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Parental responses to children’s educational
needs Angela Bell
Worldwide research shows
Higher achievement is associated with parents whoO Read aloud to their childrenO Discuss current affairs with themO Keep in contact with teachersO Talk to children about school matters O Make sure their children attend school
regularlyOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Based on data from 65 countries 2012
Parental involvement encouraged 2000-2010
O “Parenting has its influence indirectly through shaping the child’s self-concept as a learner and through setting high aspirations”
O “Good enthusiastic parenting can be found amongst mothers of all social classes and ethnic backgrounds and where it is not found it can probably be taught”
Desforges, 2003
Leave it to the professionals 2010 - 2015
O “If neither the parent nor the child knows how to improve a skill like reading comprehension, then mere aspiration or motivation is not going to help”
Gorard, 2012
Concluded that parental involvement was most likely factor to have influenced achievement, but as none of the research proved what worked and how, thought that it was more cost effective to spend money on what went on in the classroom rather than the home.
Aspirations and expectations
Aspirations = no effect on achievement X
Expectations + Action = effect on achievement ✔
Gorard, 2012
Action by parents O Parents invest time and money
O (needs extra activities, books, tutors)O Children gain confidence because of
their parents’ belief in them O (needs opportunities for praise for
achievements)O Parents help their children deal with
problems and setbacks O (needs knowledge of e.g. school
system)
Research in UK found …
Ethnic minority parents as a whole O Felt very involved in their children’s education
and wanted to be even more involvedO Helped directly in school and with fundraisingO Were less likely to attend parents’ evenings O Felt that education was the responsibility of
parents, rather than the school. O Helped their children with homework Asian parents said they found that language differences made it difficult to do as much as they would like.
Research in USA found …
Parents of successful African American students
O Discussed schoolO Volunteered at schoolO Attended parents eveningsO Had clear family rulesO Had high expectations
Research in USA found …
Parents of successful Asian American students
O Had clear family rulesO Had high expectationsO Encouraged effort
But only became involved in school in response to lower achievement or problems
Some questions for research
O Do parents from different migrant groups support their children in different ways?
O Do they relate to mainstream schools in different ways?
O How far are they influenced by their own upbringing? Or by the expectations of English mainstream schools?
Case studiesOSudaneseOIranianOChinese heritage
OStructured discussions with parentsOSeparate structured discussions
with lower secondary age students
SudaneseO Focus on academic success for their children O Extra classes in English, Maths, Science and
private tutorsO Active engagement with mainstream schools,
volunteering in and out of the classroom O Several had been school governors
O “The school’s not doing enough” … “They need more”
Co-educators with schools
IranianO Focus on “being the best”O Encouragement and challengeO Informal teaching at home – making everything
a learning opportunityO Education seen as a route out of disadvantage
O “(I try) to encourage and all the time to be the best, it doesn't matter what, but be the best whatever you want to be”
Demanding only the best
Chinese heritage O Focus on “doing your best”O Provide supportive conditions for learningO Lots of outside school learning activities, keen on
libraries and museumsO Detached from schools
O “If …you feel you could have done better, can you please write it down in your diary or a journal, or stick on a big post-it pad right in front of your face and just check it as experience”
Independence and all round education
When they were children, these parents …
O Were not often read aloud to O Were expected to get on with their
work independentlyO Had parents or other community
members who encouraged them strongly
O Were brought up in highly competitive exam orientated education systems
As parents they all …O Read aloud to their childrenO Use librariesO Support, but don’t help with
homeworkO Keep in touch with schoolsO Send their children to after school
activities
O Are dissatisfied with the information they get from mainstream schools
Worldwide research shows
Higher achievement is associated with parents whoO Read aloud to their childrenO Discuss current affairs with themO Keep in contact with teachersO Talk to children about school matters
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Based on data from 65 countries 2012
Research suggests that helping with homework does not improve achievement
OECD 2012 + 2014 research paper
Dissatisfaction with information from schoolsO Can parents easily discuss school
matters with their children? Do they know enough?
O Do they have the same expectations as the teachers?
O When they ask for extra work, do the teachers understand why?
What the parents said …
O “I wish to know about the curriculum to help my children to know about the studies the levels”
O ”I like to have extra homework or extra books that she can use so unless I don't go and asks them um what can I do to improve him? they don't give me that information”
O “And the effort is good and the level is low and you never get the truth”
What the parents saidO “When you see the performance you see good,
good, why is she not excellent then? what should she be doing to be excellent? I keep asking the teacher if there is anything specific that she needs”
O “And always they are looking for the average level, that is it they are not encouraging the children”
O “They say she is good compared to what? to average? compared to other children? compared to the school level? compared to one school to another school?”
A parent on a Family Learning course said …
O “I decided to do the course with my daughter X because I had no clue how to guide and support her in her learning… This course has allowed me to practise patience and acceptance in going with the flow of my child. As the weeks go on, I can see that X and I are both learning how to work and play with each other and for this I am truly grateful”
How might supplementary schools help?
O Support children by enabling them to show their achievements in out of school contexts
O Support parents in helping their children by running Family Learning courses alongside supplementary classes for children
O Give information about other education systems to mainstream schools
O Give information about the UK education system to parents
………??? More suggestions?
