What happens when parents and teachers engage in sustained conversation about learning.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Martin, Rose Theresa.

Contributor:

Lazerson, Marvin, advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Families--Research.

Families.

Sociology--Research.

Sociology.

Oral communication.

Communication.

Educational sociology.

0340.

0459.

0628.

Penn dissertations--Education.

Education--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Education.

Education--Penn dissertations.

0340.

0459.

0628.

Physical Description:

230 pages

Contained In:

Dissertation Abstracts International 61-03A.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

Parent involvement is commonly accepted as an essential element for educational success. This assertion is accentuated in urban contexts. Though the validity of this belief is rarely questioned, the why and how of parent involvement are less clearly articulated. The belief that learning is the primary purpose of schooling and that parents and teachers together can affect the quality of the students' learning is the driving force for inviting parents and teachers to engage in sustained conversation about learning. The bi-weekly conversations span one semester and join parents and teachers from both an urban elementary and a middle school as participants in the research. Approaching the conversations from a constructivist orientation provides an analogic dynamic where the content is mirrored in the process. Individual parent and teacher interviews, as well as weekly classroom interaction, complement the research. The difficulty of connecting learning to schooling and the societal challenges to educational efficacy, reflected in both the content and context of the conversations, both hinder the project and demonstrate the necessity of the conversation. The presence of an 'animator' is constitutive to disrupting the dominant discourse and promoting the kind of disequilibrium that fosters learning. The topic of learning where neither group's knowledge is privileged supports a spirit of mutuality and vulnerability. Teachers' emphasis on communication and compliance is challenged by the implicit values of conversation and respect that are signaled by parents. As a sense of community begins to develop, the needs of the students become more of a focus, and practices that promote the status-quo begin to be questioned.

Notes:

Thesis (Ph.D. in Education) -- University of Pennsylvania, 2000.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-03, Section: A, page: 0941.

Adviser: Marvin Lazerson.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175.

ISBN:

9780599701403

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.