Vincent, Carol (1993) Parental participation in primary education. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

Preview

PDF WRAP_THESIS_Vincent_1993.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (12Mb)

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

This thesis is a qualitative study of the power relations structuring
interactions between parents and teachers in one inner London borough.
The first three chapters consider the theories and practice of
participation and the extent of its realisation in education.
Individual parental involvement is seen as the accepted way for
parents to intervene in their child's education; this tendency is
heightened by the current New Right emphasis on the 'parent-asconsumer'.
Such individual parental incursions can only have a limited
effect upon the imbalance of power that defines relationships between
teachers and working class parents. However opportunities for
collective parental participation are found to be restricted.
Chapters five to nine contain case studies of two primary
schools, a home-school co-ordinators' project and a parents' centre.
The ethnographic chapters use fieldwork data, gathered mainly through
semi-structured interviews to illustrate the effects of social class,
ethnicity and gender; firstly, on individual teacher-parent-officer
relations, and secondly, on allowing access to school and LEA decisionmaking
fora. These chapters illustrate the arguments of the earlier
theoretical chapters, by showing how teachers as individuals and
schools as institutions allow particular types of individual parental
involvement whilst limiting opportunities for collective parental
participation.
The concluding chapter applies these findings to the theoretical
arguments outlined in chapters one to three. It argues that allowing
parents a role as participant would profoundly alter their
relationship with the education system. Such a role - resulting in
increased lay participation in a welfare state institution - is seen
as an integral part of citizenship in a fully participative democracy.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Parent-teacher relationships -- England -- London, School management and organization -- Parent participation -- England -- London, Education, Primary -- Parent participation -- England -- London
Official Date:	April 1993
Dates:	Date Event April 1993 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations (Economic and Social Research Council)
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Troyna, Barry ; Ball, Wendy
Extent:	vii, 277 leaves
Language:	eng

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads