Parental involvement in school processes
Lead: TUM
Both in Germany and worldwide, pupils with a migrant background and/or low socio-economic status lag behind other children in their school performance on average. Inequalities in the performance (e.g. language skills) of these disadvantaged children are already apparent at the start of school. In recent years, the role of parents has increasingly come to the fore in the discussion on support options for the disadvantaged group of pupils. Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between parental involvement in school processes (e.g. support with homework or involvement in school activities) and their children's school performance. The fact that parents of disadvantaged children are usually less involved in school processes (e.g. due to a lack of knowledge regarding the national school system) and, in addition, are often difficult to reach from the school's point of view further exacerbates existing disadvantages of this group of students.
This research synthesis focuses on systematic reviews examining the potential of parental involvement to reduce existing inequalities in the education system in general and in particular for the group of disadvantaged students. In this context, the effects of different forms of parental participation, such as support for homework or discussing educational goals with children, are considered. Additionally programmes initiated by schools are screend and gathered together, which aim to support in parents who are less well educated in relevant educational issues and thus involve them more in the school environment. The findings of the present work will be published in a practice brochure.
Publication (only available in German):
Elternbeteiligung als Potenzial zur Förderung des schulischen Erfolgs. Ein Second-Order-Review (Seiten 302-317)
Täschner, J., Holzberger, D. & Hillmayr, D. (2021). Elternbeteiligung als Potenzial zur Förderung des schulischen Erfolgs. Ein Second-Order-Review. Die Deutsche Schule, 3, 302-317.
doi: 10.31244/dds.2021.03.05
