METHOD

This quantitative, descriptive study, using a cross-sectional, Likert-type survey, created specifically for this study, strove to examine potential parental factors that may hinder student attendance by gathering data on the parental knowledge levels on the dependent variables:

compulsory education attendance laws, the school’s attendance program, and relating student attendance with achievement and the independent variables: students’ grade level range, number of children parents/guardians have attending the school, parents’/guardians’ gender,

parents’/guardians’ age group range, highest level of education, employment status, and ethnicity to determine frequencies and trends.

Chapter 3 presents a detailed description of the research method and design that was used in this study as well as their appropriateness for the study. This chapter includes information on the population, sampling, participants, and data collection procedures that was used. A

description of the data collection instrument, a Likert-type survey, discussing reliability, validity and the appropriateness of the instrument for this study are included. Chapter 3 thoroughly discusses the data analysis procedures and the appropriateness of the procedures for this study.

Research Method Appropriateness

Quantitative research gathers ―hard data‖ (Neuman, 2003, p. 139) that reflects numerical values. Specific variables are developed to use in the study. The procedures for gathering and analyzing the variables are established before the data is collected. The data collection and analysis procedures are generally standardized and easily replicable. Quantitative research tests hypotheses developed before conducting a research project. The conclusions generated from the research may be generalized by using a sampling to represent a larger population. The results of the data collection can be analyzed for frequencies and trends. Data analysis for quantitative

research is displayed through graphs, tables, or charts. Descriptions of the relationships between the hypotheses and the dependent and independent variables are discussed.

Qualitative research gathers ―soft data, in the form of impressions, words, sentences, photos, symbols‖ (Neuman, 2003, p. 139). Generalized themes or broad topics are used to guide the study. Data from qualitative research is collected through interviews, observations, or documents. The procedures for collecting data are determined depending to the study. The data collection procedures are not standardized and depend upon the specific study, thus creating a difficult situation for replication. The data from qualitative research paints a picture of the theme or topic. Numerical values are usually not associated with qualitative research data.

The purpose of the current research study sought to gather numerical data to analyze for frequency and trends. The data was collected through the use of a survey with the participants completing the survey individually. Survey responses consisted of responses made on the scan form of the survey. Data from the survey was displayed using graphs, charts, or tables. The resulting data provided information on the relationship between the hypotheses and the variables used in the study. A quantitative research method proved to be appropriate for the study.

Research Design Appropriateness

A non-experimental, descriptive design was used in the current study to determine potential parental factors that may be a hindrance to student attendance. In descriptive research, the researcher strives to define a subject in a detailed manner. The use of descriptive research should provide essential information regarding the current knowledge levels of the respondents of the survey. Descriptive research is useful when striving to determine what is happening currently. Descriptive designed studies seek to ―understand events that are occurring in the present and how they might relate to other factors‖ (Salkind, 2006, p. 186). A case study or

ethnographic design seeks to describe a situation; however both designs describe the data from a behavioral theory instead of simply describing the situation in terms of frequency and trends.

The data from descriptive research describes ―the current state of affairs at the time of the research‖ (Salkind, 2006, p. 186). A historical research design investigates events that have occurred in the past; therefore the historical design was not deemed appropriate for the current study. Correlational research design also provides a description of a current event, but

correlational research design strives to determine a correlation between the variables in the study.

The current study sought to gather descriptive data on the hypotheses and the variables without continuing to determine a correlation.

Glatthorn and Joyner state, ―Descriptive studies make primary use of surveys, interviews, and observations‖ (p. 101). Descriptive research can be used to describe trends and frequencies as a stand-alone study or the data can provide the foundation for further studies. The use of descriptive research was deemed appropriate for the current research study because a survey was used to gather information on the knowledge levels of the research subjects, concerning a current situation, to analyze for frequencies and trends without the determination of a specific

relationship between the variables and the hypotheses.

Population

This descriptive, quantitative study focused on the parents/guardians of the students attending Overton, an inner-city, high poverty, high minority, Pre-Kindergarten-8^th grade school in Portland, Oregon. Recently a new low-income housing development had opened across the street from the school. Overton was one of only three schools in the district in which 100% of the student body is eligible for the USDA free lunch and breakfast program. In addition to problems related to poverty, the school had a growing percentage (25%-up from 22% in 2006) of English

Language Learners (ELL), particularly children from Spanish-speaking homes where one or both parents/guardians did not speak any English. The school had one of the highest minority

enrollments in the district (92% are African American, Hispanic, or Asian).

Sampling Frame

All parents/guardians of the Pre-Kindergarten-8^th grade students were given the

opportunity to complete a Likert-type survey, which had been converted to a scan form to assist in data analysis. A copy of the Likert-type scaled scan form is included in English (see Appendix A) and in Spanish (see Appendix B). The respondent sampling for the study consisted of all the parents/guardians who returned the survey. The exact number of respondents in the sampling was not known until after all opportunities for completion of the survey had been expended;

however, a 30-40% response rate was anticipated.

Permission to Conduct the Study

The Research and Evaluation Department at Portland Public Schools was contacted and informed regarding the nature of the study and the value the study might provide for Overton School and other schools in the district. A Request to Conduct Research Form (see Appendix E) was completed and filed with the Portland Public Schools’ District Office to ensure that

confidentiality was maintained throughout the research study and to provide an umbrella permission to work with the school. No risks to parents/guardians were anticipated with the study or the procedures used in administering the survey. The Research and Evaluation

Department was informed that the results of the study would be shared with the school principal and district administrators. The department was informed that although a signed Informed

Consent Form (see Appendix D) was required from all respondents, including the translators, the Informed Consent Forms was not linked with the completed survey.

Informed Consent Form

The purpose of an Informed Consent Form was to ensure that the study was conducted in a safe and ethical manner. The Informed Consent Form (see Appendix D) for this study was designed to provide the respondents with information on the purpose of the study, how data was collected, the benefits the school received from the data, the people who would see the data, any potential risks that might have occurred, the time requirements for the survey, the measures taken to ensure confidentiality, and the respondents right to withdraw from the study. A signed

Informed Consent Form was required of each respondent before the survey was administered.

Permission was obtained from the Portland Public Schools’ Research and Evaluation Department and the school’s Principal to conduct the study using a survey developed by the researcher. A survey cover letter (see Appendix C) explaining the purpose of the current research study, the approximate time requirement for completing the survey, and an explanation of the manner in which the data was to be used was provided for each participant. The survey cover letter explained the benefits the data provided the school, how data was to be shared with the school, and the procedures the researcher implemented to ensure the confidentiality of the survey data. Explanation of the purpose of the study as well as all instructions on how to complete the survey was provided to parents in their native language.

The Informed Consent Form and the survey was presented and explained to all

parents/guardians who attend the family event. The Informed Consent Form was translated into Spanish for the Spanish-speaking parents/guardians. Translators for the Spanish-speaking parents/guardians were required to sign an Informed Consent Form to ensure translators

understood the need for confidentiality as well as understood that the parents/guardians had the

right to discontinue the completion of the survey if they chose. The survey data was sent to the district’s Research and Evaluation Department for analysis.

Translators were provided to ensure that the parents/guardians who needed assistance in translation had access to those resources to respond to the survey. An opportunity was provided for parents/guardians who did not attend the family event to complete the survey by mailing the survey through the United States Postal Service. Planning multiple opportunities for respondents to complete the survey allowed increased access to parents/guardians who may not have been available to attend the family event. To ensure that parents/guardians did not complete multiple surveys, the signed Informed Consent Forms were attached to a master list of all

parents/guardians at Overton School to monitor participation. The surveys sent through the United States Postal Service were returned to the researcher. The Informed Consent Forms with parents’/guardians’ signatures were kept in a separate secure location.

Confidentiality

Every effort was made to maintain the confidentiality of all information collected. All respondents and the translators were required to complete an Informed Consent Form. Only the researcher handled the signed Informed Consent Forms and the completed surveys. Once completed, the Informed Consent Forms were kept separate from the completed survey to prevent a connection of the participant with the data from the survey. Both the completed surveys and signed Informed Consent Forms were stored in separate confidential locked areas, held for a period of three years, and then destroyed in the most appropriate manner available at that time. A list of potential respondents obtained by the researcher at the family event was maintained by the researcher to use as a checklist to ensure respondents completed only one survey. The checklist was destroyed at the end of three years.

Geographic Location

This quantitative, descriptive study was conducted at Overton School. Overton was an inner-city, high poverty, high minority, PreK-8^th grade school in Portland, Oregon. Overton School was in the Portland Public School District that served approximately 47,000 students.

Overton was located next to a housing development property that was designed to assist low income and homeless people to become re-established with housing and job skills.

Data Collection

Collection of the data was through a Likert-type scaled survey (see Appendix A & B).

The information gained helped to determine potential parental factors that may inhibit students from coming to school thus impacting Overton’s student attendance rate. The survey, created specifically for the study, consisted of 28 questions. Six demographic questions, three questions on attendance laws, three questions on the school’s attendance program, and five questions pertaining to parents’/guardians’ knowledge of the relationship between attendance and achievement. Eleven questions pertaining specifically to the school concluded the survey. A survey was deemed appropriate for data collection because the survey provided information to the researcher in a short amount of time and was administered to a large group. The use of a survey provided the opportunity to ask questions specifically tailored to meet the needs of the study.

The survey in this study was administered to and collected from parents during a family event. Each respondent read and signed the Informed Consent Form describing the nature and purpose of the study, request for participation, and the assurance of confidentiality. To reach parents who did not attend the family event, a letter was sent to their home explaining the survey, the Informed Consent Form, and the importance of parents’/guardians’ input. Information on

participants’ right to opt out of the study was also contained in the letter. Parents/guardians with the home language listed as Spanish, on the student registration form, received the survey, cover letter, and Informed Consent Form translated into Spanish. To increase the control over the number of survey respondents, a return pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope was included with the survey mailing to the parents/guardians in the effort to encourage the completion and return of the survey. A 30-40% response rate was anticipated from the various data collection events to provide a reliable sampling of respondents.

The signed Informed Consent Forms, from the family event, were collected by the researcher and stored in a secure area. The completed surveys were placed in a covered box located next to the researcher. Surveys returned to the school by the parents/guardians who received the survey through the mail, was collected by the school secretaries. The school secretaries placed the unopened envelopes into an envelope to be collected by the researcher.

The researcher opened the envelopes and separated the signed Informed Consent Forms from the surveys. The Informed Consent Forms were placed in a secure location. The completed surveys were combined with the surveys collected at the family event and sent to the Research and Evaluation Department for analysis.

Instrumentation

Data collection consisted of a Likert-type survey administered to the parents/guardians of the students at Overton School. The Likert-type scaled survey was an effective and efficient tool to measure a wide range of varied responses (Hartley & Maclean, 2006). The original survey (see Appendix E) was developed by the researcher, using Survey Monkey, an online tool, for creating surveys to use on the Internet or to be printed in a PDF format for use in person. A template was provided to assist in creating the survey. Over 20 types of questions were available

to be used in the survey. Once created, the developer could send out e-mails containing an online link providing access to the survey electronically or the survey may be printed in hard-copy. A copy of the original survey created on Survey Monkey was included in Appendix E.

The survey design was deemed appropriate for the current research study because of the ability to administer the survey to a large group of people as well as the ability to collect data through the use of the United States Postal Service. The current study did not set out to collect verbal or recorded responses from the participants, nor did the current study use data already collected in the past. Therefore, the use of a case study, ethnography, nor historical design was not deemed appropriate.

Once the original survey (see Appendix E) was completed by the researcher, the Portland Public School’s Research and Development Department reformatted the survey into a scan format to enable ease in the collection and analysis of the data. The importance of truthful answers was necessary in the study to enable the resulting data to be useful to the school.

Collecting data through an anonymous survey allowed respondents to answer without the data compromising their anonymity.

Data for this quantitative research study was collected using a Likert-type scaled survey.

The Likert-type scale is an effective and efficient tool to measure a wide range of varied responses (Hartley & Maclean, 2006). A Likert-type survey design used in a quantitative study provides data regarding trends in the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of the population in the study (Creswell, 2008). The survey was developed in English and Spanish, as those were the major languages spoken at Overton School. A Likert-type cross-sectional survey was appropriate because this specific survey examined a sampling of the population (Creswell, 2005) providing a broad picture of what was occurring. The use of a survey in a descriptive research study provides

a tool to gather data. Survey research studies the ―characteristics of the populations through the use of surveys‖ (Salkind, 2006, p. 186).

Table 2 summarizes the correlation of the survey questions to the research questions goal.

Table 2

Correlation of survey questions to the research questions

Keywords Items on the survey

National and State attendance laws 8a, 8b, 8c Overton’s school attendance program 9a, 9b, 9c

Attendance correlation to achievement 10a, 10b, 10c, 11 Potential hindrances for parents 12

The Portland Public Schools’ Research and Evaluation (R & E) Department used Microsoft Word to transfer the survey onto a scan form survey. The R & E Department was presented with the amended survey, which had been modified after the survey pilot test. The survey was reviewed to ensure that all questions followed the rules about placement on the page and the answer bubble responses could be captured during scanning. The amended English survey (see Appendix A) was translated into Spanish (see Appendix B) to provide access to the Spanish-speaking parents/guardians. The final, amended surveys (see Appendix A and B) were scanned using a Canon Image Scanner.

Survey Pilot Test

A pilot test using the original survey (see Appendix E) was administered, using the online version from the Survey Monkey website, before the final scan form survey in English (see Appendix A) and in Spanish (see Appendix B) were created. The survey pilot test was to assess the validity and reliability of the survey instrument. The survey pilot test strove to ascertain if the

questions were written in a clear understandable manner and to determine if any ambiguities existed. Ten staff members from Overton School, who did not have children attending the school, were presented with the survey. All 10 staff members responded to the survey. The responses from the survey were analyzed to determine if the responses to the questions would provide the necessary data to answer the research questions. Along with the survey responses, private interviews were held with each staff member to gather feedback on the relevance, reliability, and validity of the survey questions to the informational data needs of the school.

Adjustments and modifications were made to the original survey (see Appendix E) by the researcher, to align with the feedback from the staff members, thus improving the relevance, reliability, and validity of the survey. One change that was made was to the order of potential responses, which were listed in Question 7. This asked for the employment status of the

respondent. The original order of the potential responses was: unemployed, employed full-time, homemaker, retired, student, employed part-time, and declined to answer. After the survey pilot test, the response order became: employed full-time, employed part-time, full-time student, homemaker, unemployed, and declined to answer.

Another change in the survey occurred with the responses on the knowledge section of the survey. Using the Likert-type five-point scale, the original potential responses were: 1)

Another change in the survey occurred with the responses on the knowledge section of the survey. Using the Likert-type five-point scale, the original potential responses were: 1)