Parental Involvement in Higher Education: Understanding the Concerns and Expectations of the Parents of College Students

Parental involvement in higher education has become more prevalent on college campuses as evidenced by increased reports in news media, journalistic articles, and academic publications. Parents who play an active role in their children's day to day college experiences present a new challenge for college administrators who often find themselves attempting to address parents' concerns while being mindful of student development goals as well as complying with federal laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which protect college students' privacy. Using Nietzsche's 'perspectivism' as a conceptual rationale and employing a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, this study set out to understand a) the common concerns and expectations of parents during their children's transition to college; (b) how parents view their role during their children's college experience; (c) how institutional structures such as programs and policies mediate parental involvement on college campuses. Results from this study support the notion that parents consider themselves consumers, involved partners and investors in their children's college experience. Parental involvement in this study was driven by specific concerns parents had for their students' academic or social well being. Institutional policies were ineffective in mediating parental involvement and parents' expectations were mediated more by their student's ability to address parent's concerns than by institutional structures. An effective institutional response to parental involvement requires institutions of higher education to meaningfully engage parents in a manner that is developmentally appropriate for the student and respective of the aims and ends of the institution.