Towards A Typology Of Parental Behaviors, Attitudes, And Beliefs About School

Abstract

The social and academic experiences of children and adolescents in school are a major concern for parents and their characteristics as protection or risk factors for their children’s adaptation has been extensively studied. However, few studies have dealt with the behaviors, attitudes and beliefs of parents about the schools their children are enrolled in. The aim of this study was to address that issue. A random sample of 1297 parents drawn from 8 large Canadian school boards took part in standardized individual interviews which yielded both quantitative and qualitative information on demographics, family structure, time management, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs about school, along with data on their children’s school achievement and overall adaptation. A dynamic grouping analysis was applied to salient variables which generated a four group typology of parents: collaborators, critics, overwhelmed, and ill-equipped. Results further indicated that only a very small number of participants did not value education, as opposed to earlier findings where they represented a significant proportion of parents. Practical implications of these results for school administrators, parents and educators will be discussed.