COMPLETION REPORT
Comparative Study on Parental Involvement in the Philippines and Japan: Impacts on Elementary
Students' Outcomes
Dr.Melvin Allena Jabar
Director
Social Development Research Center
De La Salle University
This is a comparative study on parental involvement in the Philippines and Japan. It both utilized thequalitative and quantitative research design. For the survey, a total of 393 parents of elementary students
coming from two public elementary schools in the Philippines were involved. In Japan, only twenty
Japanese parents were willing to involve in the survey. For the qualitative part, four Japanese elementary
school teachers were interviewed. In the Philippines, a focus group discussion was conducted with 7
elementary school teachers.
In the Philippines, teachers reported that there are a number of ways parents can involve in theirchildren’s education through PTA meetings, home visitation, and school activities. Bringing the child toschool, preparing child’s snacks, giving child allowance, teaching lessons, helping accomplish
homework, checking the child’s notebook, communicating and motivating the child to study harder, andworking hard to earn were the parental involvement strategies that many Filipino parents would do for
their children. In Japan, the teachers mentioned entertaining teachers during home visit, attending PTA
meetings, volunteering/attending in school activities (undoukai), communicating with teachers throughcontact notebook, preparing child’s packed meal (obentou) checking child’s assignment, and bringing
the child to school.
Although parental involvement strategies in Japan and the Philippines are almost similar, there are
specific modalities that would make the difference. For example, home visit in the Philippines is usually
done only when necessary and when a school child is having a problem at school. On the contrary,home visit in Japan is done for all the students. Activities engaged by Filipino parents at school include
the school’s celebration of the United Nations and Nutrition Months. In one particular school, parents
are asked to join the graduating class in a day of recollection. This is a spiritual activity whereparticipants are able to strengthen their religious faith specifically Catholicism.
Both the Japanese and Filipino teachers recognized the vital role of parental involvement in children’seducation. One Japanese teacher explained that parents should supplement the learning of their children
especially those that cannot be covered by the school. According to the Japanese teachers, parental
involvement can somehow influence the performance of their children at school. Similarly, Filipino
teachers also believe in parental involvement as crucial to children’s education.

1

There were issues highlighted as regard to parental participation in children’s schooling. Both Japaneseand Filipino teachers are struggling how to actually entice some parents who are neglectful of theirchildren’s needs. They mentioned that some parents are not just there for their children. Work according
to the teachers would inhibit parents to actually attend school activities. The Filipino teachers mentionedthat there are some parents who are not just interested in their children’s school performance.
For the survey component of the study, four variables were used, namely, school based parental
involvement, home based parental involvement, parenting for education, and a teacher’s selfadministered student academic performance rating. Using regression analysis, the results of the surveys
conducted in the two schools in the Philippines reveal that school-based and parenting for education
were crucial in influencing academic performance. Home-based parental involvement was notstatistically significant.
Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
N/A
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
N/A
Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
N/A2