Table of Contents
Abstract
The Parent Involvement in School (PIS) measure is a multidimensional instrument designed to assess the frequency and nature of interactions related to a student’s educational life. Developed specifically within the context of the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (Miller-Johnson et al., 2004), this scale captures perspectives from both the student and the parent regarding school-related communication, participation, and academic support. It is structured around three core dimensions: parental interaction with the child concerning schoolwork, parental engagement with the school environment, and the teacher’s communication efforts directed toward the parent. The measure provides a standardized method for quantifying the extent of the home-school connection.
Keywords
Parent Involvement, School Involvement, Academic Achievement, Parent-Teacher Communication, Educational Assessment, Adolescent Development, School Engagement.
Authors
The measure was adapted and utilized by Miller-Johnson, S., Sullivan, T. N., and Simon, T. R. (2004) for the Multisite Violence Prevention Project, building upon foundational work by Smith, E. P. et al. (1997) and Eccles, J. S. & Harold, R. D. (1993).
Purpose
The primary purpose of the Parent Involvement in School measure is to quantify the level and type of engagement among three critical stakeholders in a student’s education: the student, the parent, and the teacher. By collecting parallel data from both student and parent perspectives, researchers can obtain a comprehensive view of the home-school connection, identifying potential discrepancies in perceived involvement and communication patterns.
This instrument is valuable for evaluating the efficacy of educational or preventative interventions, particularly those targeting behavioral outcomes or academic performance, as it provides standardized metrics for assessing environmental factors related to parent involvement during the critical early adolescent years. The scale aims to capture specific behaviors, ranging from direct homework assistance and academic discussion to institutional participation like attending PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
Construct
The scale measures the multidimensional psychological construct of Home-School Partnership, specifically focusing on the frequency of interaction behaviors that signify parent and teacher engagement. This construct is broken down into three distinct, yet related, sub-domains, reflecting ecological models of child development that emphasize the interconnectedness of home and school environments.
The three measured dimensions are:
- Parent Involvement with Child: Focuses on direct, academic-related communication and support provided by the parent to the student (e.g., discussing homework, reviewing grades). This subscale gauges the level of parental monitoring and academic socialization within the home.
- Parent Involvement with Teacher/School: Focuses on the parent’s proactive and reactive participation in the institutional aspects of the school (e.g., attending functions, volunteering, initiating contact with teachers). This measures formal engagement within the school setting.
- Teacher Involvement with Parent: Focuses on the school’s outreach efforts and communication flow directed toward the parent regarding the student’s academic progress, behavior, and upcoming school activities. This assesses the school’s effort to maintain the partnership.
Validity
While the source material does not explicitly list specific validity coefficients (e.g., convergent, discriminant validity), the measure’s development history suggests strong face and content validity. It was adapted from established measures (Smith et al., 1997; Eccles & Harold, 1993) known to capture key aspects of school engagement, ensuring that the items adequately represent the intended domains of parent-school interaction across multiple levels of engagement (home-based, school-based, and reciprocal communication).
The use of parallel student and parent versions allows for dyadic analysis, which can be used to establish inter-rater reliability and provide evidence for construct validity by comparing reported behaviors across informants within the same family unit. Its application within the rigorous Multisite Violence Prevention Project implies that the measure was subjected to substantial empirical scrutiny regarding its predictive utility concerning academic risk factors and behavioral outcomes.
Reliability
Specific internal consistency coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s Alpha) for the Parent Involvement in School subscales are not detailed in the summary information provided. However, given its foundation in established research instruments used in large-scale epidemiological and intervention studies, it is assumed that the subscales demonstrate acceptable levels of internal consistency necessary for reliable measurement. Reliability is paramount for measures used in large preventative studies, ensuring that the quantification of involvement is consistent across diverse samples and time points.
Factor Analysis
Although no explicit factor analysis results (such as Exploratory Factor Analysis or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) are provided in the source text, the instrument is clearly structured around three theoretical factors or subscales. This structural organization suggests that a factor analysis was likely conducted during development or adaptation to confirm the hypothesized three-factor model: involvement with the child, involvement with the school/teacher, and teacher outreach to the parent. This structure aligns with modern ecological models of educational psychology that treat home and school interactions as distinct yet correlated domains that contribute to overall student adjustment.
Instrument
Test Type: Self-report questionnaire (Student and Parent versions).
Format: 18 items utilizing a 5-point Likert Scale format, with varying anchors depending on the subscale being measured.
Language Available: English (as presented in the source) and potentially Spanish, given its inclusion in the “Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools.”
Population Group: Parents and Students.
Age Group: Primarily students in early adolescence or middle school years, corresponding to the typical target demographic of the Multisite Violence Prevention Project.
Population Details: Used in large-scale intervention research focusing on diverse populations, particularly those involved in violence prevention studies. The scale is applicable across various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.
Test Methodology: Frequency-based rating scale. Items 1-7 use a scale focused on specific daily/weekly frequency of discussion, while Items 8-18 use a scale focused on general frequency of interaction (e.g., attending events, contacting school).
Keywords
Home-School Communication, Academic Support, Educational Psychology, Student Behavior, Prevention Research, Psychological Construct, Ecological Systems Theory.
Authors
Author ORCID Identifier: N/A
Affiliation Email addresses: N/A
Correspondence Address: N/A
Permissions & Fee and Test Year
The measure was developed and adapted around 2004 for the Multisite Violence Prevention Project, based on earlier works from 1993 and 1997. Specific copyright or permission fees are not listed in the source, but the scale appears in an openly accessible compendium of assessment tools, suggesting it may be available for non-commercial research use. The original PDF containing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://www.codajic.org/sites/www.codajic.org/files/Binder-orpinas%20meassurement.pdf
Test Year: Adapted and utilized circa 2004.
Reference’s
Eccles, J.S. & Harold, R.D. (1993). Parent-school involvement during the early adolescent years. In R. Takanishi (Ed.), Adolescence in the 1990’s: Risk and Opportunity. New York, NY: Columbia University Teachers’ College.
Miller-Johnson, S., Sullivan, T. N., & Simon, T. R. (2004). Evaluating the impact of interventions in the Multisite Violence Prevention Study: Samples, procedures, and measures. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1), 48-61.
Smith, E.P., Connell, C.M., Wright, G., Sizer, M., Norman, J.M., Hurley, A., & Walker, S.N. (1997). An ecological model of home, school, and community partnerships: Implications for research and practice. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 8, 339-360.
Items of the Parent Involvement in School
IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.
- How often does a parent talk with you about your homework?
- How often does a parent ask what you did at school?
- How often does a parent go over graded papers with you?
- How often does a parent talk with you about your schoolwork?
- How often does a parent talk with you about how you behave at school?
- How often does a parent talk with you about doing your best at school?
- How often does a parent ask you about one of your teachers at school?
- How often does a parent talk with one of your teachers?
- How often does your parent attend functions at your school like open house, fund-raisers, PTA meetings, and the like?
- How often does your parent volunteer to help at a school-related function like a field-trip, athletic game, or other event?
- How often does your parent attend parent-teacher conferences when they are scheduled?
- How often does your parent contact your school to request a meeting with a teacher or school official concerning your behavior?
- How often does your parent call a teacher on the telephone or write a note concerning your schoolwork?
- How often does the teacher provide information to a parent on how well you are doing in your behavior?
- How often does the teacher provide information to a parent on how well you are doing in your schoolwork?
- How often does the teacher provide information to a parent in advance on upcoming assignments, projects, etc.?
- How often does the teacher provide information on how you are behaving in school?
- How often does the teacher provide information on your accomplishments in school?
- How often do you check your child’s homework?
- How often do you ask your child what he/she did at school?
- How often do you go over graded papers with your child?
- How often do you talk with you about your schoolwork?
- How often do you talk with your child about how he/she behaves at school?
- How often do you talk with your child about doing his/her best at school?
- How often do you ask or talk with your child about one of his/her teachers at school?
- How often do you talk with one of your child’s teachers?
- How often does your parent attend functions in the school like open house, fund-raisers, PTA meetings, and the like?
- How often do you volunteer to help at a school-related function like a field-trip, athletic game, or other event?
- How often do you attend parent-teacher conferences when they are scheduled by your child’s school?
- How often do you contact your child’s school to request a meeting with a teacher or school official concerning your child’s behavior?
- How often do you call a teacher on the telephone or write a note to the teacher concerning your child’s schoolwork?
- How often does your child’s teacher contact you to request a meeting to discuss your child’s your behavior?
- How often does the teacher provide information to you on how your child is doing in their schoolwork?
- How often does the teacher provide information to you in advance on upcoming assignments, projects, or events for your child at school?
- How often does the teacher provide information to you on how your child is behaving in school?
- How often does the teacher provide information on your child’s accomplishments in school?
Scoring Protocol:
Items 1-7 utilize the following response scale:
- 0 = Never
- 1 = Once a month
- 2 = Once a week
- 3 = Several times a week
- 4 = Everyday
Items 8-18 utilize the following response scale:
- 0 = Never
- 1 = Hardly ever
- 2 = Sometimes
- 3 = Often
- 4 = Very often
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2025). Parent Involvement in School. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/parent-involvement-in-school/
Mohammed looti. "Parent Involvement in School." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 12 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/parent-involvement-in-school/.
Mohammed looti. "Parent Involvement in School." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/parent-involvement-in-school/.
Mohammed looti (2025) 'Parent Involvement in School', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/parent-involvement-in-school/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Parent Involvement in School," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.
Mohammed looti. Parent Involvement in School. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.