The Dance of Engagement: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Parental Engagement.

Abstract

This thesis is focused on the process of effective parental engagement through the multiple perspectives of parents and practitioners in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. The potential positive impact of effective parental engagement is well documented and provides robust evidence in support of many practices that may improve outcomes for low-income and marginalised families. Engaging parents in family literacy programmes to support their child's development can enhance social, academic and behavioural outcomes for children. Despite these known advantages of harnessing parental engagement, research has shown that engaging parents in interventions can be difficult. To generate a contextualised theory on effective parental engagement in family literacy programmes Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) was chosen as the methodology for this study. Constructivist Grounded Theory views research as constructed to include the researcher's position, privileges, perspective and interactions with participants. The aim of this study was to explore the multiple perspectives of parents and practitioners in an area of socio-economic disadvantage on engagement strategies. The objective to develop a framework for engagement from the theory was formed from two questions: 1. What can the multiple perspectives of parents and practitioners tell us about how barriers to engagement can be addressed, to maximise engagement? 2. How can the perspectives of parents and practitioners enhance our understanding of what works in engagement practices? To gather data for this study, eight focus groups were held with 34 participants which included parents and practitioners and explored their experiences of engagement. The findings of the data analysis and the application of the CGT methods supported the development of a theory of parental engagement, `the dance of engagement'. Taken as a whole, `the dance of engagement' has implications for theory, practice and support for a policy of effective parental engagement. A collective understanding at a policy and funding level is important to promote engagement strategies across services. The theory, the `dance of engagement', has implications for the practice of effective engagement by supporting practitioners, services and parents to reflect on their understanding and knowledge of effective engagement. The theory includes opportunities to include parents' voices in the co-creation of shared engagement practices to maximise the possibility that engagement will be effective.