School’s out: a comprehensive follow-up study on parents’ perceptions of their child’s school

Abstract

This longitudinal study set out to examine the changes that took place in parents' evaluations of their child's school in the course of the child's complete 9-year-long compulsory education. Over the follow-up period, academically educated and vocationally educated mothers and fathers (N=326) were asked to indicate their degree of satisfaction with aspects of their child's school every 2 years. It was found that the level of parental satisfaction was fairly high at the start, that the general decreasing trend was gradual rather than abrupt, and that the proportion of dissatisfied parents remained low and stable. A pattern of differences emerged to suggest that the parents' perceptions were structured by their social-psychological distance from the school as measured by their social positions; for instance, the vocationally educated parents, fathers in particular, displayed less satisfaction than the academically educated ones.Résumé Cette étude longitudinale se propose d'examiner, au long du cycle scolaire obligatoire de neuf ans, comment l'évaluation faite par les parents de l'école de leur enfant change. Au cours de la période observée, il a été demandé à des pères et mères (N=326), ayant suivi une formation générale ou professionnelle, d'indiquer leur degré de satisfaction quant à certains aspects de l'école de leur enfant et ceci tous les deux ans. Il a été remarqué qu'au début du cycle le degré de satisfaction était assez élevé, que l'affaiblissement de la tendance générale était graduel et non brusque, et que la proportion de parents insatisfaits restait basse et stable. Un type de différences est alors apparu qui suggère que la distance psycho-sociale des parents par rapport à l'école, celle-ci étant directement liée à leurs positions sociales, structure leur perception. Par exemple, les parents ayant suivi une formation professionnelle, les pères en particulier, ne montrent pas une aussi grande satisfaction que les parents ayant suivi une formation générale.

Children's Public Participation, Middle‐Class Families and Emotions

“…The teachers confirmed that their relations with parents whose children hold office in the TCP were usually positive. All eight parents were highly involved in their children's educational follow‐up, as has also found in other Finnish studies on middle‐class parents and schooling (Metso, ; Räty, ; Räty and Kasanen, ). Board members confirmed their parents' interest in their schoolwork, for example, Kaisa reported that ‘mummy usually asks, almost every day, if I need help with my school work'.…”

“…By contrast, parents with lower education relate more to the idea of children's natural development and growth, which happens without too much interference from parents (e.g. Bæck, ; Räty, ; Räty and Kasanen, ). Moreover, numerous studies testify to how middle‐class parents promote their children's future careers via hobbies and extracurricular activities (e.g.…”

“…The TCP functions within the educational field, where the board members' parents, like middle‐class parents generally, support their schooling (Bæck, ; Metso, ; Räty, ). The reproductive influence favouring the middle‐class children as the TCP office holders is mediated through schools, as it is children of well‐educated and well‐off families who put themselves forward for election (also Wyness, ).…”

“…All the participating families were middle‐class, both as self‐defined and according to parents' education and socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g. Bæck, ; Lackey and Murphy, ; Räty, ). Socioeconomic status, then, is the point of departure for this paper.…”

Los Padres de Familia y el Logro Académico de los Adolescentes de una Secundaria en Milpa Alta, Ciudad de México

“…Se ha señalado que el nivel académico de los jefes de familia influye en el nivel de involucramiento en la vida académica de los adolescentes, es decir a mayor nivel de escolaridad toman mayor participación crítica que aquellos que demuestran menos niveles educativos (Räty, 2010). Ahora bien, según Toro, et.al.…”