Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey Scales

Abstract

The Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey Scales represent a comprehensive set of survey scales designed to systematically assess critical dimensions of the family-school relationship. Developed through a rigorous, multi-step validation process involving both scholars and parents, these instruments provide vital data on parental perceptions of school environment, child behaviors, and engagement strategies.

As of mid-2013, the scales had achieved significant reach, utilized by over 1,000 schools across more than 300 districts, primarily administered via the SurveyMonkey platform. The scales are currently available for use in both English and Spanish, facilitating broad application across diverse linguistic groups. Ongoing psychometric work aims to publish detailed reports establishing the scale development process and providing extensive evidence of validity for each component scale.

Keywords

Parent perception, Family-school relations, School climate, Parent support, Child behaviors, Survey scales, Self-efficacy, Psychometrics, PreK–12 education

Authors

Hunter Gehlbach, Beth Schueler, et al.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey Scales is to provide educators and researchers with a standardized, validated tool for measuring key aspects of the home-school dynamic. The scales are intended to offer nuanced insights into how parents perceive their roles, their children’s learning behaviors, and the overall school environment.

These instruments allow schools and districts to identify specific areas of strength and challenge in their engagement efforts, enabling targeted interventions designed to foster more constructive and supportive family-school relationships. A supplementary scale focusing specifically on Parent Perceptions of Family-School Communication is currently under development.

Construct

The Harvard Parent Survey Scales measure multiple distinct psychological constructs relevant to educational success and family involvement. These constructs are grouped into specific scales and inventories:

• Parent Support: Measures parents’ perceptions of the amount of academic and social support they provide to their children.
• Child Behaviors: Assesses parents’ perceptions of their child’s learning-related behaviors, encompassing both positive and negative aspects.
• School Fit: Evaluates parents’ perceptions regarding the suitability of their child’s school environment relative to the child’s individual developmental needs.
• School Climate: Measures parents’ perceptions of the general atmosphere and environment of their child’s school.
• Parent Self-Efficacy: Determines parents’ confidence in their ability to effectively support their children’s academic and social development.
• Family-School Engagement: Assesses parents’ perceptions of the extent to which they actively engage with their child’s school.
• Barriers to Family-School Engagement (Inventory): Measures the degree to which various external and internal factors create obstacles preventing families from engaging with the school.
• Roles and Responsibilities (Inventory): Assesses parents’ views on who (parents, schools, or children) is primarily responsible for various factors contributing to school success.

Validity

The development of these scales employed a highly rigorous six-step process, adapted from Gehlbach and Brinkworth (2011), specifically designed to build construct validity into the instrument from the initial design phase. This process emphasized front-loading input from both academic scholars and potential parent respondents.

Key steps included a thorough review of extant literature to define construct indicators, followed by 45-to-60-minute open-ended interviews and focus groups with parents to understand their conceptualization of the constructs. The indicators derived from literature were then cross-referenced with parent-generated indicators. Items were developed based on indicators found in both sources, using language consistent with parental terminology. Furthermore, research-based best practices for survey development (Artino, Gehlbach, and Durning, 2011) were strictly followed. Finally, a cognitive pretesting procedure (Karabenick et al., 2007) involving one-on-one interviews ensured that parents understood the items as intended by asking them to restate questions and “think aloud” while formulating their answers.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the scales was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The coefficients indicate acceptable to strong internal consistency across the various scales and sub-scales:

• For the Parent Support sub-scales:
  • Parent Learning Support: 0.71
  • Parent Social Support: 0.65
• For the Child Behaviors sub-scales:
  • Positive Behaviors: 0.76
  • Negative Behaviors: 0.79
• For the single-factor scales:
  • School Fit: 0.84
  • Parent Self-efficacy: 0.80
  • Family-school Engagement: 0.78
  • School Climate: 0.90

It is noted that two sets of items, the Roles and Responsibilities and Barriers to Family-School Engagement items, function as inventories rather than traditional summative scales.

Factor Analysis

Following data collection via SurveyMonkey on large national samples of parents, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to validate the underlying theoretical factor structures for each scale.

The results of the CFA confirmed the multi-factor structure of two major scales: The Parent Support scale demonstrated a robust two-factor model (Social Support and Learning Support), showing excellent fit indices ($chi^2 = 35.11$, $df = 13$, $p < .01$; RMSEA = 0.05; CFI = 1.00). Similarly, the Child Behaviors scale confirmed a two-factor structure (Positive Learning Behaviors and Negative Learning Behaviors), also exhibiting strong fit ($chi^2 = 13.99$, $df = 13$, $p = 0.37$; RMSEA = 0.01; CFI = 1.00).

For the remaining scales, single-factor models provided the best fit: School Fit (seven items, $chi^2 = 77.95$, $df = 14$, $p < 0.001$; RMSEA = .086; CFI = .981), School Climate (seven items, $chi^2 = 31.90$, $df = 14$, $p < 0.01$; RMSEA = 0.05; CFI = 1.00), Parent Self-Efficacy (six items, $chi^2 = 34.06$, $df = 9$, $p < 0.001$; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.99), and Family-School Engagement (four items, $chi^2 = 9.73$, $df = 2$, $p = 0.01$; RMSEA = 0.078; CFI = 1.00).

Instrument

Test Type: Set of Multi-Dimensional Survey Scales and Inventories

Format: Self-report questionnaire, administered online (via SurveyMonkey)

Language Available: English and Spanish

Population Group: Parents of school-aged children (PreK–12)

Age Group: Parents of children aged 5 to 18 years

Population Details: Initial sample ($n = 651$) drawn from SurveyMonkey’s national panel. Subsequent large national samples were used for factor analysis.

Test Methodology: Quantitative survey research instrument developed through a six-step process emphasizing construct validity via literature review, focus groups, expert feedback, and cognitive pretesting.

Keywords

Educational assessment, Home-school partnership, SurveyMonkey, Parental involvement, Scale development, Psychometrics, School success

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed through the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) research team.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scales were actively in use and dissemination as of 2013. Information regarding specific fees and formal permissions for academic or commercial use must be obtained directly from the researchers associated with the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Reference’s

Artino, A. R., Jr., Gehlbach, H., and Durning, S. J. (2011). AM last page: Avoiding five common pitfalls of survey design. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 86(10):1327.

Gehlbach, H., et al. (2013). Assessing Home-School Relationships. Symposium presentation at the 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Gehlbach, H., and Brinkworth, M. E. (2011). Measure twice, cut down error: A process for enhancing the validity of survey scales. Review of General Psychology 15(4):380–87. doi: 10.1037/a0025704.

Karabenick, S. A., et al. (2007). Cognitive processing of self-report items in educational research: Do they think what we mean? Educational Psychologist 42(3):139–51.

Schueler, B. (2012). A new tool for understanding family-school relationships: The Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey. Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) Newsletter, V(1). Retrieved from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/a-new-tool-for-understanding-familyschool-relationships-the-harvard-graduate-school-of-education-prek-12-parent-survey

Schueler, B., et al. (2014). Measuring parent perceptions of school climate. Psychological Assessment 26(1):314–20.

Items of the Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK–12 Parent Survey Scales

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Parent Perceptions of Parental Support for Their Children

Social Support

1. How often do you and your child talk when s/he is having a problem with others? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes Frequently       Almost all the time
2. To what extent do you know how your child is doing socially at school? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit A tremendous amount
3. How well do you know your child’s close friends?

Not well at all   Mildly well    Fairly well    Quite well    Extremely well

Learning Support

4. How often do you have the conversations with your child about what his/her class is learning at school? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes         Frequently Almost all the time
5. How often do you help your child understand the content s/he I learning in school? Almost never Once in a while                Sometimes Frequently       Almost all the time
6. How often do you help your child engage in activities which are educational outside the home? Almost never Once in a while Sometimes   Frequently            Almost all the time
7. How much effort do you put into helping your child learn to do things for himself/herself?

Almost no effort A little bit of effort    Some effort   Quite a bit of effort   A tremendous amount of effort

Parent Perceptions of Children’s Learning Behaviors

Positive Learning Behaviors

1. How much effort does your child put into school-related tasks?

Almost no effort   A little bit of effort   Some effort   Quite a bit of effort   A tremendous amount of effort

2. How motivated is your child to learn the topics covered in class?

Not at all motivated   Slightly motivated    Somewhat motivated    Quite motivated Extremely motivated

3. How regularly does your child read for fun?

Almost never    Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time

4. In general, how well does your child learn from feedback about his/her work? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well Extremely well

Negative Learning Behaviors

5. When working on school activities at home, how easily is your child distracted? Not easily at all Slightly easily Somewhat easily    Quite easily    Extremely easily
6. How often does your child give up on learning activities that s/he finds hard? Almost never Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time
7. How often does your child struggle to get organized from school?

Almost never    Once in a while    Sometimes    Frequently    Almost all the time

Parent Perception of School Fit

1. How well do you feel your child’s school is preparing him/her for his/her next academic year? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well   Extremely well
2. Given your child’s cultural background, how good a fit is his/her school? Not good at all Mildly good    Fairly good    Quite good   Extremely good
3. How well do the teaching styles of your child’s teachers match your child’s learning style? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
4. How well do the activities offered at your child’s school match his/her interests? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well Extremely well
5. How much of a sense of belonging does your child feel at his/her school?

No belonging at all    A little bit of belonging    Some belonging    Quite a bit of belonging    A tremendous amount of belonging

6. At your child’s school, how well does the overall approach to discipline work for your child? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
7. How comfortable is your child in asking for help from school adults?

Not comfortable at all    Mildly comfortable    Quite comfortable   Extremely Comfortable

Parent Perceptions of School Climate

1. How well do administrators at your child’s school create a school environment that helps children learn? Not well at all Mildly well   Fairly well   Quite well           Extremely well
2. How motivating are the classroom lessons at your child’s school?

Not at all motivating   Slightly motivating    Somewhat motivating   Quite motivating    Extremely motivating

3. How fair or unfair is the school’s system of evaluating children?

Very unfair   Somewhat unfair   Slightly unfair    Neither far nor unfair   Slightly fair    Somewhat fair   Very fair

4. To what extent do you think that children enjoy going to your child’s school? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit        A tremendous amount
5. Overall, how much respect do you think the children at you child’s school have for the staff?

Almost no respect    A little bit of respect    Some respect    Quite a bit of respect    A tremendous amount of respect

6. Overall, how much respect do you think the teachers at your child’s school have for the children?

Almost no respect    A little bit of respect    Some respect    Quite a bit of respect    A tremendous amount of respect

7. How much does the school value the diversity of the children’s backgrounds? Not at all A little bit    Somewhat    Quite a bit        A tremendous amount

Parental Self-Efficacy

1. How confident are you that you can motivate your child to try hard in school?
2. How confident are you in your ability to support your child’s learning at home?
3. How confident are you that you can help your child develop good friendships?
4. How confident are you in your ability to make sure your child’s school meets your child’s learning needs?
5. How confident are you in your ability to connect with other parents?
6. How confident are you in your ability to help your child deal with his or her emotions appropriately?

Scoring: Not confident at all = 1; Slightly confident = 2; Somewhat confident = 3; Quite confident = 4; and Extremely confident = 5.

Parent Perceptions of Family-School Engagement

1. How often do you meet in person with teachers at your child’s school?

• Almost never
• Once or twice per year
• Every few months
• Monthly
• Weekly or more

2. In the past, how often have you discussed your child’s school with other parents form the school? Almost never Once or twice per year             Every few months Monthly           Weekly or more
3. How involved have you been with a parent group(s) at your child’s school?

• Not at all involved
• A little involved
• Somewhat involved
• Quite involved
• Extremely involved

4. In the past, how often have you helped out at your child’s school?

• Almost never
• Once or twice per year
• Every few months
• Monthly
• Weekly or more

Parent Perceptions of Barriers to Family-School Engagement

How big of a problem are the following issues for becoming involved with your child’s current school?

1. How busy your schedule is
2. Transportation-related challenges
3. Childcare needs
4. Concerns about getting to the school safely
5. Your child does not want you to contact the school
6. Negative memories of your own school experience
7. You feel unsure about how to communicate with the school
8. The school is not welcoming to parents
9. The school provides little information about involvement opportunities
10. The school doesn’t communicate well with people from your culture
11. School staff seem too busy
12. You worry that adults at the school will treat your child differently if you raise a concern
13. You do not feel a sense of belonging with your child’s school community

Scoring: Not a problem at all = 1; Small problem = 2; Medium problem = 3; Large problem = 4; Very large problem = 5.

Parent Perceptions of Roles and Responsibilities Related to School Success

Many different factors play a role in school success. Each statement below represents something that may contribute to children’s success in school. Please indicate who you think is primarily responsible for each factor by checking the appropriate box. If you do not think an item is important for school success, please check “N/A.”

1. Make time for doing fun activities that are unrelated to schoolwork
2. Help children deal with their emotions appropriately
3. Identify what children are most interested in learning
4. Ensure good communication between home and school
5. Call attention to decisions about learning that do not seem to be in the best interest of the children
6. Make sure the children’s learning environment is safe
7. Make sure children are supported to do their best in school
8. Make sure that the children understand what is being taught at school
9. Make sure that the children have an adult to talk to at school
10. Make sure that children have enough time set aside to do all of their school-related work
11. Ensure children have good relationships with their peers

Scoring: Primarily parents = 1; Primarily schools = 2; Primarily children = 3; and N/A = 4.