Reconstructing Parents’ Meetings in Primary Schools: The Teacher as Expert, the Parent as Advocate and the Pupil as Self-Advocate
Keywords:
Advocacy, Pupil participation, Parents’ meetings, Parents’ evenings
Abstract
The efficacy of parents’ meetings in primary schools in the UK is an area in need of research. This article uses an approach informed by grounded theory to explore the experiences and satisfaction of parents, teachers and pupils regarding bi-annual meetings to discuss pupil progress. A two-phase approach was utilised, with diary-interviews with parents and teachers and group pupil interviews in Phase 1, followed by a parents’ questionnaire in Phase 2 derived from Phase 1 data. The findings from a doctoral study provide an overall more positive depiction of these meetings compared to existing research in the secondary sector. A model of the teacher as the expert and information-giver persists, but a consumerist ideology appears evident as parents seek to participate and advocate on behalf of their child. As parents become more proactive and teachers act to retain their professional authority, the interaction of the professional and advocate has excluded the perspective of the child. This leaves pupils in search of self-advocacy at meetings in which they are the object of discussion, but cannot be present. While pupils generally favour involvement, adults express a protectionist perspective on pupil exclusion with exceptional factors indicated as being the age of the child and the content of the meeting.Downloads
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References
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Clark, A. (1998). Parents voices in school reports. Advisory Centre for Education Bulletin, 83, 8–9.
Clark, A., & Power, S. (1998). Could do better: School reports and parents’ evenings. London: Research and Information on State Education.
Crozier, G. (1999). Is it a case of ‘We know when we’re not wanted’? The parents’ perspective on
parent-teacher roles and relationships. Educational Research, 41(3), 315–328.
Crozier, G. (2000). Parents and schools: Partners or protagonists? Stoke on Trent: Trentham.
Crozier, G. (2005). Beyond the call of duty: The impact of racism on black parents’ involvement
in their children’s education. In G. Crozier & D. Reay (Eds.), Activating participation: Parents and
teachers working towards partnership. Stoke on Trent: Trentham.
Dyches, T. T., Carter, N. J., & Prater, M. A. (2012). A teacher’s guide to communicating with parents: Practical strategies for developing successful relationships. New Jersey, US: Pearson Educational, Inc.
Franklin, B. (Ed.) (2002). The new handbook of children’s rights: Comparative policy and practice.
London: Routledge.
Garner, P., & Sandow, S. (Eds.) (1995). Advocacy, self-advocacy and special needs. London: Frances Pinter.
Hannay, G. (1993). Socialisation and deviancy in Scottish primary schools: 1872–1993. Unpublished M.Ed. thesis, University of Glasgow.
Hornby, G. (2000). Improving parental involvement. London: Cassell.
Hornby, G. (2011). Parental involvement in childhood education: Building effective school-family
partnerships. London: Springer.
Maclure, M., & Walker, B. (1999). Brief encounters of a predictable kind. Managing Schools Today, 8(9), 52–54.
McGettrick, B. J. (2001, May 12). Valuing developing citizens. Retrieved from http://www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/earlyyears/latestnews.
Moore, C. (1994). Parents or pests? Experiences of grievance and redress procedures in education. Edinburgh: Scottish Council for Research in Education.
Patrick, F., Forde, C., & McPhee, A. (2003). Challenging the ‘new professionalism’: From
managerialism to pedagogy. Journal of In-service Education, 29(2), 237–253.
Power, S., & Clark, A. (2000). The right to know: Parents, school reports and parents’ evenings.
Research Papers in Education, 15(1), 25–48.
Reay, D. (2005).Mothers’ involvement in their children’s schooling: Social Reproduction in action? In G. Crozier & D. Reay (Eds.), Activating participation: Parents and teachers working towards partnership. Stoke on Trent: Trentham.
Roche, J. (1999). Children’s rights, participation and citizenship. Childhood, 6(4), 475–493.
Rudduck, J. (2002). (Sept 2000). ‘You’ve asked us if there’s anything we’d like to change- but will
it happen?: The transformative potential of consulting young people about teaching, learning and schooling. Paper presented at the Scottish Educational Research Association Conference, Dundee.
Russell, K., & Granville, S. (2005). Improving parental involvement in children’s education. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
Scottish Government (2011). Building the curriculum 5: A framework for assessment. Edinburgh:
Scottish Government.
Scottish Executive Education Department. (2006). Parents as partners in their children’s learning
toolkit. Edinburgh: HMSO.
Scottish Office Education Department. (1992). Reporting 5–14: Promoting partnership. Edinburgh: HMSO.
Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and
techniques (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Walker, B. (1998). Meetings without communication. British Education Research Journal, 24(2),
163–178.
Published
2012-03-31
How to Cite
Inglis, G. (2012). Reconstructing Parents’ Meetings in Primary Schools: The Teacher as Expert, the Parent as Advocate and the Pupil as Self-Advocate. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 2(1), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.396
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