title: Parent characteristics and educational program involvement.
abstract: Researchers have noted the apparently contradictory phenomenon of parents highly supportive of their deaf or hard of hearing child but apparently uninvolved with their child s school program (e.g., Bennet, 1988; Boone, 1992; Harry, 1993). This study explored this phenomenon by asking: What are the characteristics of these children s care providers? What is the nature of involvement? Is there a relationship between involvement or noninvolvement and parents characteristics? One hundred and five parents of deaf children ages 2 to 8 years in five U.S. cities were interviewed to ascertain the characteristics of those providing care for these children and their ability to respond to educational program initiatives requiring a specific set of values as well as certain personal resources. The authors found that (1) there are distinct subgroups of parents with distinct capabilities for responding to their children s educational needs; (2) there are different forms of response to a child s educational needs; (3) there is an interaction between parent type and nature of the response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Foundations/Research, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Kluwin
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Corbett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness; D004519:Education, Special; D006311:Hearing Disorders; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires