Expanding the Parent Involvement Framework in Early Childhood Education: Parent “Engagement, Partnership, Involvement and Education”

Abstract

Theories that are related with parent involvement in education indicate that the families should not be taken into account without considering society they are a part of. Concurrently, the studies on parent involvement indicate that; it is important to consider reflection of the community on the parents before inviting the families to partnership, involvement or education. Therefore, the concept of family involvement develops and gets more inclusive in the direction of society, school and family needs as a reflection of the ever-changing social life. At this point, the importance of analyzing the concept of family "engagement" in education, which includes the concepts of home-school partnership, parent involvement and education in the light of the contemporary scientific research on the subject emerges. The aim of this study is to provide a review for the concept of "parent engagement” in early childhood education, by means of focusing on the concepts of family involvement, partnership and education.