Psychology
2013. Vol.4, No.2, 118-123
Published Online February 2013 in SciRes
(http://www.scirp.org/journal/psych) http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.42017
118
The Role of Parental Involvement in Classroom Life in Greek
Primary and Secondary Education
Yota Xanthacou, Thomas Babalis, Nektarios A. Stavrou
University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Received October 16th, 2012; revised November 14th, 2012; accepted December 15th, 2012
Research findings indicated the importance of parental role in the educational process of children provid-
ing support for the strong connection between parental role and educational process. The purpose of the
present study was to examine the role of parental involvement in classroom life in Greek Primary and
Secondary education. A sample of one hundred and fifty five (155) students (69 boys, 86 girls) ranging in
age from eleven to fifteen years volunteered to participate in this study. For the purpose of the study,
students completed the Classroom Life Measure, which took place during their lessons. The results
showed that the pressure from their parents to the study the lessons contributed to the increase of the
state-anxiety felt by children, but simultaneously to increase of the negative self-esteem. The parents of
primary school students are engaged in a higher degree with the homework, but also seek their chil-
dren’s participation in school activities.
Keywords: Parental Involvement; Classroom Life; Anxiety; Self-Esteem
Introduction
International bibliography and research point out the impor-
tance of parental role in the educational process of children, and
the parental desire to contribute to the improvement of those
conditions, which could help their children achieve higher lev-
els of performance and success. A variety of research findings
(Babalis & Katsaouni, 2011) demonstrate the importance of the
characteristics of effective schools concerning the development
of a healthy climate of communication and collaboration be-
tween school and family and prove that parental involvement—
related to the learning procedure—not only contributes to the
acquisition of knowledge, but also to social and sentimental
progress. Simultaneously, various benefits arise for everyone
involved, as well as teachers and parents (Berner, 2004; Chris-
tenson & Sheridan, 2001; Epstein, 1995, 2001; Epstein, Coates
et al., 1997; Epstein, Sanders et al., 2002; Hoover-Dempsey et
al., 1997; Patrikakou, Weissber et al., 2005). However, some
important factors were not investigated at the aforementioned
studies, such as psychological traits of children, for example
state-anxiety, which is taken into account in the present study in
relation with parental involvement. Moreover, it is true that the
school which welcomes parents is a school open to society and
its changes. During the last decade, in many countries, the edu-
cational policy has involved pupils’ parents in the educational
organization, seeing them as important co-operators. For that,
many special programs are applied trying to actively enrol par-
ents in school events.
International organizations, universities, political entities re-
sponsible for education, research centres, scientific associations,
social organizations etc. are seriously occupied with this subject.
In 1996 UNESCO (Delor) pointed out the need of co-operation
among family, school and society. The European Union took
into account this dimension and tried to reduce school dropouts
and the increase of the contribution to life-long learning. For
more than 20 years at Harvard University functions the research
program called “Harvard Family Research Project”, which is
addressed to teachers, parents, society members and to all re-
sponsible for the engraving of educational policy, providing
information to reinforce and coordinate their action and facili-
tate the cooperation among school, family and society. In US
universities specific research institutes have been established,
such as the Institute of Responsive Education at Boston Uni-
versity and the Centre on Families, Communities, Schools and
Children Learning at Johns Hopkins University. In 1991 the
International Network of Scholars of Home-School Relations
was founded with more than 200 members from 30 countries
and in 1995 European Research Network about Parents in
Education followed.
The Role of Parental Involvement in the Relationship
between the School and the Studen t s’ Family
The role of parental involvement is better understood when
the parents and teachers understand one another’s expectations,
simultaneously keeping communication which will allow both
sides to acknowledge the progress and the child’s behaviour at
home and at school; the way students perform on homework,
their interests, talents, school attitudes and social interactions as
well (Albright & Weissberg, 2010). All these compose the axes
on which our study focuses, which are supplemented with the
following factors: teacher and student academic and personal
support, extrinsic motivation, self-esteem and state-trait anxiety.
The combination of the concrete psychometric tools adds nov-
elty to our research. The models which refer to the relationship
between school and family, have dominated since 1980, show-
ing the importance which is rendered to the interaction among
people and groups involved in the educational procedure. The
beginning happened with Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) bio-eco-
systemic model supporting that a person, during his life, par-

Y. XANTHACOU ET AL.
ticipates in many different systems connected to one another
with an interactive and interdependent relationship. Epstein’s
(1995) model of overlapping spheres of influence portray the
three spheres, family, school and society, which through their
influences pupils are evolved and learn as well.
Then, Ryan and Adam (1995) emphasize on the whole of the
individual characteristics of a family’s members and mutual
function related to the child and his/her development and their
proximity of influence on the child’s behaviour and effects.
Recently, Hoover-Dempsey’s and Sandler’s model (2005) of
parental involvement targeted understanding the reasons why
parents ought to be involved in their children’s education.
Christenson and Sheridan (2001) believe that an effective com-
munication is the foundation of family’s involvement in educa-
tion. Parents involved in children’s activities—both at home
and at school—understand the benefit that derives:
1) Improvement of their relationships with their children.
2) Children’s progress.
3) Better capacity to support children doing their homework.
4) Better estimation of teacher’s effectiveness.
Parents received feedback through the satisfaction coming
from the new relation with the school, especially when teachers
encourage and reinforce their participation. A prerequisite for
fertile communication among parents, teachers and school head-
masters is that their relationship must be based on mutual trust
(Haynes et al., 1996), which is the indispensable ingredient for
the success of effective communication and development of a
healthy relationship between school and family (Christenson &
Sheridan, 2001). Thereby, children feel satisfied in their life, an
indicator of general positive self-esteem, as a result of the mu-
tual understanding between the important “others” who are
engaged in their daily routine. The “self-esteem” criterion,
which has not been so far fairly examined relative to parental
involvement, is highlighted in the present research including
both the positive and the negative aspect of it.
School should be the first to take initiatives related to
school’s communication between family and society (Milona-
kou-Keke, 2006). In practice as she points out, the cooperation
between school and family reinforces the collaborative atmos-
phere and drives parents, pupils and teachers to a better under-
standing of the targets of the school. Epstein (2001) declares
that if parents are well-informed, if they know what exactly is
happening at school, if they are encouraging and if, in general,
they are involved in the life of their child, pupils have more
positive attitudes toward education, higher ambitions and a better
presentation. Here are some aspects of parental involvement:
 Parents are informed and give necessary information to
school staff.
 They are involved in educational activity at home, super-
vising the child in order to complete his/her homework.
 Participate in school decisions and administration.
 Have frequent communication with the teacher and are
informed not only about their child’s performance, but also
the educational dimension of their parental role.
 Localize the needs of children in order to be capable to
helping them.
 Have great expectations related to the child’s performance.
 Offer help to school, such as volunteering, etc.
Factors that usually influence parental involvement are re-
lated to the demographical characteristics of parents, such as
sex, social and economic status, educational status, profession,
nationality, etc. Its manifestation depends on the attitudes and
expectations of parents that, according to research, are con-
nected to the increased motives of their children for school
success. Thus, school, with its rules, its demands and the char-
acteristics of the headmaster’s/teachers’ personality can wel-
come or impede parental involvement.
According to a series of research findings (Christenson &
Sheridan, 2001; Epstein, 2001; Georgiou, 2001) the more usual
types of parental involvement are: supervision of school be-
havior, control of out-of-school behavior, help with homework,
communication with the school. Undoubtedly, control of out-of-
school behavior and frequent communication with school are
the most effective activities.
In Greece the parents’ participation in school happenings has
been institutionalized with the obligatory establishment in every
school unit of a parent guardian association consisting of all the
parents of the students. Nevertheless, the law seems to mostly
cover the formal and legal dimension of the parents’ involve-
ment in the school unit and shows less interest in an essential
pedagogic relationship between the family and the school. As
well as this, research related to the communication and co-
operation between family and school is very limited. There is
now the necessity for researching the role of parental involve-
ment in the school to result in valuable conclusions concerning
the real image of the Greek educational system.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the rela-
tionship between classroom life, students’ self-esteem, anxiety
and parental involvement in Primary and Secondary education
students. More specifically, the present study aimed at examin-
ing the differences based on gender and education level in stu-
dents’ classroom life as well as the level at the type of parental
involvement.
Methodology
Participants
A sample of one hundred and fifty five (155) students (69
boys, 44.5%; 86 girls, 55.5%) volunteered to participate in this
study. They represented four grades of Primary and Secondary
Education (41 students of 5th Grade Primary Education, 59
students of 6th Grade Primary Education, 26 students of 1st
Grade Secondary Education and 21 students of 2nd Grade Sec-
ondary Education). The students ranged in age from eleven (11)
to fifteen (15) years (Μ = 12.42, SD = 1.30).
Instrumentation
Classroom Life Measure
First, the students completed the Classroom Life Measure
(Johnson D. W., & Johnson R., 1983; Johnson, D. W., Johnson,
R. T., Buckman, & Richards, 1985). The original instrument of
Classroom Life Measure is a 90-item self-report scale measure-
ing students’ feeling in the educational environment and espe-
cially in their classroom. The 90 items constitute 17 factors, out
of which six factors were examined in the present study. Spe-
cifically, the followings factors were measured in the present
study: 1) teacher academic support (4 items) (Cronbach a = .65);
2) teacher personal support (4 items) (Cronbach a = .67); 3)
student academic support (4 items) (Cronbach a = .69); 4) stu-
dent personal support (5 items) (Cronbach a = .77); 5) extrinsic
motivation—social support (5 items) (Cronbach a = .67) and 6)
academic self-esteem (5 items) (Cronbach a = .68). The value
of each factor is the sum of the items of the factor divided by

Y. XANTHACOU ET AL.
the number of items of each factor. The answers were given in
5-point type scale ranging from 1 to 5, where high values
indicate high levels of each dimension.
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C;
Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, 1970) which was constructed
by Spielberger, Edwards, Lushene, Montuori and Platzek (1973)
and was adopted to the Greek population by Psychountaki
(1995) and Psychountaki, Zervas, Karteroliotis and Spielberger
(2003), has been developed in order to measure the state-trait
anxiety of children in susceptibility conditions (Cronbach a
= .87).
Self-Esteem Scale
The Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) has been devel-
oped in order to evaluate the personal estimation of the student.
The instrument is being administered with the instruction to
complete it according to “how one usually feels in his/her life”.
The instrument consists of ten (10) questions, which are sum-
marized in a single factor that refers to general self-esteem
(Cronbach a = .81). Also, it is possible to result in two value
factors, which are positive self-esteem (Cronbach a = .90) and
negative self-esteem (Cronbach a = .91).
Parental Involvement Scale
The Parental Involvement Scale (Georgiou, 2000) has been
developed in order to examine the degree of participation, in-
terest and involvement of parents in the educational process and
the overall education of their children. The Parental Involve-
ment Scale consists of five (5) factors, which evaluate five
different dimensions-factors of parental involvement, namely: 1)
homework (Cronbach a = .84); 2) pressure (Cronbach a = .70);
3) participation in school activities (Cronbach a = .67); 4)
child’s personality development (Cronbach a = .65) and 5)
control (Cronbach a = .68). The value of each factor—dimension
is the sum of the items of the factor divided by the number of
items of each factor and is ranging from 0 to 4, where high
values indicate high levels of each dimension.
Procedure of the Instrumentation Completion-Data
Collection
The instrumentation completion was done during the lessons
of the students in the context of two administrations. Specifi-
cally, for the purposes of the study, students completed the
Classroom Life Measure, which took place during the lessons
of the students in the classroom they were studying. The ad-
ministration and completion of the scale was done in the pres-
ence of the researcher, who gave all the necessary clarifications,
thus contributing to a better understanding of the items. The
duration of Life Scale Measuring Classroom completion was
about forty (40) minutes. In the second administration students
completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Self-Es-
teem Scale. The duration of the questionnaires completion was
about twenty (20) minutes and was done again in the presence
of the researcher to resolve any queries on the part of students
and provide all the necessary explanations and instructions.
Regarding the instrumentations which were completed by the
parents of the students, the Parental Involvement Scale was sent
to parents of students through a sealed envelope. Surveyed
parents were distributed, through their children, a file contain-
ing: 1) a letter explaining to parents the purpose and importance
of research, as well as the necessary explanations concerning
the confidentiality and anonymity of responses; 2) the measure-
ing instrument and 3) a responsive file. At the same time, par-
ents were informed that they should return the completed
questionnaires within ten (10) days.
Statistical Analysis of the Research Data
The method of multiple analysis of variance; MANOVA was
used to investigate the purposes of the study. Specifically, dif-
ferences in factors of Parental Involvement Scale between the
two genders (boys, girls), students of primary and secondary
Education were examined, as well as between students with low
and high overall and school self-esteem. The Pearson r coeffi-
cient was used to examine the relationships between the exam-
ined variables (Cohen, 1988). The statistical package that we
used in the present study is SPSS Ver. 19.0.
Results
Correlations between the Examined Variables in the
Total Number of the Students in the Sample
Tables 1-3 present the correlations between the examined
variables of the research. Specifically, the correlations between
the factors of the following instrumentation were examined: 1)
Classroom Life Scale; 2) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; 3)
Self-Esteem Scale and 4) Parental Involvement Scale.
Correlational analysis. Significant intercorrelations were found
among the Parental Involvement Scale subscales (Table 1). The
factors of Parental Involvement Scale indicated low to medium
value intercorrelations, ranging from .09 to .47. In particular,
the highest correlations occurred between the control factor and
the factors homework, pressure and personality development of
the child. Also, moderate positive correlations were found be-
tween the factor homework with the factors pressure and par-
ticipation in school activities, and between the factors participa-
tion in school activities and personality development, indicating
that parents’ characteristics and behavior interact in order to
form their behavior.
Table 2 presents the results of the intercorrelations between
the factors of Parental Involvement Scale and Classroom Life
Measure Subscales. The results showed the existence of sig-
nificant correlations between the factors of both instrumenta-
tions. Specifically, academic self-esteem was positively corre-
lated with school activities (r = .32, p < .001) and negatively to
pressure (r = −.21, p < .01), while the factor extrinsic motiva-
tion—social support showed a positive correlation with the
factor pressure (r = .20, p < .01). The aforementioned results
indicate that there is a correlation between the pressure that
parents exert to their child and the way the students experience
the classroom life.
Table 3 presents the results of the correlations between the
factors of Parental Involvement Scale, State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory and Self-Esteem Scale in the whole sample. Positive
correlations were found between extrinsic motivation-social
support factors and pressure, as well as between the factors
participation in school activities and school self-esteem. On the
other hand, a negative correlation was found between pressure
and school self-esteem. The results indicate that the level of
pressure that parents exert to their children is related to an in-
120

Y. XANTHACOU ET AL.
Table 1.
Intercorrelations among parental involvement scale subscales.
Homework Pressure School activities Personality development Control
Homework 1.00 .30*** .34*** .25** .47***
Pressure 1.00 .09 .19* .47***
School activities 1.00 .32*** .20**
Personality development 1.00 .42***
Control 1.00
Note: *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
Table 2.
Intercorrelations among parental involvement scale and classroom life measure subscales.
Teacher support Students supportExtrinsic motivation—social support Academic self-esteem
Homework .03 .00 .10 .14
Pressure −.13 −.12 .20** −.21**
School activities .00 .03 .00 .32***
Personality development −.01 .00 −.19* .12
Control −.07 .00 .14 −.11
Note: *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
Table 3.
Correlations among factors of parental involvement scale, state-trait anxiety inventory and self-esteem scale in the whole sample.
State-trait anxiety Positive self-esteem Negative self-esteem General self-esteem
Homework −.10 .02 −.05 .07
Pressure .36*** −.15 .23** −.36***
School activities −.07 −.14 −.14 −.01
Personality development −.01 −.04 −.03 −.01
Control .13 −.03 .15 −.16*
Note: *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
Table 4.
crease in child’s anxiety and negative self-esteem, whereas in
the other hand elevated pressure by the parents decrease child’s
general self-esteem.
Mean (Μ), standard deviations (SD) of boys and girls in the factors of
the parental involvement scale.
Boys Girls
M (SD) M (SD)
Homework 2.17 (1.02) 2.15 (1.12)
Pressure 2.68 (1.01) 2.60 (.91)
School activities 2.66 (.82) 2.73 (.092)
Personality development2.51 (.88) 2.80 (.70)
Control 2.29 (1.08) 2.36 (1.05)
Differences in Factors of Parental Involvement Scale
The Tables 4-7 present the differences in factors of Parental
Involvement Scale (homework, pressure, participation in school
activities, personality development, control). Specifically, dif-
ferences according to the gender (boys, girls), the education
level (Primary education, Secondary education), students’ gen-
eral self-esteem (low, high) and students’ academic self-esteem
(low, high) were examined.
Table 4 presents the differences between the students of
Primary and Secondary education in the Parental Involvement
Scale factors. The results of multiple analysis of variance did
not support the existence of statistically significant differences
between boys and girls (Wilks’ Λ = .958, F(1,153) = 1.295, ns,
2
p
 = .042), indicating that there is no difference between boys
and girls in the involvement of their parents; involvement.
Table 5.
Mean (Μ), standard deviations (SD) in parental involvement scale
subscales between primary and secondary education students.
Primary education
students
Secondary education
students
M (SD) M (SD)
Homework 2.33 (1.01) 1.84 (1.11)
Pressure 2.57 (.99) 2.71 (.91)
School activities 2.81 (.86) 2.50 (.87)
Personality development2.72 (.76) 2.57 (.86)
Control 2.37 (1.00) 2.26 (1.16)
Table 5 presents the differences between the students of
primary school and high school in the factors of Parental In-
volvement Scale. The results of multiple analysis of variance
showed the existence of statistically significant differences be-
tween students of primary school and high school (Wilks’ Λ
= .919, F(1,153) = 2.611, p < .05, 2
p
 = .081). The follow-up
analy- ses showed the existence of statistically significant dif-
ferences in the factors: 1) homework (F(1,153) = 7.752, p < .01,

Y. XANTHACOU ET AL.
2
p
 = .048) (Mdifference = .49) and 2) participation in school
activities (F(1,153) = 4.638, p < .05, 2
p
 = .029) (Mdifference
= .31). The results revealed that parents behavior differentiates
based on whether their children are in Primary or Secondary
education.
Table 6 presents the differences between students with low
and high self-esteem in the factors of Parental Involvement
Scale. Multiple analysis of variance results showed the exis-
tence of statistically significant differences between students of
low and high general self-esteem (Wilks’ Λ = .856, F(1,153) =
4.816, p < .001, 2
p
 = .144). The follow-up analyses showed
the existence of statistically significant differences in the fac-
tors: 1) pressure (F(1,153) = 15.790, p < .001, 2
p
 = .097)
(Mdifference = .60) and 2) control (F(1,153) = 5.920, p < .05, 2
p

= .039) (Mdifference = .42). The results showed that the higher the
level of pressure and control by the parents in their children
behavior the lower the level of boys’ and girls’ self-esteem.
Table 7 presents the differences between students with low
and high academic self-esteem in the factors of Parental In-
volvement Scale. The results of the multiple analysis of vari-
ance showed the existence of statistically significant differences
between students of low and high academic self-esteem (Wilks’
Λ = .856, F(1,153) = 4.945, p < .001, 2
p
 = .144). The fol-
low-up analyses showed the existence of statistically significant
differences in the factors: 1) pressure (F(1,153) = 5.139, p < .05,
2
p
 = .025) (Mdifference = .35) and 2) control (F(1,153) = 5.920,
p < .05, 2
p
 = .039) (Mdifference = .19). As in the previous result,
the low level of students academic self-esteem is related to a
higher level of pressure and control by the parents in their chil-
dren behavior.
Discussion and Conclusion
The results of the intercorrelations between the factors of
Table 6.
Mean (Μ), standard deviations (SD) in Parental Involvement Scale
subscales between students of low and high general self-esteem.
Low general
self-esteem
High general
self-esteem
M (SD) M (SD)
Homework 2.16 (1.07) 2.14 (1.07)
Pressure 2.94 (.84) 2.34 (.98)
School activities 2.71 (.76) 2.73 (.93)
Personality development 2.60 (.84) 2.73 (.79)
Control 2.55 (1.06) 2.13 (1.05)
Table 7.
Mean (Μ), standard deviations (SD) in parental involvement scale
subscales between students of low and high academic self-esteem.
Low academic
self-esteem
High academic
self-esteem
M (SD) M (SD)
Homework 2.05 (1.11) 2.24 (1.04)
Pressure 2.80 (.92) 2.45 (.96)
School activities 2.42 (.88) 2.92 (.82)
Personality development 2.56 (.84) 2.75 (.77)
Control 2.42 (1.06) 2.23 (1.06)
Parental Involvement Scale showed the existence of statistically
significant correlations. Specifically, parents who get involved
to a significant extent with the homework of their child, put at
the same time a continuous control over the educational process
of their child, but also to some extent this control takes the form
of pressure from the parent to their child—student. At the same
time, it appears that parents who get involved at home preparing
the lessons for their children, participate alongside in school
activities more frequently, but also believe that the systematic
involvement with their children’s learning contributes to the
development of the personality of their child. According to
many research results (Fan, 2001; Kim, 2002), the effects of
parental involvement are long-termed and positively related to
childrens’ good adjustment indices. Also, according to the re-
sults of the correlations of the Parental Involvement Scale fac-
tors it seems that parents “associate” or “confuse” the control
towards their children with the pressure. The fact should be-
come understandable in the behavior of the parents, because
their interest in their children’s progress may often evolve into
a form of pressure, which the parents do not want, and which
may have a negative effect on the progress and the overall de-
velopment of the child—student. The results are consistent with
earlier research (Georgiou, 2000b) indicating that Cyprus par-
ents who put pressure on their children made them question
their ability to succeed in school. Finally, commenting on the
intercorrelations between the dimensions of the Parental In-
volvement Scale parents who are engaged in frequent and in-
tense control to their children about their progress, believe at
the same time that this contributes to the development of their
child’s personality.
Thereafter the correlations between the perceived classroom
climate, as it was assessed by the selected factors of the Class-
room Life Measure, with the factors of the Parental Involve-
ment and Causal Performance Scales were examined. The re-
sults of the correlations showed that the pressure on the part of
parents contributed to students seeking a higher degree of ex-
trinsic motivation, and also the social support from the school
environment by students, possibly in an attempt to compensate
for the negative climate experienced from the study and prepa-
ration of lessons at school. Also, the negative correlation be-
tween pressure and school self-esteem of the students reveals
that the more intense the pressure of parents is towards their
children to study, the lower the self-esteem the students have
about their ability to respond successfully to the requirements
of the school, or in other words it reduces the sense of personal
competence.
On the other hand, it seems that the student’s participation in
school activities helps to increase school self-esteem, as a result
of the stronger and closer interaction with the other students of
the school. As Babalis (2005) indicates the experience that a
child gains at school and at home and the interaction with par-
ents and teachers has a direct consequence in its self-concept
and general behaviour. Finally it seems that the more developed
the personality of the child is, according to the views of the
parents, the lower is the effort to find extrinsic motivation and
social support on the part of the student. This result is particu-
larly important, and shows the crucial role of parents in person-
ality development of their children, a factor which may con-
tribute to a greater sense of autonomy and personal growth of
the child, who will not have the necessity of environmental
incentives to achieve the objectives they have set in the educa-
tional process.
122

Y. XANTHACOU ET AL.
The examination of the correlations between the dimensions
of Parental Involvement Scale with the factors of State-Trait
Anxiety Scale and the positive, negative and general self-es-
teem showed the existence of statistically significant correla-
tions. Specifically, the results showed that the pressure from
their parents to the study the lessons contributed to the increase
of the state-anxiety felt by children, but simultaneously to the
increase of the negative self-esteem and the restriction of the
student’s general self-esteem, a fact which shows that the
child’s feeling of pressure from their parents to prepare and
study the lessons contributes to the emergence of negative emo-
tions, but also to the creation of a negative self-esteem on the
child’s ability to successfully meet the demands of the school.
The same effect, although to a lesser extent, has the feeling
of parent’s control to their child, which seems to reduce the
feeling of general esteem the student has towards them and
their general abilities. The Causal Performance Scale with the
State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the Self-Esteem Scale did not
show significant correlations, except for the fact that the high
intelligence of the child was combined with lower negative
self-esteem on his part.
The same effect, although to a lesser extent, has the feeling
of parent’s control to their child, which seems to reduce the
feeling of general esteem the student has towards them and
their general abilities. The Causal Performance Scale with the
State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the Self-Esteem Scale did not
show significant correlations, except for the fact that the high
intelligence of the child was combined with lower negative
self-esteem. The possibility of positive correlation between
parental involvement and school success, positive self-esteem,
personal development, high expectations and decreased state-
anxiety is expected to improve the effectiveness and efficiency
of the Greek Educational System and will conduce to its quali-
tative upgrading.
This research will also contribute to the understanding and
interpretation of the problems and dysfunctions that the Greek
Education faces in relation to childrens’ learning and interper-
sonal relationships, that will help to their successfully coping
and enhancement of the teachers’ and parents’ work.
The results of the present research indicate that the organiza-
tion of common meetings and seminars, programs of inclusive
education, where both teachers and parents will be able to at-
tend at the same time, is a major step towards a meaningful
contact and exchange of views between them. Moreover, the
willingness that the parents show to get systematically involved
in their childrens’ learning and development, could lead to the
groundbreaking proposal of an individual “Parents’ Curricu-
lum”, which will direct and facilitate parents’ work at home.
Thus, parental involvement and communication between par-
ents and teachers will upgrade the cognitive, social and emo-
tional environment of the children in Greek school.
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