Abstract
International authors have argued that social class inequalities can influence parental engagement in education. Lareau argued that middle‐class families possess the resources to actively cultivate their children to succeed academically, whereas working‐class and poor families feel they lack such resources and allow their children to develop limited and passive relations with school. This article applies a core element of Lareau’s typology of child rearing to examine disadvantaged British mothers’ experience of engaging with schools. A study involving 77 parents and caregivers of secondary school children, considered disadvantaged, sought to understand the experiences of parental engagement in primary and secondary education. Selective case studies have been chosen from this larger study, using a thematic analysis, to understand how these mothers interpreted their experiences of engaging with secondary education, their feelings of frustration, powerlessness and distance from secondary school. The stories presented illustrate that the ‘accomplishment of natural growth’ provides a contemporary class analysis framework to interpret the experiences of some disadvantaged British parents. Recommendations are made advising how Lareau’s typology of child rearing can inform policy and practice in the British education system and recommendations for future research are made with the purpose of promoting equal access to educational engagement and opportunities.
Highlights
Education is often lauded for its ability to offer opportunities for social mobility (Fenning & May, 2013)
It is argued that the latter form of parenting and child rearing is at odds with the education system, placing working-class and poor children at a systematic disadvantage
The accounts presented in this article are selected case study examples from a larger research project conducted before the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent home schooling in the UK
Summary
Education is often lauded for its ability to offer opportunities for social mobility (Fenning & May, 2013) It operates within a context where children from middle-class families generally perform better academically than those from workingclass and poor families (Carter-Wall & Whitfield, 2012). This article reviews the literature surrounding constructions of class-based differences in parental engagement and involvement in education, considering the wider policy context. It will describe Lareau’s parental engagement framework which argues that middle-class parents adopt a highly organised and interventionist approach to child rearing and education, whereas working-class and poor parents adopt an approach which differs significantly, allowing children to explore and preferring unstructured learning. We will discuss the implications of the results on policy and practice, arguing for policy makers and practitioners to consider the wider contexts and lived experiences of families before considering the wider systematic barriers that exist within policy that perpetuate social exclusion and marginalisation
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