Teachers’ perspectives of parental involvement in students’ english learning motivation

The practices of parental involvement can take in many forms depending on the parental conditions but it still plays an important role in shaping students’ learning motivation to learn English. Many studies have been conducted in the same topics but currently there is no focus on the teachers’ perspective on the importance and types of parental involvement in supporting students’ English learning motivation. This study aims to explore teachers’ perspectives of the importance of parental involvement in shaping students’ motivation to learn English. This study also highlights types of parental involvement considered most influential by teachers and implemented by parents in motivating students to learn English. This study uses qualitative approach and descriptive design to get teachers’ view regarding parental involvement comprehensively. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with English teachers, parents, and students in State Junior High School 4 Surabaya to explore data further. Data collected in this study were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings show that the teachers generally view parental involvement as a key factor in motivating students to learn English but there were some contrasting in teachers’ perspectives regarding parental involvement. Some teachers highlight that parental involvement remains limited due to the lack of English proficiency by parents and socioeconomic conditions. In relation to types of parental involvement, teachers perceived that emotional support and a supportive home environment tend to increase students' motivation and engagement in the classroom. The findings can be concluded that the importance of parental involvement in motivating students to learn English is acknowledged by teachers, although the practices of parental support are dependent upon family conditions, highlighting the need for flexible approaches to fit parental engagement.