Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Epstein's Model and Curriculum Implementation: A Framework for Strengthening Parental Engagement in Nigerian Schools

Dorcas M. Ayoola-Abolade Omolara A. Areo

Abstract

Research on curriculum implementation has concentrated on teachers, school leaders and education authorities, leaving the home and community side of the process comparatively underexamined. This paper argues that parental involvement is a structural component of curriculum implementation rather than an activity that happens around it. Working from Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory and Epstein's (2001) school–family– community partnership model, the paper develops the Epstein–Curriculum Implementation Partnership Framework, which ties each of Epstein's six dimensions of involvement (parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community) to a corresponding curriculum implementation function. The argument draws on work separating involvement from engagement (Goodall & Montgomery, 2014), meta-analytic evidence on involvement and achievement (Wilder, 2014; Castro et al., 2015; Boonk et al., 2018), research on barriers to participation (Hornby & Lafaele, 2011; Hornby & Blackwell, 2018), and Nigerian evidence that parental participation in curriculum matters is typically thin in practice (Olibie, 2014; Afolabi, 2014). One qualification runs through the framework: the link between partnership and implementation outcomes is conditional rather than automatic. Partnership can improve the conditions under which a curriculum is received, interpreted and reinforced, but it cannot compensate for shortages of qualified teachers, instructional resources, effective leadership or coherent curriculum policy (Rogan & Grayson, 2003). The paper closes with implications for curriculum planners, school leaders, teachers and policy makers, together with an agenda for testing the framework empirically in Nigerian schools.

Keywords

parental involvement; parental engagement; Epstein's model; curriculum implementation; school–family–community partnership; Nigeria

References

Adepoju, T. L. (2008). Curriculum implementation in Nigerian secondary schools: Challenges and strategies. Ibadan: Oluseyi Press. Adeyemi, A. M., & Adeyinka, A. A. (2012). Parents' involvement in promoting pupils' academic performance in primary schools in Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 1(4), 144–155. Afolabi, F. (2014). Stakeholders' roles in curriculum implementation in Nigerian secondary schools. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 6(6), 110–117. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJEAPS2013.0321 Ajayi, I. A., & Afolabi, F. (2012). The role of parents in the effective implementation of educational reforms. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 2(2), 113–119. Akindipe, O. O. (2025). Parental involvement intervention: Effect on students' self-efficacy and math achievement among a Nigerian sample. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1589069. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1589069 Altinyelken, H. K. (2010). Curriculum change in Uganda: Teacher perspectives on the new thematic curriculum. International Journal of Educational Development, 30(2), 151– 161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2009.03.004 Boonk, L., Gijselaers, H. J. M., Ritzen, H., & Brand-Gruwel, S. (2018). A review of the relationship between parental involvement indicators and academic achievement. Educational Research Review, 24, 10–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.02.001 Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. Castro, M., Expósito-Casas, E., López-Martín, E., Lizasoain, L., Navarro-Asencio, E., & Gaviria, J. L. (2015). Parental involvement on student academic achievement: A meta- analysis. Educational Research Review, 14, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.01.002 Desforges, C., & Abouchaar, A. (2003). The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A literature review (Research Report RR433). Department for Education and Skills. Epstein, J. L. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Westview Press. Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Sheldon, S. B., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., Van Voorhis, F. L., Martin, C. S., Thomas, B. G., Greenfeld, M. D., Hutchins, D. J., & Williams, K. J. (2019). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action (4th ed.). Corwin. Epstein, J. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving student attendance through family and community involvement. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(5), 308–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670209596604 Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press. Fullan, M., & Pomfret, A. (1977). Research on curriculum and instruction implementation. Review of Educational Research, 47(2), 335–397. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543047002335 Goodall, J., & Montgomery, C. (2014). Parental involvement to parental engagement: A continuum. Educational Review, 66(4), 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.781576 Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their children's education? Review of Educational Research, 67(1), 3–42. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543067001003 Hornby, G., & Blackwell, I. (2018). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An update. Educational Review, 70(1), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1388612 Hornby, G., & Lafaele, R. (2011). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An explanatory model. Educational Review, 63(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2010.488049 Igbokwe, U. L., & Eze, R. A. (2016). Stakeholders' perception of parental involvement in curriculum implementation. Nigerian Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 23(1), 60–67. Jeynes, W. H. (2012). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of different types of parental involvement programs for urban students. Urban Education, 47(4), 706–742. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085912445643 Lareau, A. (1987). Social class differences in family-school relationships: The importance of cultural capital. Sociology of Education, 60(2), 73–85. https://doi.org/10.2307/2112583 Maduewesi, E. J. (2005). Benchmarking in education. Lagos: Dasylva Influence Enterprises. Nwangwu, I. O., & Aguba, C. R. (2014). Enhancing curriculum implementation through stakeholders' participation in secondary schools in Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Education and Review, 2(5), 120–128. Nwosu, K. C., & Onyekuru, B. U. (2015). Parental involvement in children's education and academic performance. International Journal of Education and Practice, 3(1), 18–25. Offorma, G. C. (2005). Curriculum for wealth creation. Nigerian Journal of Curriculum Studies, 12(3), 67–75. Okeke, C. I. O. (2014). Effective home-school partnership: Some strategies to help strengthen parental involvement. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(10), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n10p51 Olaleye, F. O., & Omotayo, K. A. (2009). Parents and teachers as co-educators: Strategies for improving reading performance in lower primary schools. Nigerian Journal of Educational Research and Evaluation, 8(1), 13–19. Olibie, E. I. (2014). Parental involvement in curriculum implementation as perceived by Nigeria secondary school principals. Journal of Education and Learning, 3(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v3n1p40 Oloruntegbe, K. O. (2011). Teachers' involvement, commitment and innovativeness in curriculum development and implementation. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2(6), 443–449. Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2017). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (7th ed.). Pearson Education. Rogan, J. M., & Grayson, D. J. (2003). Towards a theory of curriculum implementation with particular reference to science education in developing countries. International Journal of Science Education, 25(10), 1171–1204. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690210145819 Sheldon, S. B. (2003). Linking school-family-community partnerships in urban elementary schools to student achievement on state tests. The Urban Review, 35(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023713829693 Snyder, J., Bolin, F., & Zumwalt, K. (1992). Curriculum implementation. In P. W. Jackson (Ed.), Handbook of research on curriculum (pp. 402–435). Macmillan. Uche, S. C., & Ogbonnaya, N. O. (2007). Curriculum implementation and instruction. Nsukka: Great AP Express Publishers. Wilder, S. (2014). Effects of parental involvement on academic achievement: A meta- synthesis. Educational Review, 66(3), 377–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.780009 Yusuf, A., & Ajere, O. (2015). School-community relationship as a strategy for improving the implementation of secondary school curriculum in Nigeria. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(10), 94–99.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH