Parental Involvement in Higher Education in Oman

The purpose of the study is to examine the perceptions of parents and students regarding the role of the family in Omani higher education institutions. Two major issues are considered: the perceptions of parents and students regarding the role of the family in higher education, and the differences that exist among the two groups in their perceptions of that role. Participants included 92 parents who have children in higher education and 172 students from government and private higher institutions. Two questionnaires, one for parents and the other for the students, were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Independent t-test and One Way ANOVA were used to analyze this data. Overall findings indicated that parents perceived themselves as playing a major role in their children’s higher education. They viewed this role as a duty that needs to be fulfilled and believed it to be as vital as the role of their children’s higher education teachers. The parents’ views were mostly supported by the students.