina. The theory that guided this study was Ben-Tov and Romi's role model theory, which explains the importance of the parent's role in a child's education. The role model theory provided the theoretical framework for this phenomenology to answer the central research question: (a) What are the lived experiences of parent role models who have attended parent support programs in various charter schools within a southwestern county in North Carolina? This qualitative transcendental phenomenology included 10 participants who attended parent support programs at different charter schools within a southwestern county in NC. Data were collected through a survey, individual interviews, and journal prompts. All data were analyzed using Moustakas' (1994) transcendental phenomenological approach. The analysis of the data generated five common themes: (a) parents are role models, (b) parental involvement in school events, (c) parental involvement in home events, (d) parents as partners, and (e) parental expectations.