Cultural capital and family involvement in children's education: tales from two primary schools in Cyprus

Purpose Parents’ collective involvement in their children’s education takes the form of holding leadership positions in schools. Employing the concept of liminality, which is used in anthropological and sociological approaches, the purpose of this paper is to explore the features of parent leadership in schools (PLS). Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with 18 individuals: 11 chairpersons and 7 members of the parent leadership of 11 primary schools in Israel attended by students of high socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings Data analyses disclose PLS as a liminal framework, which constitutes both formal and informal dimensions, whether these be its in-school limited activities or out-of-school actions in introducing change and supporting the institutions. PLS’s functions are restricted by school principals, but simultaneously enhance school principals’ position. Practical implications The study’s findings carry implications for school collaboration with external entities. School principals need to support PLS and keep encouraging entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. There is a need for acknowledging the value of PLS’s contributions whereas policy makers must provide more guidelines and support to parent leaders. Originality/value The study focuses on exploring the position of collective parental involvement in schools. This issue is of significance in a time where parents gain more responsibility over their children’s education and schools support more collaborative relationships with external agencies. The study highlights the benefits of parents in leadership positions for school benefits and for school principals’ legitimacy, from the approach of liminality.

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The Involvement of Domestic Work Mothers in Their Children’s Education: Cultural Capital and Migration

Gender Questions ◽

10.25159/2412-8457/3048 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sinenhlanhla Sithulisiwe Chisale ◽

Angela Gubba

Keyword(s):

Cultural Capital ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Qualitative Methodology ◽

Domestic Work ◽

Domestic Workers ◽

Children's Education ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Children’S Education ◽

And Migration ◽

Insight Into

The intention of this article is to contribute to the understanding of how migration, with its effect of repositioning social class, shapes the care given to and the education of the children of migrant mothers employed for domestic work in South Africa. This article utilises a qualitative methodology and employs an evocative autoethnography to provide accounts of the lived experiences of migrant domestic work mothers in their involvement with their children’s education. The authors write about themselves and give a deeper insight into migrant domestic work mothers and how migration affected their children’s education. Bourdieu’s cultural capital approach is used to explore the multifaceted mechanisms and circumstances surrounding the authors’ experiences of balancing work as migrant mothers employed as domestic workers and involvement in their children’s education. The findings of the paper indicate that the nature of the work, i.e. domestic employment, affects the participation of mothers in caregiving and involvement in their children’s education. Further findings indicate that a mother’s active involvement in her children’s education contributes to successful achievements. It also emerged that children whose mothers are active participants in their lives and education do not struggle with their education.

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