Overview
In the United States, families of immigrants often change their visions of education, and they are inclined to focus on educational opportunities provided in the country (Gonzalez, Borders, Hines, Villalba, & Henderson, 2013). As a result, the impact of parents on children in immigrant families can be different (Marks, Ejesi, & Garcia, 2014). In their article “Parental Involvement, Children’s Aspirations, and Achievement in New Immigrant Families,” Jung and Zhang (2016) examined the relationship between parental involvement in an educational process and children’s aspirations. Thus, the primary research question aimed to be answered in the study is whether there is a relationship between parental involvement and children’s aspirations, achievements, and successes with the focus on the context of immigrant families.
Further Description of the Research Problem
Parental involvement is important in order to stimulate children’s achievements at school, as well as their aspirations. Thus, parental involvement can be presented in different forms, and it can be related to school involvement or approaches to monitoring children and their learning (Jeynes, 2012). One of the forms is English proficiency, which is characteristic of parents in immigrant families (Baker, 2014). According to Marks et al. (2014), the participation of parents in the children’s school life can result in increasing their achievements. However, parental involvement related to immigrant families can have rather different effects, and positive outcomes cannot be observed in all cases (Vera, Israel, Coyle, & Cross, 2012). Therefore, Jung and Zhang (2016) aimed at studying these tendencies in immigrant families.
Research Methodology: Design, Approach, and Structure
The article by Jung and Zhang (2016) is organized as a standard academic paper that presents the results of the quantitative research. The title is descriptive, the abstract is concise, and it presents a summary of methods and findings. The introduction provides the research problem, and the background section presents a review of the literature in the field. Research questions are listed in a separate section. Methods include the description of the sample, procedures, and statistical tests. The analysis of results is discussed in detail in the other section. The article also includes the detailed discussion section that provides limitations of the study and the conclusion.
Statistical Techniques Used to Test and Analyze Quantitative Data
In order to study the relationship between different types of parental involvement and children’s achievements or aspirations related to the learning process, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) with the focus on the path analysis were selected. Confirmatory factor analysis is an appropriate choice to conclude regarding a possibility of the selected variables to represent the constructs of parental involvement and children’s achievements and aspirations (Geldhof, Preacher, & Zyphur, 2014; Jung & Zhang, 2016). Furthermore, SEM is effective to be used when the aim of the study is to find out whether certain independent variables can predict changes independent variables, forming paths to demonstrate connections (Bagozzi & Yi, 2012). Using SEM, the researchers found out what particular types of parental involvement could lead to changes in students’ educational aspirations.
Selection Process for Determining Appropriate Sample Population
Jung and Zhang (2016) focused on selecting their sample from the participants who took part in the New Immigrant Survey that included information regarding parental involvement and children’s achievements in immigrant families. Thus, 1,255 children and their parents, who had answered questions about parental involvement, were determined as the sample. It included female and male students aged 8-12 years. If large samples are predicted to be used in the study to answer research questions, investigators can refer to results presented in different types of surveys involving large populations (Yilmaz, 2013). Therefore, purposive sampling selected for this study can be viewed as appropriate for quantitative research because of the large sample size.
Data Collection Methods in Quantitative Studies
In order to address the purpose of the study, Jung and Zhang (2016) focused on gathering data regarding the set variables while examining the answers to the New Immigrant Survey. Thus, the researchers did not use any additional instruments to collect data. The information for further study was gathered with the help of analyzing the answers to the survey questions. It was important to include only the complete data related to the two main variables. As a result, this approach can be discussed as effective because the risks of errors caused by missing data are minimal.
Adherence to Rules for Statistical Techniques, Sample Selection, and Data Collection
While analyzing adherence to rules for using statistical tests and techniques, it is possible to state that Jung and Zhang (2016) contributed to the study’s credibility utilizing the advanced CFA and SEM tests. The reason is that these tests are discussed as more efficient than multiple regression tests, for instance (Bagozzi & Yi, 2012). In spite of the fact that the researchers chose to select participants referring to the population associated with the completed survey, the technique allowed for using a large sample characterized by high representativeness. In addition, the survey results included the information required for the study; therefore, the rules related to selecting a sample, instruments, and tests for quantitative research were addressed.
Conclusion
The article by Jung and Zhang represents how quantitative research methods can be used in primary studies. Although the researchers did not develop data collection instruments and referred to the existing data, statistical tests, sampling techniques, and data collection methods were used appropriately. The study is reliable, the findings are credible, and they contribute to understanding the problem of the parents’ impact on children’s educational achievements with the focus on immigrant families.
References
Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (2012). Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(1), 8-34.
Baker, C. E. (2014). Mexican mothers’ English proficiency and children’s school readiness: Mediation through home literacy involvement. Early Education and Development, 25(3), 338-355.
Geldhof, G. J., Preacher, K. J., & Zyphur, M. J. (2014). Reliability estimation in a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis framework. Psychological Methods, 19(1), 72-83.
Gonzalez, L., Borders, L. D., Hines, E., Villalba, J., & Henderson, A. (2013). Parental involvement in children’s education: Considerations for school counselors working with Latino immigrant families. Professional School Counseling, 16(3), 185-193.
Jeynes, W. (2012). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of different types of parental involvement programs for urban students. Urban Education, 47(4), 706-742.
Jung, E., & Zhang, Y. (2016). Parental involvement, children’s aspirations, and achievement in new immigrant families. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(4), 333-350.
Marks, A. K., Ejesi, K., & Garcia, C. (2014). Understanding the US immigrant paradox in childhood and adolescence. Child Development Perspectives, 8(2), 59-64.
Vera, E. M., Israel, M. S., Coyle, L., & Cross, J. (2012). Exploring the educational involvement of parents of English learners. School Community Journal, 22(2), 183-189.
Yilmaz, K. (2013). Comparison of quantitative and qualitative research traditions: Epistemological, theoretical, and methodological differences. European Journal of Education, 48(2), 311-325.