www.jsser.org Journal of Social Studies Education Research Sosyal Bilgiler Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi 2019:10 (1), 61-80 61 Home Visit Effectiveness on Students’ Classroom Behavior and Academic Achievement Fatih Ilhan1, Burhan Ozfidan2, & Sabit Yilmaz3 Abstract Home visits have a large influence on the academic achievement of students and the relationship between teachers and students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of home visits on students’ academic success and behavior in the classroom. This study investigated the parent involvement of the students who were visited by teachers compared to students who were not visited by teachers. An explanatory mixed research method was used to determine the influence of the home visits on the academic achievement and classroom behavior of students compared to students whose homes were not visited. The first phase of the study was a survey instrument to measure the perspectives of teachers regarding the academic success and behavior of students. The second phase of the study included interviews with teachers to investigate their perceptions of the home visits. The total sample size of the study was 128 for the survey, and 10 of the 128 later participated in interviews. The results of the study indicate that home visits and family engagement have positive impacts on students’ academic achievements and attitudes in school. The results of the study are applicable broadly in education and can assist teachers in improving the academic performance of their students. Key words: home visit, academic achievement, parent involvement, classroom behavior, and mixed method. Introduction Research shows that home visits have been proven to have affirmative impacts on the academic success and behavior of students in the classroom. Home-visit programs are key tactics that have been used to improve parenting skills. This study has shown the ability to foster parent skills and resolve information problems can serve a means to improve student success. This current research is part of a more extensive study to investigate the impacts of various educational techniques on the academic performance of students. The purpose of this particular research was to establish the effects of teacher home visits on student success at school. The researchers compared the academic achievement of the students who were visited by teachers compared to 1 Dr. fatihilhan2008@hotmail.com 2 Dr. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Texas A&M University, b.ozfidan@tamu.edu 3 Dr. sabitbetoyilmaz@gmail.com Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 students who were not visited by teachers. They also investigated the parent involvement of students who were visited by teachers compared to students who were not visited. Literature Review Education is the process of the acquisition and mastery of specific skills as well as other vocational training at home, school, or any other institution (Grant & Ray, 2018; Ozfidan & Ugurlu, 2015). An ideal learning process should enable learners to relate class theories with practice. Besides, this process should impact the values and virtues of humanitarianism, and a good education system must connect an individual with other aspects of society (Tyler, Burris, & Coleman, 2018). Currently, education plays a crucial role in the financial and social improvement of any country. Considering the significance of schooling, improving student academic accomplishments is of great importance to develop solid foundations for a country's progress (Epstein, 2018). Academic accomplishment is specifically identified with student development and the advancement of knowledge in an educational environment in which teaching and learning happens (Farkas, 2017; Lucas, 2017). Educational success is characterized by a student's performance in the subjects that he/she learns in school. Academic accomplishment defines the status of children in the classroom and provides youngsters with opportunities for developing their talents and improving their grades as well as preparing for future academic challenges (Kol, 2013; Trumbull, et al. 2017). Home is a primary environment of a student, and home exerts tremendous influences on student achievement and is a principal agent for a child's education (Marcon, 1999). The way in which a student lives, his/her sustenance, and his/her way of life are affected by the home (Trumbull, et al. 2017). The kinds of family framework impact the scholarly accomplishment of a student in school. In a 2002 study, Nias investigated the effects of family structure and parenthood on the academic performance of secondary school students. He found a difference between the scholarly prowess of students from families with a single parent and those with a two-parent family structure (Nias, 2002). Parental contributions and individual experience at home heavily contribute to building a student’s character. As Sheldon and Epstein (2005) stated, “the more involved a parent is in their child’s education right from the beginning, the more dedicated the child becomes to Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz education” (p. 32). Students from intact families tend to perform better than their counterparts with single parents (Bolu-Steve & Sanni, 2013). Many children fail to reach their ideal level in academics because of the impact of negative variables emerging from home. These negatives include an absence of parental support, an absence of a conducive environment, a lack of finances and housing, poor diets, ill health and a deficiency of interest on the student's part (Souto-Manning & Swick, 2006). Students whose school needs, both emotional and physical, are not accommodated at home may always remain underachievers, and this underachievement, in turn, could negatively influence the general advancement of the nation (Gestwicki, 2015). The impacts of reduced scholarly performance often continue until adulthood, with a greater likelihood of dropping out of school, behavioral issues and even misconduct. Reduced scholarly performance, therefore, has a significant impact on a child's future. Home visits have been found to have great influence on the academic achievement of students and the relationship between teachers and students (Meyer & Mann, 2006; Simington, 2003). Lin and Bates (2010), stated, “home visits are an excellent opportunity for teachers to learn about their students’ diverse backgrounds first-hand while bridging the gap between school and home” (p. 23). According to Stetson et al. (2012), home visits produce incredible growth in the work of students, and home visits have affirmative impacts on the attitudes of students at school. Stetson et al.’s (2012) study indicated that the students who were visited by teachers showed positive attitudes at school. Quintana and Warren (2008) stated, “parents, who at first were embarrassed with home visits, later indicated that these visits provided personal parent-teacher time for asking questions and concerns” (p. 119). Meyer and Mann (2006) stated, “There is a dearth of rigorous evidence on improving parenting skills, and in turn academic achievement, among parents of children in schools” (p. 68). Sawchuk (2011) also stated, “Teacher home visits are based on a common-sense idea: Parents are more likely to be engaged in their son’s or daughter’s progress through school if they feel that they have a real partner” (p. 1). Flynn and Nolan’s (2008) extensive review of the current literature on parental involvement clearly shows that children whose parents are involved with their schools do better academically, have fewer absences, are more willing to do their homework, have higher graduation rates, and feel more competent about their abilities. Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 Method Explanatory mixed methods were used in this current study to determine the influence of home visits on the academic achievement and classroom behavior of students who received teacher home visits compared to students who did not receive teacher home visits. The first phase of the study was a survey instrument to measure the perspectives of teachers regarding students’ academic success and behavior. The second phase of the study included interviews with teachers to investigate their perceptions of home visits. Figure 1 shows the structure of the research design. Figure 1: Research Design (designed by the researchers) Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz The researchers analyzed both the quantitative and qualitative data, and the rationale for the use of this mixed method was that, although the quantitative data analysis provides statistical evidence, the qualitative data analysis provides the “why” and “how” information. The quantitative data reflects the statistical perspective of the effectiveness of home visits, and the qualitative data supported the results of the quantitative data by examining the perspectives of the teachers of the home visits. A snowball sampling method was used to identify subjects for the survey and the interviews. Participants Table 1 shows the composition of the sample. All the 128 participants had been teaching in public schools in the United States. Most participants in the study were from core subject teachers such as Math and Science, and the table indicates that 50% of the participants were math teachers. Table 1 Participants for the quantitative data collection Position Frequency % Math Teacher 64 50 Science Teacher 28 22 Computer Teacher 8 6 Counselor 4 3 ELA 4 3 Foreign Language Teacher 16 13 Reading Teacher 4 3 Total 128 100 Procedures Teachers who participated the study reflected their perspectives on the home visit both quantitatively and qualitatively. Teachers usually make a home visit to have better communication with the parents and students. All of the participants, teachers, who joined the study were trained by an engagement coordinator at school. The school handbook provides detailed information about home visits and all participants must read the instruction on the handbook. The handbook discusses the purposes and benefits to parents and teachers and has discussion of the barriers, assumptions and fears that might prevent both parents and teachers regarding home visits. It also explains the Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 different tools that teachers can use to set up home visits, the tools that can be utilized during home visits, and how to organize information adapted from home visits. Most students (91%) attending school for this study were Hispanic, which meant that Spanish was the first language spoken at home. Therefore, some teachers were required to get an interpreter for some of the parents who could not speak English. Teachers talked with the interpreter prior to the home visit to indicate what they were going to talk during the visit. Teachers were reminded to look at a parent when they were speaking, even if they did not understand what was being said. Using body language to show that you are listening is very important to maintaining a connection to the family member. Before the home visit, the teacher contacted the parents to introduce himself/herself and to discuss the purpose of the home visit and emphasize the importance of the home visits for both parents and children. The teachers asked the parents for days and times that were convenient for a visit. If the parents did not want to meet at their homes, the teachers recommended a more neutral place, for instance, a local public coffee shop or other public area. Once the teachers scheduled a day and time, they called and confirmed the day before the visit. The participants, teachers, for this study provided learning materials to parents during the home visits. Home visits lasted 30 - 60 minutes depending on the teacher and the activities involved. These visits enabled the teachers to know the students and their families in depth. Students prefer home visits because a home visit helps them to build a good rapport with instructors and even parents. The teachers made at least two home visits in the fall semester in 2018. The first home visit was during the first quarter of the 2018 school year and was designed to provide parents with ways that they could support their child’s learning at home. The first visits were important to interact with the parents and students. The second home visits were important for parents to follow up their children. In the second home visits that were conducted in the second quarter of 2018 school year, most parents reported that their children’s behavior was improved, and they were studying much better than previously at home. In total, the homes of 87 were visited. Data Collection The researchers used the Qualtrics survey platform for the survey instrument to collect the quantitative data. A snowball sampling was used to gather the quantitative data. There were 4 demographic questions and 13 5-point Likert-like scale questions in the survey instrument. Most Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz of the teachers who were participants in the study were contacted via email, although some participants were also given a hard copy of the survey. All these surveys were conducted during the 2018 fall semester. For qualitative data collection, the researchers used an open-ended interview design for interviews that were conducted 10 participants. This format assisted by providing an opportunity to open the interview with sincere discussions and provided a relaxed ambiance (Willis, 2007). The open-ended questioning in this research allowed thoughtful and informative responses. Because each question was intended to produce specific information from the participants and was basically more conversational and interdependent, this technique provided more flexibility for the participants in answering the questions in the interview. The direct interaction and naturalistic environment during the interviews helped the participants feel comfortable in answering the questions clearly and thus producing a better result. Participation in the study was voluntary, and participants could drop out at any phase of the study if they did not want to continue in accordance with the IRB guidelines of Texas A&M University (reference #054249). The names of the participants do not appear on the transcriptions or the audio recordings. The audio recordings and the transcriptions are not publicly accessible and all information was safely secured. The data were placed in an encrypted folder on the researchers’ personal computers. Before starting the interview, the researchers introduced themselves and let the participants know the reason that they had been asked to join in the interview and the purpose of the research. After the basic procedures were laid out, which comprised information about the reporting that came from the data, the length of the interview, and assurances of now the information would be preserved, the interview began. The interview questions came next. It was essential to decide how much time would be devoted to each topic. Careful consideration was given to how much time each participant would spend for an interview, and the decision was made that 3 minutes would be devoted to each topic after the introduction to the subject. Reliability and Validity Reliability may be defined as “the ‘truth,’ value, or ‘believability’ of the findings that the researchers have been established” (Morse, 1994, p. 116). Reliability and validity are accomplished through a confidential, extended, and trusting relationship between informants and Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 the investigator, instead of through the establishment of the psychometric properties of the research instruments (Denzin, 1978). Before the survey was administered, faculty members who were specialists in educational foundations and curriculum development in the United States reviewed and revised the survey questions. The results of the correlation were statistically significant. The correlation (rs = .541, p = .001) is considered to be a moderate/ medium correlation (.40 -.60) (See Laerd Statistics, n.d.). Therefore, this study is validated. Table 2 Reliability statistics Cronbach’s alpha N of Items .942 13 The questionnaire piloted with 15 participants to evaluate the feasibility. The researchers used Cronbach’s alpha to analyze the reliability of scale. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency score of the study as shown in Table 2 above was considerably high across all 13 items (α = .94). A minimum value of .70 for Cronbach’s alpha is considered acceptable (Nunnally, 1978). Thus, the scale is reliable. Findings Both the quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to examine the impact of home visits on the academic success and behavior of the students in school. The quantitative data was collected through a survey instrument. The qualitative data was collected from interviews. Quantitative Data Factor Analysis Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was used to specify the suitability of the survey data for factor analysis and is “an assumption that must be met in determining the appropriateness of using factor analysis. values can range between 0 and 1” (Ozfidan, Burlbaw, & Kocabas, 2018, p.176). According to Jolliffe, 2002, “the KMO test can be used to determine the overall sampling adequacy of the sample or to measure each individual variable” (p. 96). According to Ballesteros’s (2003) guideline, a “value of 0 shows the sum of partial correlations is large relative to the sum of correlations, which indicate diffusion in the correlations pattern; therefore, factor analysis is Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz probably inappropriate” (p. 143). He also emphasized “if the value is close to 1, patterns of correlations are quite compact and factor analysis indicates different and reliable factors” (p. 143). According to Kaiser (1974), a value higher than .5 is acceptable. He also indicated that “values between 0.5 and 0.7 should be considered mediocre, values between 0.7 and 0.8 should be considered good, values between 0.8 and 0.9 should be considered great, and values of more than 0.9 should be considered superb” (Anderson & Gerbing, 1984, p. 135-136). Table 3 indicates that the Kaiser value was 0.92 for this study, which falls into the range of superb. Consequently, the data were appropriate for factor analysis. Table 3 KMO and Bartlett’s Test KMO Measure of Sampling Adequacy .923 df 7064.557 Sig. .000 An oblique rotation was used for this factor analysis. Table 4 shows that two factors extracted from the study. These factors are “Teachers-Students Interaction for Home Visit” and “Teachers-Parent Interaction for Home Visit.” Each factor represents a different perspective of the home visits. Table 4 Pattern Matrix Items 1 2 Improve grades .755 Prepared more .761 Increase attention .618 Engage more .491 Improve relationship with students .641 Improve relationship with parent .604 Decrease discipline problems .639 Feel Comfortable .680 Encourage other visits .587 Learn School System .532 Sharing Concerns .559 Questions answered .506 Benefit from visit .601 Eigenvalues 8.41 7.28 Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 % of variance 14.76 12.77 Table 5 indicates the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients scores of each item. According to Nunnally (1978), the minimum value of Cronbach’s alpha was .70. Therefore, the results of the Cronbach’s alpha indicate that each item in the scale is reliable. Table 5 Cronbach’s alpha Coefficients for factor-based scales Items Cronbach’s alpha Improve grades .90 Prepared more .89 Increase attention .92 Engage more .91 Improve relationship with students .94 Improve relationship with parent .93 Decrease discipline problems .94 Feel Comfortable .89 Encourage other visits .92 Learn School System .88 Sharing Concerns .90 Questions answered .93 Benefit from visit .93 Table 6 shows that each factor was not highly correlated with another, which means that these two factors represent different perspectives. Each factor measured different perspectives of home visits because the factors were highly correlated each other. Table 6 Inter-Factor Correlation Matrix Component 1 2 1 1.000 2 .326 1.000 Descriptive Analysis Table 7 below highlights the mean scores, standard deviation, and scale (1-5) of the each item. The highest mean score of the Teachers-Students Interaction item was 4.50, which is titled “Improve relationship with parent.” This score indicates that home visits help to improve the Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz relationship between teachers and parents. The lowest mean score of the table below was 3.84, which is labeled “Study much better.” This score indicates that students, who were visited by the teachers, study much better than previously. The highest standard deviation of the table was .96, which indicates that a high level of differentiation in the table. According to Bland and Altman (1996), “a high standard deviation indicates a heterogeneous group” (p. 48). This indicates that students who were visited by the teachers had fewer disciplinary issues in school than those who were noted visited by teachers. The lowest standard deviation was .55, which indicates that a low level of differentiation in the table. Table 7 Descriptive Statistics for Teachers-Students Interaction for Home Visit Survey Items Mean SD Strongly Disagree- Disagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree- Strongly Agree (%) Improve grades 3.85 .76 6.3 25.0 68.7 Study much better 3.84 .92 9.4 21.9 68.7 Increase attention 3.93 .84 6.3 40.6 53.1 Engage more 4.03 .93 6.3 12.5 81.2 Improve relationship with students 4.34 .55 0.0 3.1 96.9 Improve relationship with parent 4.50 .57 0.0 3.1 96.9 Decrease discipline problems 4.09 .96 6.3 12.5 81.2 Note: “1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, and 5 = Strongly Agree.” Table 8 below highlights the mean scores, standard deviation, and scale (1-5) of the each item. The highest mean score of the Teachers-Parents Interaction item was 4.53, which is titled “Encourage other visits.” This suggests that parents would like to see the other teachers at their home because these visits helped their son or daughter. The lowest mean score of the table below was 3.87, which is labeled “Learn School System.” This suggests that parents who were visited by the teachers understand the culture of the school. The highest standard deviation of the table was 1.08, which indicates that a high level of differentiation. According to Bland and Altman (1996), “a high standard deviation indicates a heterogeneous group” (p. 48). The lowest standard deviation of the table below is .64, which indicates that a low level of differentiation in the table. Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 Table 8 Descriptive Statistics for Teachers-Parent Interaction for Home Visit Survey Items Mean SD Strongly Disagree- Disagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree- Strongly Agree (%) Feel Comfortable 4.20 1.08 6.7 6.7 86.6 Encourage other visits 4.53 .64 0.0 6.7 93.3 Learn School System 3.87 1.06 6.7 20.0 73.3 Sharing Concerns 4.40 .83 0.0 20.0 80.0 Questions answered 4.27 .88 6.7 6.7 86.6 Benefit from visit 4.33 .72 0.0 13.3 86.7 Note: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, and 5 = Strongly Agree. To help in determining whether or how much these home visits helped in academic achievement, ALEKS was used. ALEKS is an online resource to measure the academic achievement of students in math and science. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to accurately and quickly determine what a student exactly knows and does not know. Table 9 shows the before and after scores of 10 students whose homes were visited. Table 9 Descriptive Statistics of Academic Achievement – ALEKS Scores Student Before a Home Visit (%) After a Home Visit (%) Increment (%) 1 54 95 41 2 43 78 35 3 41 67 26 4 17 32 15 5 30 51 21 6 13 22 9 7 37 69 32 8 32 40 8 9 64 82 18 10 11 38 27 Note: Check of the ALEKS scores of 10 students before and after a home visit. Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz Qualitative Data The researchers coded the emergent themes of the interviews under three subheadings: 1) academic achievement, 2) classroom behavior, and 3) parent involvement. Academic Achievement Most of the teachers stated that home visits have an affirmative influence on the academic performance of students because the focus or motivation of well-behaved students is much better than others. A respondent reflected that We came away from our children’s home with respect and admiration for families doing the best they could, sometimes under dire circumstances. We began to view all children in our classes more compassionately and with greater understanding. Now we know that each child has a unique and special life. Our goal is to nourish the skills children do have and appreciate parents and encourage them to be an integrated part of their child’s education. Another respondent stated, “a positive affective impact on student academic achievement after completing teacher home visits, which many respondents attributed to the cultivation of important relationships with both students and their parents.” One respondent also said that “there was a slight or temporary positive impact on student achievement after teacher home visits but the changes … [were not] significant or long lasting.” One respondent asserted, “students usually pay attention to class more than they did after the home visits.” He also continued that, “…students took my course more seriously and were motivated to increase grades after teacher home visits ….” Overall, students whose homes were visited by the teachers are more successful and well behaved than others. Teacher home visits also help to build a strong relationship among teachers, students, and parents. There are definite academic results brought by parental involvement in the educational development of the student from early childhood, adolescence and beyond (Lin & Bates, 2010). This strong communication, according to comments of respondents, increases the academic achievement of students. One respondent stated, “the students felt more comfortable with the teacher–student relationship once the home visit was conducted,” and “I was able to witness an increase in classroom participation, as the student had more confidence to participate once they knew their teacher personally.” Another respondent stated, “Our relationship was different in that they [the student] felt special and knew I cared about them.” This respondent continued, “I did my home visits early in the school year, so I could not compare before and after in terms of student academic performance.” Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 Classroom Behavior The researchers interviewed five different teachers regarding behavioral impact on the classroom behavior of student behavior. One teacher indicated that big differences exists between students who were visited by a teacher compared to students who were not visited by any teachers regarding classroom behaviors within a school system. According to this teacher, the student’s classroom behavior was positively changed after he/she visited the student’s parents. Another teacher stated that One impact of the home visit on student behavior was a noted awareness of the teacher and parents’ involvement in the student’s life. The established communication between the teacher and the student’s home helped to foster a respect transcending the classroom environment. The human connection made was a caring bond of respect and interest in the student’s success both in and out of school. To keep this classroom behavior, according to the respondent, the teacher should have a good relationship with the students. However, one teacher responses said that, “home visits help, but one visit does not make a big difference.” Some respondents said that they realized “negligible to no impact” on students’ classroom behavior because “the parents who most need the visits will not allow them.” One of the teachers asserted that The students who behaved well in the classroom had parents who welcomed teacher home visits, while those students who were struggling behaviorally in the classroom had parents who were the most reluctant to allow a teacher home visit, if they responded at all to the teacher home visit invitation. Therefore, teachers should emphasize the importance of home visits while they are visiting the parents. Parent Involvement Parent involvement in the school system has a big influence on the school achievement and behavior of students. Home visits empower parents to support their child’s education, resulting in higher academic success for that child. One respondent stated, “After I made a home visit, I realized that [I had made a visit to] most of the parents who get involved.” He continued, “Parents felt comfortable in talking with me and were thankful for the personal approach to their child’s education.” Another respondent said that parents who were visited at their home indicated that their sons and daughters studied much better than previously. This respondent also added, “Parents seemed more aware but still not knowing how to support a child at home due to lack of resources.” Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz Therefore, the respondent said that home visits inform the parents a lot. Another respondent highlighted that “parents wanted to know how they could better support their child’s education at home and wanted to know more about the techniques the teachers used in the classroom that could be just as easily implemented at home.” One respondent indicated that some of the home visits did not cause any academic change on students’ schooling because the parents of these students are already knew what to do for their children to be academically more successful than others. Most respondents reflected that home visits have a positive behavioral influence on students. One respondent stated, “Students motivation and attitudes are affirmatively changing a lot.” The respondent also continued that, “ the majority of the students seem to have a more positive attitude and increased motivation in their daily classwork performance.” Students whose home was visited have more focus on work and assignments. Another participant in the study indicated, “Students’ motivation is increased because they are more aware of communication between parent and teacher,” and “students feel that home–school connection and trust that [the school system] is a safe and nurturing environment for them.” A respondent noted, “Students were dedicated and worked toward their goals more. The students knew that communication was necessary through home visits, conferences, email, phone, and more. The home visit created an excellent parent– teacher relationship.” The same respondent continued that “The use of home visits is a method that has been proven to be effective in not only creating trusting relationships between the home and school environments, but also in empowering parents to become more active participants in their child’s education.” These all indicated that home visits increased the relationship among parents, teachers, and students. When parent involvement increases, the problematic behaviors in school decrease, academic success increases, and attendance rates increase. Discussion and Conclusion Both quantitative and qualitative data reflected that students who were visited had significant affirmative differences in terms of academic achievement, classroom behavior, motivation, teacher-student-parent relationship compared to students who were not visited. All core courses second quarter grades indicated that the home visits to students had a positive impact on their grades. In addition to academic success of the students, both quantitative and qualitative data reflected that teachers who had conducted home visits recommended that most teachers should visit the parents of students to improve students’ attitudes. Both quantitative and qualitative Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 reflected home visits have a positive effect on parent involvement as measured by recorded log- ins to the parent portal of schools. As Wright el al. (2018) stated, “Home visits positively influence on students’ academic and behavioral functioning in school. Students who have home visits through the school system’s program had significantly higher academic achievement, as well as motivation, when compared to other students who were not visited” (p. 88). Furthermore, the parents whose son or daughter were visited at their home were more involved their children’s schooling than parents who were not visited. The concept of home visits is an idea that the Head Start Program in the United States has used wherein every head start teacher is required to makes two visits to each student’s home every school year and to hold parent-teacher conferences at school (Spindler, 2014). Home visits might vary from school to school and may take many forms. Some teachers may prefer to visit the parents in pairs because they might feel more comfortable. Sometimes teachers also need a translator and that is why they prefer pairing up. Some teachers even prefer to meet one on one with a parent whereas others interact with both the parent and the student. For this study, all teachers visited the parents in pairs. Some of the novice teachers who were just started working at school were afraid of home visit because they did not want to go to dangerous neighborhoods. However, they felt more confortable after they did several of home visits and they found that they did not encounter any issues. Home visits can work as reconciliation sessions among the student, the parent, and the teacher. This improved the relationship between the teachers and the students. Numerous conceivable objectives exist for home visits including bridging specific cultural barriers, giving an account of academic progress, using parental help to build educational success, and ensuring that the parents have the right tools to do so. Usually, these home visits take place before the school year starts to enable the teacher to get some answers concerning the requirements and interests of individual students. These visits are crucial because they allows the parent and the student to interact with the teacher in a way that is not intimidating. These visits can likewise enable a teacher to have better comprehension of the different strengths and difficulties faced by a student when meeting a student and his/her family in a casual setting. During the home visits, a teacher documents and records information regarding the students and potential issues that may bring about problems in the future such as family issues, previous Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz school problems, and health issues. The teachers for this study planned a subsequent meeting with the parents at some point after the first semester. This enables every interested party to review a student's progress or explore any anxieties that may be present between the student and the parent (Walker, 2009). Leaving the classroom and going to the homes of students rests in the hands of the parents and families, makes an educator realize that the parents are the first teachers to their children and that they know them better than anyone else. Home visits make parents more willing to raise their concerns, and the teachers can also encourage them to continue to keep themselves involved in the child's academic life for a prosperous future. For teachers, home visits provide an opportunity to share information regarding students’ academic success and to show the parents some of the resources available to help and support their child’s schooling at home. Test results can be shared with parents to help them improve their children’s classroom performance in subject areas. According to Meyer and Mann (2006) “Knowing how to help their children will empower parents and give them confidence that they can support their child’s learning” (p. 54). Home visits are important for teachers to realize the abilities and conditions of their students at home. The researchers in this study found that skills observed in home visits, which may be different from the skills observable in the classroom environment, can catalyze the possibility of new teaching techniques and modes of engagement with students. Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 References Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1984). The effect of sampling error on convergence, improper solutions, and goodness of fit ındices for maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis. Psychometrika, 49, 155-173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02294170 Ballesteros, R. F. (2003). Encyclopedia of psychological assessment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9780857025753 Bolu-Steve, F. N., & Sanni, W. O. (2013). Influence of family background on the academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. IFE PsychologIA: An International Journal, 21(1), 90-100. Bland, J. M., & Altman, D. G. (1996). Statistics notes: Measurement error. The BMJ, 313, 744. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2352111/. Denzin, N. K. (1978). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Abingdon, England: Routledge. Farkas, G. (2017). Human capital or cultural capital?: Ethnicity and poverty groups in an urban school district. Abingdon, England: Routledge. Flynn, G., & Noland, B. (2008). What do school principals think about current school-family relationships? NASSP Bulletin, 92(3), 173-90. Gestwicki, C. (2015). Home, school, and community relations. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Grant, K. B., & Ray, J. A. (Eds.). (2018). Home, school, and community collaboration: Culturally responsive family engagement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Jolliffe, I. (2002). Principal component analysis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39, 31–36. Kol, V. (2013). Parental involvement in education. Laerd Statistics, (n.d.). Pearson product moment correlation. Retrieved from https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/pearson-correlation-coefficient-statistical- guide.php Lin, M., & Bates, A. B. (2010). Home visits: How do they affect teachers’ beliefs about teaching and diversity? Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(3), 179–185. Lucas, M. A. (2017). Bridging the gap between schools and families through teacher home visits (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/f391f0fd0584e52a816caeb63f1e2e26/1?pq- origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y Marcon, R. A. (1999). Positive relationships between parent school involvement and public school inner-city preschoolers' development and academic performance. School Psychology Review, 28(3), 395-412. Ilhan, Ozfidan, & Yilmaz Meyer, J. A., & Mann, M. B. (2006). Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of home visits for early elementary children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(1), 93–97. Morse, J. M. (1994). Critical issues in qualitative research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. Nias, J. (2002). Primary teachers talking: A study of teaching as work. Abingdon, England: Routledge. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Ozfidan, B., Burlbaw, L., & Kocabas, S. (2018). Investigating attitudes towards a bilingual education curriculum: A scale development study. Review of Research and Social Intervention. 62, 105-117. Ozfidan, B., & Burlbaw, L. (2017). Development, validation, and application for a bilingual education curriculum in Turkey. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 13(10), 6559-6569. doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01092a Ozfidan, B., & Ugurlu, O. (2015). The idea of race and racial differences. Electronic International Journal of Education, Arts, and Science, 1(1), 85-98 Quintana, A. P., & Warren, S. R. (2008). Listening to the voices of Latino parent volunteers. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 44(3), 119–123. Sawchuk, S. (2011, December 13). More districts sending teachers into students’ homes. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/12/14/14visit_ ep.h31.html Sheldon, S. B., & Epstein, J. L. (2005). Involvement counts: Family and community partnerships and mathematics achievement. Journal of Educational Research, 98(4), 196-206. Simington, L. R. (2003). A study of the effects of teacher visits to high school accounting students’ homes on their attitudes and achievement in accounting class. ERS Spectrum, 21(3), 39–46. Stetson, R., Stetson, E., Sinclair, B., & Nix, K. (2012). Home visits: Teacher reflections about relationships, student behavior, and achievement. Issues in Teacher Education, 21(1), 21–37. Spindler, L. (2014). Interpretive ethnography of education at home and abroad. Hove, UK: Psychology Press. Souto-Manning, M., & Swick, K. J. (2006). Teachers’ beliefs about parent and family involvement: Rethinking our family involvement paradigm. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(2), 187-193. Tyler, K. M., Burris, J. L., & Coleman, S. T. (2018). Investigating the association between home-school dissonance and disruptive classroom behaviors for urban middle school students. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 38(4), 530-553. Trumbull, E., Rothstein-Fisch, C., Greenfield, P. M., & Quiroz, B. (2001). Bridging cultures between home and school: A guide for teachers. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Walker, J. M. T. (2009). Teacher practices and teacher style: What we can learn from research on parenting. Theory into Practice, 48, 122–129. Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2019: 10 (1), 61-80 Willis, J. W. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research: Interpretive and critical approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Wright, K. B., Shields, S. M., Black, K., & Waxman, H. C. (2018). The effects of teacher home visits on student behavior, student academic achievement, and parent involvement. School Community Journal, 28(1), 67-90.