Transformative parents: Facilitating transformative experiences and interest with a parent involvement intervention

This study reports the implementation of a parental involvement intervention coupled with small group discussions aimed at facilitating transformative experiences (TEs) in science courses (biology and chemistry) in an all-girls middle and high school. Specifically, the goal was to generate parental involvement, TE, and interest. Analyses showed that the intervention was associated with more parent involvement and TE than a comparison condition. Furthermore, a high initial level of situational and individual interest was maintained in the treatment condition, whereas interest decreased in the comparison. A content analysis of journal entries suggested an association between parents showing value for science concepts and an increase in students' perceived experiential value. The results provide evidence that a parent intervention may increase the likelihood of engagement in TE and maintaining girls' interest in science, which has theoretical and practical implications.