A plethora of research has been conducted on parental involvement in children’s education in developed countries (Epstein, 2018; Edwards & Alldred, 2000), but less is known regarding the same in the developing countries context (Kim, 2018). This research aspires to comprehend the viewpoint of rural children’s, parents, and teachers concerning parental involvement in children’s education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. The strength of the study is to have a multi-informant holistic approach; collect data from children (focus group interviews), parents (narrative interviews), and teachers (In-depth interviews), and analyzed the data through narrative and thematic analysis techniques. The theoratical framework and the interview guidelines were mostly based on Epstein’s seminal framework (Epstein, 2018), supplemented by themes and topics found in previous studies concerning parental involvement (e.g., Kim, 2018; Bower & Griffin, 2011; Wilder, 2014).

Studies have shown that children’s schooling and their overall interests in education are best served when parents and teachers collaborate (e.g., Epstein, 2018;Wilder, 2014). Their joint efforts bring a variety of benefits, for instance, well-functioning cooperation increases families’ confidence, extends trust, builds a positive image of the school, and ultimately helps children’s education (Epstein, 2018). However, in Pakistan, the idea of parental involvement is relatively unknown owing to parents’ socioeconomic situations and the negligence of schools in motivating parents. The present study aims to investigate children’s, parents’, and teachers’ perceptions of parental involvement in a developing country. Overall the results broaden the understanding of the concept ‘parental involvement’ by presenting diverse, often context-related challenges to involvement and parents’ hope for a bright future for their children. Finally, based on the study results, we suggest measures for improvements, including better-trained teachers, help for low-income families, and more suitable and equitable ways of involving parents in their children’s education.

This research utilized various kinds of qualitative data. Multi-informants (children, parents, and teachers) and multi-method data (i.e., focus group, semi-structured, and narrative interviews) were collected to investigate the viewpoints of children, parents, and teachers regarding parental involvement in children education. Narrative and thematic analysis techniques were used to analyze the data.

The findings manifested frustration, disappointment, ignorance, and hope concerning the lack of parental involvement and passive learning of children. Children and parents shared the importance of an extended family system in a rural collectivistic culture that compensates for parents’ lack of involvement in children’s education. The most contradicting findings emerged from parents’ and teachers’ interviews, where both leapt to criticize each other. Teachers blamed parents, and parents pointed out the loopholes of teachers. Teachers alleged that the children’s parents do not cooperate with us and help their children learn at home, whereas parents believed that teachers do not consider them equals and are not committed to their profession. By knowing the experiences and viewpoints of both parties, it was understandable that both parents and teachers somehow failed to perform what they were supposed to serve. This is not only because they are indifferent and ignorant but because they do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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