<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> It is acknowledged that parental engagement with children’s learning and education is of vital importance. But, there is a tendency to confuse engagement with learning with engagement with the school. While all types of parents’ involvement can have a positive effect, it is actually what parents do with their child at home that has the greatest impact. However, unless parental involvement in learning is embedded in whole-school processes it is unlikely to as effective as possible. This paper documents an action research study that explores the inclusion of parents and home values in the construction of the teaching and learning environment. This was a small step towards positive parent-teacher collaboration, which allowed an exchange of knowledge, values and cultural background experiences. In acknowledging the ways in which the parents already engaged with their children’s learning, it began to enhance self-efficacy in their ability to directly affect this learning. This work has also provoked reflexive engagement of my influence and understanding of involving parents of children with additional and diverse learning needs. But, it also details the transformative journey that influenced my thinking about how we as a school could begin to develop whole-school processes to directly involve parents in policy development and school activities.</p></abstract>

It is acknowledged that parental engagement with children’s learning and education is of vital importance. But, there is a tendency to confuse engagement with learning with engagement with the school. While all types of parents’ involvement can have a positive effect, it is actually what parents do with their child at home that has the greatest impact. However, unless parental involvement in learning is embedded in whole-school processes it is unlikely to as effective as possible. This paper documents an action research study that explores the inclusion of parents and home values in the construction of the teaching and learning environment. This was a small step towards positive parent-teacher collaboration, which allowed an exchange of knowledge, values and cultural background experiences. In acknowledging the ways in which the parents already engaged with their children’s learning, it began to enhance self-efficacy in their ability to directly affect this learning. This work has also provoked reflexive engagement of my influence and understanding of involving parents of children with additional and diverse learning needs. But, it also details the transformative journey that influenced my thinking about how we as a school could begin to develop whole-school processes to directly involve parents in policy development and school activities.

Understanding the direct involvement of parents in policy development and school activities in a primary school

International Journal for Transformative Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

It is acknowledged that parental engagement with children’s learning and education is of vital importance. But, there is a tendency to confuse engagement with...

Understanding the direct involvement of parents in policy development and school activities in a primary school

Published Online: Dec 29, 2017

Page range: 25 - 33

Received: Oct 10, 2017

Accepted: Nov 28, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijtr-2017-0004

Keywords
Parental involvement, Parental engagement with learning, Action research, Policy development

© 2018

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Understanding the direct involvement of parents in policy development and school activities in a primary school

Published Online: Dec 29, 2017

Page range: 25 - 33

Received: Oct 10, 2017

Accepted: Nov 28, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijtr-2017-0004

KeywordsParental involvement, Parental engagement with learning, Action research, Policy development

© 2018

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Parental involvement, Parental engagement with learning, Action research, Policy development