EFFECTS OF TEACHERS’ USE OF A CONFERENCING STRATEGY ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Family engagement with schools has been shown to be a predictor of student success (Powell et at., 2010) and federal statute supports school/ family relationships through the Family Engagement in Education Act. For students with disabilities (SWD), family engagement may be even more critical. Unfortunately, data has suggested that family engagement may be limited due to barriers families of SWD may face (Van Haren & Fiedler, 2008). Teacher invitation, teacher beliefs about family involvement and quality of communication are factors related to family engagement. The purpose of this study was to investigate an in-service teacher's use of a step-by-step strategy during family/ teacher conferences to increase family engagement during the conference, improve quality teacher communication and positively impact teacher beliefs on family involvement. The step-by-step conferencing strategy was called PIQUE and was developed through a review of prior research and feedback from experts in the field. This case study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the effectiveness of the PIQUE strategy. Within an AB single-case design, I noted an increase in the 5-second intervals of the family speaking during the conference from baseline to post-intervention phase. This increase was immediate and demonstrated an accelerating trend. The teacher and parent completed surveys and interviews, which were analyzed thematically alongside descriptive and inferential field notes recorded by the researcher. Through this analysis, two primary themes were identified as Misunderstanding Communication as Equal to Engagement and Bias as a Barrier to Engagement. A secondary theme of Lack of Confidence When Engaging with Families was also identified. Triangulation was achieved across quantitative and qualitative data sources. Conclusions point to an increase in equity of power during conferences and positive change in teacher beliefs about family involvement and engagement after the implementation of the intervention. A conclusion that PIQUE implementation led to these changes should be interpreted with caution due to the threats to internal and external validity of case studies. The study concluded with implications for practice, limitations and suggestions for future research.