Rekenen op je ouders

Abstract

Parental involvement is especially urgent for youngsters in disadvantaged situations because it can mediate negative consequences of growing up poor. Via a randomized controlled trial 120 students (grade 6 and 7) attending three primary schools in a deprived neighbourhood (Pendrecht) were either assigned to a group receiving ‘High Dosage Tutoring’ (HDT) or to a control group. In pairs, for four hours per week, members of the treatment group received a year of personalized math-instruction during regular school hours from a tutor communicating every week with their parents. In this mixed- method cross-sectional study, surveys with parents (n = 84), home-interviews with parents of tutor-children (n = 7), a focus-group with tutors (n = 7) and an analysis of their contact-registration (203 notes) were conducted to research influences of HDT on parental involvement in the school and home environment. The sociological work of Lareau (2003) and Bourdieu (1984) implies that little should be expected from such an intervention. Indeed, we didn’t find quantitative differences in parental involvement between tutor and non-tutor parents. However, the qualitative data suggest that via different possible mechanisms HDT had positive effects on parental involvement at home. This article sheds light on the broader discussion about how school systems contribute to the reproduction of inequalities and how these inequalities can be mitigated.