Cooperation Between Parents and Schools From a Student Perspective

Abstract

Numerous studies have proven the influence that cooperation between parents and schools has on student academic achievements (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Jeynes, 2011). Research in this field indicates that a beneficial influence does not particularly depend on the quantity of such cooperation but rather on qualitative aspects (Pomerantz, Moorman & Litwack, 2007). In a quantitative study, 268 secondary school students in Germany were asked to give their opinions on obligatory student-teacher-parent conversations that had recently been introduced as a new form of assessment. The research question of this paper focuses on how students consider the presence of their parents in these conversations and on which attitudes and behavior on the parent side are considered to promote a fruitful cooperation. The initial results confirm the theoretically developed hypotheses: parental attitudes characterized by esteem and support towards their children correspond with positive evaluations of the concrete cooperation, while controlling behavior has a negative impact.