Examining parental involvement in middle school STEM education

This study investigated the level of parental involvement in middle school students' STEM education. The participants were the parents of 13 students enrolled in the 7th grade at a middle school in northeastern Turkey during the 2021/2022 academic year. The data were collected using semi-structured interview questions developed for the study. The interview questions were divided into two sections: the first section asked about the parents' demographics, and the second section asked about parental involvement. The findings revealed that although none of the parents fully understood the concept of STEM, they indirectly supported their children's STEM education in a variety of ways (e.g., by communicating and doing STEM-related activities). Parental involvement was discussed in relation to a number of factors, including parents' educational status, age, and gender.