The Dynamics of Parental Involvement in an Educate Together National School

Abstract

This study is an exploration of the motivations, experiences and desired outcomes of parents taking part in school-based parental involvement programmes at an ethnically diverse DEIS Band 1 Educate Together National School. It focuses on how parents involve themselves in their children’s education with the aim of identifying how their involvement practices can inform future school-based initiatives. The study consisted of focus group and semi-structured individual interviews with parents who have been involved in initiatives at the school in the past. The findings from the study highlighted how the school-based initiatives equipped the parents with skills and self-efficacy to support their child’s home-based learning, and how it enabled them to develop social and cultural capital by interacting with teachers and other parents. In addition to this, the study revealed that while parents with a low socio-economic status were highly motivated to involve themselves in school-based activities, there was a need for increased parental voice in the planning of activities and initiatives that would better suit the diverse community of parents.