Research conducted in recent decades shows that parental involvement
(PI) plays a significant role in the academic achievement and the
healthy development of children. Gaining a better understanding of early
childhood educators’ views and the reasons for insufficient practices
is important for improving PI. This mixed-method research investigates
the views on PI held by early childhood educators in Finland. A
representative sample of 287 educators from Helsinki completed a
questionnaire which provided quantitative data and qualitative material.
The results show that Finnish early childhood educators have positive
attitudes towards PI and its various types in general. Learning at home
is the most popular type of PI. The participants state that difficulties
in PI are often caused by poor parental motivation and a lack of time
on the part of both educators and parents.