The Influence of Parental Self-efficacy and Engagement on Educational Relationships in the Primary School

Exploring the interaction between education and social relationships has been a long-standing focus of educational research. Drawing on findings from a four-year, longitudinal study which investigated direct and indirect influences of parental involvement on academic achievement of pupils, social cohesion, and the family-community-school relationship, this chapter focuses on the role of parents as partners in contemporary schooling. The school involved was characterised by a high presence of ethnic minority children within a neighbourhood of low social and economic status in the Midlands region of the United Kingdom and, using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected from school leaders, teachers, parents, pupils and practitioners working in the local community. In exploring a broad spectrum of activities, including family education programs targeting migrant women in the community, findings from the study suggest the importance of re-imagining the school as a community space for education centred around the positive influences of parental involvement on pupils, and embracing the diverse experiences of immediate family as well as the surrounding community. Broadly the study is suggestive of the ways in which educational relationships can support community cohesion in diverse contexts through increasing parental self-efficacy and engagement in their children’s schooling.