Home-School Partnership in the context of educational transitions

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

    Abstract

    The Early Years Framework in Scotland emphasises the key role and contribution of parents, families and communities (Scottish Government, 2008a, b). There is clear evidence from research that involvement of parents in their child’s learning is vital. Recent legislation and initiatives have led to all parents in any school being part of the parent forum with their representatives on parents’ councils. Not only is the importance of parental involvement in line with Scottish Government’s recommendation, resilience theory (Luthar, 2006) and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1992) also emphasize the importance of focusing on all significant others in the child’s environment (Jindal-Snape, 2010). This paper will address the theoretical rationale for parental involvement and provide data in the context of transition to school. The study was conducted with 128 parents to explore their perception of their child’s transition to school. The results suggest that although there was good communication between some schools and parents, this practice was not consistent. Further, the notion of ‘parental involvement’ was sometimes restricted to ‘informing the parent’. The presentation will discuss the findings and what they might mean for enhancing home-school partnerships. Further, there will be a discussion of Barton, Hamilton and Ivanic’s (2000) ‘domains of literacy’ in order to explore how parents can best support their children’s learning and be involved more actively in the school.
    Barton, D., Hamilton, M., & Ivanic, R. (eds) (2000). Situated Literacies: Reading and Writing in Context. London: Routledge.
    Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
    Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.) Six theories of child development. (pp 187-249). London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
    Jindal-Snape, D. (2010). Moving on: Integrating the lessons learnt and the way ahead. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around the world. New York: Routledge (pp. 223-244).
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011
    EventScottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Annual Conference 2011: Educational Research in an Age of Austerity - Stirling Highland Hotel, Stirling, United Kingdom
    Duration: 24 Nov 201125 Nov 2011
    http://www.sera.ac.uk/documents/2011/SERA%20Call%20for%20Papers%202011.pdf (Link to conference information)

    Conference

    ConferenceScottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Annual Conference 2011
    Abbreviated titleSERA 2011
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    CityStirling
    Period24/11/1125/11/11
    Internet address

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