Parents’ participation on school councils analysed through Arnstein’s ladder of participation

Parental involvement in Spanish schools: The role of Parents’ Associations (AMPAs)

“…In this sense, there is a social need for families to become engaged in schools and for the relevant regulations to be revised and updated to better address the current issues and bring their situation closer to their ideals, as noted by other researchers (García et al, 2015; Garreta, 2008; González, 2004; Murray et al, 2014; Palomares & Collado, 2011). In this study, the participating families were found to be divided in terms of how they saw the decision-making processes: some were consistent with the study conducted by Stelmach (2016) in Canada and believed that their decision-making capacity was very limited, whereas other views were in line with the studies carried out in Spain by González (2004) and were of the opinion that the operation of their schools was greatly improved by the influence of the board of governors. This may be related to the professional relationship among teachers (a variable that participants were not asked about in this study, as it was considered that this fell outside of the parents’ experience).…”

“…Civil society in general, and families in particular, want to make proposals and have their voices heard in schools (Bangran & Hu-Nam, 2019; Barthelemy, 1995; Cheung, 2009). However, this demand has sometimes been corrupted (McBride, Schoppe-Sullivan, & Ho, 2005; Stelmach, 2016). In its fullest form, involvement is related to the ability to make decisions; but there are also forms of partial involvement or even pseudo-involvement, such as those shown in Hart’s ladder of participation.…”

“…There are also ways of involvement in which decisions are made after hearing the non-binding opinions or suggestions of those affected. These may influence the decisions, but not take them directly, since their involvement is only advisory (Hart, 1992; Stelmach, 2016). Schools with full parental involvement, where decision-making power is shared (especially between teachers and families), provide genuine opportunities for parents to play a part in all aspects of planning and decision making as co-authors of final decisions (Addi-Raccah & Ainhoren, 2009; Dae-Hyum, 2019; Jeoung, 2019).…”

“…González (2004) also carried out a study in which 65.2 percent of participants stated that the operation of schools improved either ‘quite a lot’ or ‘very much’ due to the influence of the school governors. However, Stelmach (2016) showed that in Canada, their effectiveness was insignificant in terms of increasing parents’ trust in, and their abilities for, decision making.…”

NGO grassroots participatory approaches to promoting sustainable agriculture: reality or Myth in Ghana's Upper-West Region?

“…This framework has undergone a number of metamorphoses in the hands of many (including Choguill, 1996; Kinyashi, 2006; Tritter and McCallum, 2006; Collins and Ison, 2009). Due to its enduring relevance, it has been copiously used as a framework for local level participation (see for instance Connor, 1988; Hart, 1992; Ruesga and Knight, 2013; Stelmach, 2016). In spite of some minor tweaks made on Arnstein's original work, her central objective of empowering the marginalized to take central stage in decisions regarding their own wellbeing is still relevant.…”