‘Yes, the school's efforts. Yes, I need to do my part and to do my bit’. (T1 7:180)
The superordinate theme ‘Appreciation of Effort’ consists of the subordinate themes ‘Participation and Contribution’ and ‘Communication and Relationship’. The perception that Parents/ Carers had of their children/s participation and contribution relates both to the ‘Our Future' Project and to references about school engagement in general. The accounts from the participants suggest that participation and contribution is enhanced or distanced through communication and relationship. The findings of this study would propose a narrative that participation and contribution on the part of families that do not readily engage with school can be encouraged. 5.3i Subordinate theme (Parents): Participation and Contribution
The first of the two subordinate themes to comprise parent / carer views is participation and contribution. Participation and contribution relates on the part of the parent / carers as both their own participation and contribution to the school and
that of their children. All the families appreciated the effort made on the part of the school to put on an event. It was found that parental as well as pupil participation in an event encouraged greater participation and contribution to attend and engage with school on the part of their children once the event was over.
Although the comment from P2 is brief: ‘She just went and said nothing about it’ (T2 15:2), it is a statement that reflects for the young person of this family that having a project to focus on in school meant that they ‘just got on with it’ and participated and contributed in a school activity without any fuss. It is an important statement for this family because participation of the young person in school activities has been a struggle with reduced attendance. To the narrative of this family it represents a shift in the attitude of their daughter.
Appreciation through participation and contribution is expressed through the recognition that school had acted on the needs of the pupil outside of the project and rated by P2 as ‘pretty good’. It provides a perception of the school by this family that they will act to meet need. This statement relates to underlying constructs that are both normative (slow) and relational (disengaged) aspects of the young person’s needs as perceived by the parent.
‘Yes they are very good about X. They put all her stuff into place…..I think that’s
why they did it, because she was slow or disengaged with school’ (T 2 15:00 – 5:01).
Likewise, P3 relates the experience of their family beyond the ‘Our Future' Project:
‘Well, they’re trying to urm, accommodate him as best as they possibly can, urm, and putting the ball quite a bit in X’s court and seeing how, what do you feel comfortable with and urm, we just want you back in school, urm. They are being quite flexible with him as to … it does help, because at the moment, he’s almost like the equal participant and he’s making his own decisions which is great. It empowers X. For me it is fab’ (T3 6 12:00 -12.03).
P1 goes on to relate a clear sense of the Carer's feelings evoked by the positives that the project had provided for this family.
The detail of participation goes on to be described by P1; she had participated by going along to a school meeting about the forthcoming ‘Our Future' Project and she had contributed by making suggestions:
‘We sat around at the tables and made suggestions. I suggested what the um, what the girls did at XXXX (primary school) see the work the children are doing so they can help them with their homework’ (T1 1:14).
This reference to primary school also illustrates that for P1 it is not the first time a contribution has been made. It would go on to suggest P1’s underlying beliefs and family narrative that support for children in their learning through parental contribution and participation is important,
‘Parents should go to classes like Maths the children are doing, so parents can help with the homework’ (T1 1:15).
P3 suggests a willingness to make a greater contribution beyond the ‘Our Future' Project.
‘I’m grateful for the fact they’ve done you know (‘Our Future Project’). I just wish it
was more involved, even if they did some more parent participation. I know for a fact there’s myself and P (Dad) who would be more than willing and X another child. Her Dad’s ex forces, and her Mum, I know she works at the hospital, we you know would have made the time you know to do more to have helped. Because I did, you know, see the benefits of it but it would have been something that could go on more’. (T3
1719:00 - 19:03)
Reference to the participation and contribution of child(ren) to the ‘Our Future' Project and the ongoing benefits was enthusiastically endorsed by all participants:
‘The fact that the kids had done it themselves was absolutely brilliant.’(T2 56:8) ‘They XXX have settled in better this year. They are really trying hard to do their best, more motivated than two years ago’ (T1 6:130).
‘We went to that meeting (‘Our Future' Project meeting) and it seemed he had talked with me, spoken to X and went into the TAF and urm, he was asked ‘what did he* want’ and ‘what did he* want to do (had previously been out of school) and he*
wants to go to school urm, so he made the decision that he would come in and started by saying after Christmas, ‘I will come in in the mornings’ urm we’ve got a week and a half left of school to go (until Christmas) a week tomorrow’ (T3 6 12:04 to
12:06). ‘And he’s been going’ (T3 612:07) (as a result of engagement with the ’Our Future' Project). These narratives would suggest that parents are inclined to participate and make a contribution to school if they can see there is benefit for their children. Benefit is not just about participation in a project that has been laid on for them but about realising the ongoing benefits such as improved attendance (P2 and P3), and increased motivation to participate in school lessons (P1). All the parents were, however, prepared to participate themselves, indicating that they all valued participation even if this was not necessarily something that was easy for them to do. They had all made the step to participate by attending a meeting about the project, and following that, an event that was put in place to encourage their participation and to engage them. It suggests a narrative that participation and contribution is not always easy, as illustrated through the following extract,
P1: Parents should go to classes like Maths the children are doing, so parents can
help with the homework. (T1 1 15-22)
I: prompt – Did they take up the suggestion?
P1: Yes, yes, I never went to it though. It was completely different when at school in my day so I couldn’t help them. It changes all the time you know; you need to know how to work a computer (laughs) (T1 1 15 – 0:22).
earlier in the interview P1 had shared that she had made suggestions in a meeting. It suggests that she has the confidence to propose and articulate an idea. However, is she more confident because that idea was one from her previous experience of when the children were at primary school? The expectation that supporting children to complete homework is part of the responsibility and participation of family suggests it is a value or belief held in the narrative of this family. It would suggest that families are able to engage, participate and contribute at different levels. Attending a maths class could be perceived as risky for some, but for all the individuals in this study, the non-traditional school experience of the ‘Our Future' Project was something in which they felt able to participate in.
The tension of having a child who finds it difficult to engage with school is experienced and provides an example of divergence from the narrative of participation and contribution within the superordinate theme of appreciation,
‘His dad and myself did feel a bit of pressure actually urm… It’s as if the school thought that we hadn’t tried hard enough or that we weren’t being forceful enough which wasn’t the case’ (T3 612:09 -13:00).
Being self-critical and having perceptions that a school is questioning your parenting also contributes to feelings of alienation which would polarise families from engaging with school, participating and making a contribution.
It ……..was just the impression that we got was that urm, or whether that was us being critical of ourselves, we felt it (T3 713:01 – 13:02).
Reflection
I felt that there had been evidenced some clear messages about participation and contribution through these narratives. It reveals a picture that is not straightforward for schools or families. Perceptions of prevailing attitudes and underlying feelings associated with risk-taking and pressure are ‘lived-world’ barriers to participation and contribution. However, it also reflects that barriers can be overcome through an experience that has inclined someone to feel appreciative. I was excited, as I thought that clear messages were being created through the narratives that were suggesting a willingness to participate and contribute in school activities on the part of parents / carers. However, I also thought that it exposed a narrative about personal confidence. An example is the parent who had suggested about going to a maths class but then didn’t go herself. Did she perhaps feel aware that her experience of education wouldn’t relate to the modern experience of being taught mathematics? I suggest that it represents a psychological risk of exposure. It may also suggest a social construct of the perceived expectation that parents/carers may have both of themselves and by teachers.