ALLEVIATING BARRIERS TO FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION - THE ROLE OFTEACHER-EDUCATION

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which selecte d course experiences influenced preservice teachers' perceptions of th eir comfort and competence levels in planning and implementing family involvement programs in schools. Students completed pre-and post-asses sments related to their ability to work with parents. Pretest and post -test means were compared using a t-test for dependent samples to dete rmine whether respondents' perceptions changed as a result of course p articipation. A variation of the constant comparative method of data a nalysis suggested by Strauss (1987) was used to analyze the qualitativ e data obtained from students' reflective post-semester statements. A framework suggested by de Acosta (1996) for foundation courses in fami ly involvement in education was used to examine the focus of course co ntent and experiences. Data analyses revealed that course experiences made a significance difference in enhancing the students' perceptions of their comfort and competence levels in planning and implementing fa mily involvement programs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.