An interpretative study to the home-school relationship
Maria de Lurdes Cardoso
Polithecnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Portugal
Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Hamburg, 17-20 September 2003
The purpose of this paper is to present some issues of home/school relations and educational achievement developed in the study of Cardoso (1999). This part is concerned with the theoretical and practical considerations, the context of the study and the strategies and roles the parents adopt in the course of the hands-on activities at home.
Theoretical framework and methodological implications
In the 1950s and 1960s, the decades after the Second World War, Structural Functionalism was the principal school of thought. The educational system could be characterized by an attempt to equalise educational opportunities, which is the ideal of all democratic societies. The socialization function of school is that, irrespective of social origin, everybody can reach any social position by individual merit and effort.This produces social mobility and meritocratic society.
In the early 1960s a new theoretical school emerged, the Human Capital theory, with roots in classical economics, which can be considered a continuation of economic technological functionalism. Bowles'analysis argues that the disparity between the classes is a function of educational inequality and a consequence of social inequality.
Douglas' (1964) study called "The Home and the School" can be considered as an attempt at evaluating how the school guarantees equality of social and educational opportunities. Coleman's (USA) and Plowden's (UK) reports are charged with presenting information about the lack of equality of opportunity among individuals belonging to different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds, and to build programmes to correct these deficiencies. Their findings that school makes little difference to children's achievements lead to the suggestion that family background is much more important than school. Critics of these studies argue that their results do not explain the internal working of schools, or family background.
In contrast to the functionalists, neo-Marxists and other conflict theorists argue that the school's main function is the reproduction of the dominant ideology and the social division of labour. In the present study, the social class comparison is not considered as the more important aspect, but the child/parent strategies and roles during the hands-on activities at home. This links the home influence and school achievement in different ways from those functionalist and conflict theories, in which social life works on a macro level. We are more intertested in understanding how the child learns at home and, in particular, the child/parent interaction in the context of parents helping their children to learn science at home.
Thus, an interpretative approach is considered more important for the present study. The participant observation is the main method of investigation. It involved collecting data from the observations mainly focused on the children-parents interactions during the visits to the pupils'homes.
For this study, I had a meeting with the same class teacher and pupils'parents, at the beginning of the school year. During this meeting I explained my project and carefully referred to the six observational studies to be carried out in six homes. The data collection procedure for this may be uncomfortable for some parents. The families (63%) who immediately offered to collaborate in carrying out the activities and permitted access to their home, influenced my choice. In fact, it was important to choose parents who were very willing to co-operate with their children in my presence and in whom I could feel some confidence in that they would continue until the end of the school year. Thus, having received a letter, the families guaranteed that they would offer me these conditions by means of written form. However a continuously renegotiating access was made with the parents during the six home visits. All the meetings were timed to be at their convenience.
The researcher view is that the families differ among themselves and the context of the study is fundamentally defined in terms of the aspects of each family life, such as the child-parent interactions. So the strategies and roles of the children and their parents must be understood as embedded in a socio-cultural context, as well as the kind of materials used in the course of the hands-on activities at home.
Home-school relationship
In the present study, the home-school relationship is based on the primary children's learning in the context of carrying out hands-on activities with their parents'help at home. The hands-on activities are related to the Portuguese National Curriculum and the British project called SHIPS (School-Home Investigations in Primary Science). For example:
-What does light go through?
-Magnetism around the house.
-Making cheese from milk.
-Electric forces.
-Magnification.
-Colour in bubbles.
So, the children's work at home is brought back to school for discussion with the teacher and the class and it is a proposal to link home and school.
Some transcripts are provided to illustrate the parents'opinions:
- My wife helps more in school...she talks with the teacher and follows the child's progress. But, this time, when I arrived home, my daughter showed and explained to me what she had done with her mother. And I asked her some questions, too.
- I think it was useful. Sometimes, we do not pay attention to what they are doing in school. The activities obliged me to give her more time and to find out about the school programme too.
- On the same day that he received the information sheet in school, he wanted to do it, but we were too busy...At the weekend, all the family (including his brother) helped him.
- It was fun. I was preparing the dinner and his father helped him with the materials...I also asked some questions.
- It was good. Usually, he works alone at home. We are very busy people and, sometimes, a little lazy too. But I think that this cooperation is very important.
- It was the first time we were all engaged in the experiment.
- He told me that he wanted to do an experiment together. I had to collaborate and we both enjoyed it.
- It was good. He was very interested. I think that school shoul develop more activities to develop a child's mind at home too.
The study findings show that the hands-on activities carried out at home allow an interaction between school and home.
In order to develop an understanding if each home is ready for the parents help their children to learn school science and doing simple experiments at home, they say:
- It is important because the children learn to do new experiments in their own environment (Jane's mother).
- Nobody is better than a parent for arousing their children's enthusiasm and preparing them for a future life in which sciences play their part...
At home the children feel protected and confident because they have their parent's support and help (Neil's mother).
- The relationship between parents and children is strengthened. In some ways, parents have to collaborate more in the child's school life. At home, children learn better, because they have an incentive from one who loves them, which gives them confidence...
Simple things awaken the child's curiosity and parent's help is important to the child (Mick's mother).
- Parents must help their children in both science and other objects ( Phil's father).
- Parents must help their children to learn science at home, as well as other subjects in order to ensure the child's progress at school ( Alex's father).
- Education begins at home and science at home contributes to the child's development. Science at home gives the child security in relation to his/her everyday life. The parents should be available...Maybe, they give more importance to other things and they forget that a child's development is fundamental ( Bob's mother).
So these parents are aware of the importance of the parents helping in their children's education and they refer to home learning environment.
About the importance of science teaching in primary school, in which the parents had little or no science education in their compulsory, they say:
- The contact with nature is important at the begining of school activity, as well as correct and well oriented teaching on various questions which the child asks about the environment and its phenomena (Jane's mother).
- Children in their early years like nature very much. They are still discovering the world around them. So they are enthusiastic about discovering natural phenomena. If they are well guided in their interests they will not forget, they will enjoy it and they will want to learn more (Bob's mother).
- Because it is just at the beginning that everything must be dealt with. Primary school must prepare the child in sciences (Neil's mother).
- Because primary school is the child's first contact with so-called sciences. I think that the teaching of sciences is beneficial (Alex's father).
- It is important because this is the ideal age to acquire new knowledge, and to gain at an early age some ideas about matters that they will study later. Also, science experiments awaken in them great interest and curiosity (Mick's mother).
- Because they learn to be aware of the environment in which they live (Phil's father).
Agreement on the importance of science teaching in primary school is also shared by all the parents. So the hands-on based on very simple science activities carried out at home by children with their families and discussed at school, may become a bridge between the children's science education and the children's social world.
Parents'strategies and roles
In order to understand the child/parent interaction in the context of parents helping their children to learn science at home, it seems important to examine the strategies and roles that they adopt in the course of the hands-on activities.
For instance, during the hands-on activity nº 4:
Jane's home
Jane reads the instructions. The materials are already put on the table.
Mother- You already tested the clips inside the fridge door, didn't you ?
Jane- Yes. The clips were attracted.
Father- They have already gone around the house looking for magnets, but they haven't
found them.
Jane (laughs)- We are already on the third part (of the information sheet).
Jane- The magnet pulled the scissors and pins also.
Mother- That is fun.
Jane- Now, copper coins. Ah! It didn't pull them.
Jane- And silver? Ah! It didn't pull that either.
Brother- These bracelets are from our baptism.
Mother laughs.
Jane- And iron? Maybe not. These screws are too heavy.
Mother- It's not the weight.
Jane- No? What is it then?
Mother- Look. These (scissors) are much heavier than the screw and you saw that the
magnet pulled them, didn't you?
Jane- Eh, boy! It's attracted.
Mother- Look! The magnet pulled these things and didn't pull those.
Jane- Ah! Then the magnet pulled steel and iron only, didn't it?
Jane- Now, aluminium (kitchen foil). No.
Jane- Look, mother. The magnet pulled the drink can.
Mother- Maybe this drink can isn't aluminium.
Father- Test it (saucepan). This is aluminium.
Jane- No (the magnet didn't pull it).
Mother- This drink can is steel.
Brother (laughs)- And this, Jane?
Jane (laughs)- Let's see what the magnet is able to pull?
Both complete the chart (information sheet).
. Jane's mother makes any help given conditional upon the child's understanding and lets the child take more responsability for what is hapenning.
Alex's home
Alex reads the instructions and his parents help him.
Alex- The clips are attracted.
Mother- So write it down.
Father- We don't have magnets inside the cupboards. (You can't complete the second part).
Alex- The magnet pulled the scissors and the pins.
Father- Now, copper coins.
Alex- Ah! It didn't pull.
Alex- Silver, it didn't pull.
Alex- Iron. Ah! It pulled.
Alex- Aluminium (the kitchen foil), no.
Alex- Aluminium (the drink can). It pulled.
Mother- Ah! Try it again.
Alex- It didn't pull.
Father (brings another drinks can)- Now try this one (the coca cola).
Alex- Ah! It pulled.
Father- What is happening?
Alex- Ah! It pulled iron and steel only.
Father- So?
Alex- Hum!
Father- Maybe this drink can is made of steel, isn't it?
Alex- Yes, yes!
. Alex's parents offer help and step back until the child's understanding is guaranted.
Neil's home
Neil( reads)- Open the fridge door and use clips to test the inside of the door.
Mother (laughs)- Ah! Is this the inside of the door?
Neil (laughs)- It's attracted.
Neil (reads and does it alone)- Try to find the magnets by using your clips...Ah! I can't
find any.
Mother- Try here. Can you feel it pulling the clips?
Neil- Oh, yes!
Neil (reads the part III of the instructions and does it alone)- I've already done that.
Neil (laughs)- It pulled only the iron and the steel.
. Neil's mother ensures that the child is not left alone, but he is quite independent and he shows great initiative and responsability for what is happening.
Mick's home
Mick (reads)- "Open the fridge door. Use your clips to test the inside of the door.
Mother (laughs)- Let's try.
Mick- Look, mother! And now do I write "It's attracted" here (information sheet)?
Mother- Yes.
Mother- Read now.
Mick reads the instructions.
Mother- Now we go to see on which doors we have magnets. Look, I found one here.
Mick- And now?
Mother- Let's try. Does the magnet pull the scissors?
Mick- Yes.
Mother- Now you draw a cross (x)...Where is it (has the magnet pulled or not)?
Mick- Here.
Mother- Yes. Try coins now.
Mick- It (the magnet) didn't pull.
Mother- No? No. Ah! That is fun. I didn't know. I thought that the magnet pulled the
cooper...
Mick- This one, yes. I've already tried.
Mother- It pulled the iron and steel only. That is fun.
. Mick's mother combines showing and telling, and the child's degree of responsability for what is happening is reduced, because child and mother share in doing the experiment.
Phil's home
Father reads and places the materials on the table.
Father (says)- Open the fridge door and hold the clips near the "rubber". What is
happening?
Phil- It's pulled.
Father reads the instructions and says that there's a magnet there.
Father (reads and says)- We don't have magnets inside cupboard or other doors. Now
it's more common to have a handle instead of a magnet.
Father helps him to complete the chart.
Father- Look at the scissors. What has happened?
Phil- They're pulled.
Father- And the coins?
Phil- No. Is the cross (x) here?
Father- Yes. And the silver?
Phil- Nothing.
Father- Iron (nails)?
Phil- Ah, yes!
Father- Aluminium (the kitchen foil)?
Phil- No.
Father- You've already done it.
Mother- Ah! Is it already done?
Father- Look at the chart. What did the magnet pull?
Phil- Steel, yes; copper, no; silver, no; iron, yes; aluminium, no...
. Phil's father's role is almost completely focused on demonstration at a superficial level.
Bob's home
Bob reads, and mother places the materials on the table.
Mother- Let's go there (fridge). What is happening, son?
Bob- The clips are held there (inside the fridge door).
Mother- Yes. Read the instructions.
Mother- Then you hold the clips and look for other magnets. Where do you think you
will find the other magnets?
Bob tries to find the magnets inside the video door and in the "music box".
Bob- You know that the little swans have magnets here ( underneath) and then they are
held on.
Mother- Exactly. Now you have to write on the activity sheet where you have
encountered magnets, don't you?
Bob reads the third part.
Mother- We are already on the third part. It's going well, isn't it?
Bob tries out pins on a magnet and the magnet doesn't pull them
Mother- Ah! These are not steel. Now I understand because they bend easily. Try the
scissors now. What is happening?
Bob- It (the magnet) attracted them
Mother- And the nails?
Bob- The same.
Mother- Then when you have materials of steel and iron where is the cross (x)?
Bob- Here (the magnet has pulled it).
Mother- And now, see the copper coin.
Bob- It didn't pull it.
Mother- Ah! And the silver?
Bob- Nothing (happens).