Parental Identity as a Predictor of Parental Involvement: The Mediating Role of Parent-Teacher Relationships among Ethnic Minority Parents

Authors

  • Raed Zedan Graduate Studies Department, Academic Arab College for Education, 22 Hahashmal, 2046, Haifa 3660801, Israel

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2026.1.1085.1102

Keywords:

parental involvement, parental identity, parent-teacher relationship, ethnic minority, Arab society in Israel

Abstract

Aim. This research aims to examine the contribution of a cohesive parental identity to parental involvement in school and the mediating role of the parent-teacher relationship among an ethnic-religious minority in Arab society in Israel.

Methods. The study follows a quantitative research approach; a valid and reliable questionnaire was administered to 1,045 Israeli Arab parents. A descriptive and SEM statistical analysis was carried out.

Results. A cohesive perception of parental identity was found to be associated with higher levels of parental involvement and higher quality of parent-teacher relationships. In addition, the quality of the parent-teacher relationship was found to be directly related to parental involvement and to mediate the relationship between parental identity and parental involvement.

Conclusions. The findings emphasis the importance of strengthening parental identity and fostering positive parent-teacher relationships as a key means of increasing parental involvement in their children's education, especially in the context of minority groups living in unique social conditions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abu-Saad, I. (2023). Maarekhet hachinuch Ha'arvit-Bedu'it Bangev bireiyah mekomit: Metzi'ot vetzarchim [The Bedouin-Arab education system in the Negev from a local perspective: Current situation and needs]. The Israel Democracy Institute.

Akay, E., & Karadağ, E. (2019). Multilevel analyses of student, parent, and school indicators of achievement in high school transition in Turkey. School Community Journal, 29(2), 31–61.

Alon, R., Bergman Deitcher, D., & Aram, D. (2025). How parental identity and behaviors contribute to the well-being of parents in an Ultra-Orthodox society. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 34, 532–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-03004-9

Antipkina, I., Lyubitskaya, K., & Nisskaya, A. (2018). Third‐grade parents’ involvement in schools. Educational Studies Moscow, 4, 230–260. https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2018-4-230-260

Assari, S., & Bazargan, M. (2019). Unequal associations between educational attainment and occupational stress across racial and ethnic groups. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), Article 3539. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193539

Borisenko, J. V., & Evseenkova, E. V. (2022). Differences in attitudes toward mental health among boys from religious and non-religious families experiencing religious and secular education. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 15(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2022.0104

Brayboy, B. M. J. (2005). Toward a tribal critical race theory in education. The Urban Review, 37(5), 425–446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-005-0018-y

Brown, P. H. (2006). Parental education and investment in children’s human capital in rural China. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 54(4), 759–789. https://doi.org/10.1086/503584

Cole, P. M., Michel, M. K., & Teti, L. O. (1994). The development of emotion regulation and dysregulation: A clinical perspective. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59(2-3), 73–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5834.1994.tb01278.x

Crocetti, E., Rubini, M., Luyckx, K., & Meeus, W. (2008). Identity formation in early and middle adolescents from various ethnic groups: From three dimensions to five statuses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 983–996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9222-2

Crocetti, E., Sica, L. S., Schwartz, S. J., Serafini, T., & Meeus, W. (2010). The Functions of Identity Scale: Validation in Italian late adolescents and emerging adults. TPM: Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 17(2), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.4473/TPM17.2.4

Cucchiara, M. B., & Horvat, E. M. (2009). Perils and promises: Middle-class parent involvement in urban schools. American Educational Research Journal, 46(4), 974–1004. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209345791

Delmore-Ko, P., Pancer, S. M., Hunsberger, B., & Pratt, M. (2000). Becoming a parent: The relation between prenatal expectations and postnatal experience. Journal of Family Psychology, 14(4), 625–640. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.14.4.625

Desforges, C., & Abouchaar, A. (2003). The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A literature review. Department of Education and Skills.

Ellis, M., Lock, G., & Lummis, G. (2015). Parent-teacher interactions: Engaging with parents and carers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(5). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n5.9

Emerson, L., Fear, J., Fox, S., & Sanders, E. (2012). Parental engagement in learning and schooling: Lessons from research. Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).

Evans, M. P. (2011). Revisiting emotional geographies: Implications for family engagement and education policy in the United States. Journal of Educational Change, 12, 241–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-011-9155-0

Fadjukoff, P., Pulkkinen, L., Lyyra, A.-L., & Kokko, K. (2016). Parental identity and its relation to parenting and psychological functioning in middle age. Parenting, 16(2), 87–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2016.1134989

Gaunt, R., & Scott, J. (2017). Gender differences in identities and their sociostructural correlates: How gendered lives shape parental and work identities. Journal of Family Issues, 38(13), 1852–1877. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X16629182

Geenen, S., Powers, L. E., & Lopez-Vasquez, A. (2001). Multicultural aspects of parent involvement in transition planning. Exceptional Children, 67(2), 265–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290106700209

Grolnick, W. S., Benjet, C., Kurowski, C. O., & Apostoleris, N. H. (1997). Predictors of parent involvement in children's schooling. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(3), 538–548. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.89.3.538

Haj-Yehia, K., & Arar, K. (2020). Atalaba Ala'rab min aldaakhil fi jamiea't kharij Israyiyl: Moatayat wanazrah mostaqbaleyah [Arab students from Israel at universities outside Israel: Data and future prospects]. In M. Mustafa & A. Hawari (Eds.), Jadl 36: Altaalim alaali fi almujtamaa Alfilastinii fi Israyiyl [Higher education within the Palestinian society in Israel] (pp. 18-30). Mada al-Carmel: Arab Center for Applied Social Research. https://mada-research.org/post/12395/

Hughes, J., & Kwok, O.-M. (2007). Influence of student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships on lower achieving readers' engagement and achievement in the primary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.1.39

Ishimaru, A. M., Torres, K. E., Salvador, J. E., Lott, J., Williams, D. M. C., & Tran, C. (2016). Reinforcing deficit, journeying toward equity: Cultural brokering in family engagement initiative. American Educational Research Journal, 53(4), 850–882. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216657178

Kelty, N. E., & Wakabayashi, T. (2020). Family engagement in schools: Parent, educator, and community perspectives. SAGE Open, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020973024

Kim, S. (2018). How and why fathers are involved in their children’s education: Gendered model of parent involvement. Educational Review, 70(3), 280-299. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1311304

Kim, S. W., & Hill, N. E. (2015). Including fathers in the picture: A meta-analysis of parental involvement and students’ academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 919–934. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000023

Kohl, G. O., Lengua, L. J., & McMahon, R. J. (2000). Parent involvement in school: Conceptualizing multiple dimensions and their relations with family and demographic risk factors. Journal of School Psychology, 38(6), 501–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(00)00050-9

Lee, J.-S., & Bowen, N. K. (2006). Parent involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement gap among elementary school children. American Educational Research Journal, 43(2), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312043002193

Leenders, H., Haelermans, C., Jong, J., & Monfrance, M. (2018). Parents’ perceptions of parent–teacher relationship practices in Dutch primary schools – an exploratory pilot study. Teachers and Teaching, 24(6), 719–743. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1456420

Lundqvist, U., Rinne, I., & Yildirim, A. (2024). From parent-teacher relations to professional identity in Danish and Swedish schools. Teachers and Teaching, 30(5), 635–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2312511

Ma, T., Tellegen, C. L., & Sanders, M. R. (2024). The role of parenting self-efficacy on teacher-child relationships and parent-teacher communication: Evidence from an Australian national longitudinal study. Journal of School Psychology, 103, Article 101296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101296

Meca, A., Paulson, J. F., Webb, T. N., Kelley, M., & Rodil, J. C. (2020). Examining the relationship between parenting identity processes and internalizing problems. Identity, 20(2), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2020.1737070

Metzger, I. W., Cooper, S. M., Griffin, C. B., Golden, A. R., Opara, I., & Ritchwood, T. D. (2020). Parenting profiles of academic and racial socialization: Associations with academic engagement and academic self-beliefs of African American adolescents. Journal of School Psychology, 82, 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.07.001

Mikolajczak, M., & Roskam, I. (2018). A theoretical and clinical framework for parental burnout: The balance between risks and resources (BR2). Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 886. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00886

Negru-Subtirica, O. (2024). Educational identity processes in adolescence: An analysis of longitudinal evidence and the role of educational systems. Child Development Perspectives, 18(2), 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12504

Piotrowski, K. (2021a). How many parents regret having children and how it is linked to their personality and health: Two studies with national samples in Poland. PLOS ONE, 16(7), Article e0254163. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254163

Piotrowski, K. (2021b). Parental identity status in emerging and early adulthood, personality, and well‐being: A cluster analytic approach. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 62(6), 820–832. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12779

Piotrowski, K. (2023). Parental identity formation in mothers is linked to borderline and depressive symptoms: A person-centered analyses. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1086947. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1086947

Piotrowski, K., Cohen-Malayev, M., Hihara, S., Janowicz, K., Morgan, E., Naude, L., Saiga, S., Schachter, E., & Sugimura, K. (2023). Parental identity processes across cultures: Commitment, in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment among parents from the United States, Israel, Poland, South Africa and Japan. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 23(3), 193–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2023.2209581

Piotrowski, K., Naude, L., Sanna, K., Szramka-Pawlak, B., Kwarcińska, K., & Dzielińska, M. (2024). Perceptions of parenting among parents who regret having a child: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Family Studies, 30(3), 461–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2023.2241520

Priest, N., Walton, J., White, F., Kowal, E., Baker, A., & Paradies, Y. (2014). Understanding the complexities of ethnic-racial socialization processes for both minority and majority groups: A 30-year systematic review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 43, 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2014.08.003

Reynolds, A. J., Weissberg, R. P., & Kasprow, W. (1992). Prediction of early social and academic adjustment of children from the inner-city. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 599–624. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00941774

Riggs, D. W., & Bartholomaeus, C. (2023). First-time parenting journeys: Expectations and realities. Cambridge University Press.

Rivnyák, A., Péley, B., Zsidó, A. N., & Láng, A. (2021). The impact of socioeconomic status upon adolescent identity formation: The mediating role of family characteristics. Identity, 22(4), 337-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2021.1954519

Roskam, I., & Mikolajczak, M. (2020). Gender differences in the nature, antecedents and consequences of parental burnout. Sex Roles, 83, 485–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01121-5

Rouland, K. (2017). Exploring equity issues: Racial identity, academic identity, and academic outcomes for students of color. Center for Education Equity, Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium.

Schrooyen, C., Soenens, B., Waterschoot, J., Vermote, B., Morbée, S., & Beyers, W. (2021). Parental identity as a resource for parental adaptation during the COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(8), 1053–1064. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000895

Seginer, R., & Vermulst, A. (2002). Family environment, educational aspirations, and academic achievement in two cultural settings. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(6), 540–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220022102238268

Teuber, Z., Datu, J. A. D., Botes, E., Dicke, T., Jordan, G., Lan, X., Iliescu, D., Guo, J., & Greiff, S. (2024). Gritty parenting: The development and validation of the Parental Grit Scale. Assessment, 32(7), 1120-1141. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241289242

Timar-Anton, C., Negru-Subtirica, O., & Damian, L. E. (2023). The role of parental socio-economic status and perceived career-related behaviors in developmental trajectories of educational identity in adolescence: A four-wave study. European Journal of Personality, 37(6), 782–797. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070221150480

Uitto, M., Jokikokko, K., Lassila, E. T., Kelchtermans, G., & Estola, E. (2021). Parent–teacher relationships in school micropolitics: Beginning teachers’ stories. Teachers and Teaching, 27(6), 461–473. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1863205

Vickers, H. S., & Minke, K. M. (1995). Exploring parent-teacher relationships: Joining and communication to others. School Psychology Quarterly, 10(2), 133–150. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088300

Weininger, E. B., & Lareau, A. (2003). Translating Bourdieu into the American context: The question of social class and family-school relations. Poetics, 31(5–6), 375–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-422X(03)00034-2

Wentzel, K. R. (2021). Motivational decision-making in achievement settings: A competence-in-context approach. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Advances in motivation science (vol. 8, pp. 245–284). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2020.06.002

Zedan, R. (2012). Parents' involvement among the Arab ethnic minority in the state of Israel. The School Community Journal, 22(2), 161–182. https://www.adi.org/journal/2012fw/ZedanFall2012.pdf

Zedan, R. (2021). Parental involvement as a predictor of classroom climate, motivation for learning, and learning achievements. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 56(1), 56–74. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1297951

Zedan, R. (2024). Between involvement and intervention: Perceptions, difficulties and parents’ coping in the distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 11(1), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1585

Zedan, R. (2025). Religious identity, ethnic identity, and personality characteristics as predictors of educational identity among Arabs in Israel. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 56(6), 751-774. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221251339050

Downloads

Published

2026-06-27

Issue

Section

LOCAL CULTURES AND SOCIETIES

How to Cite

Zedan, R. . (2026). Parental Identity as a Predictor of Parental Involvement: The Mediating Role of Parent-Teacher Relationships among Ethnic Minority Parents. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 17(1), 1085-1102. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2026.1.1085.1102