Research Section: ‘Parents as Partners’ in research and evaluation: methodological and ethical issues and solutions

Wolfendale, Sheila

doi:10.1111/1467-8527.00130

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…Yet parents tread a difficult line if they wish to avoid being characterised as too anxious and pushy ( middle class – never a compliment), or not interested enough (in the current discourse ‘hard to reach’) – either way, they can be positioned as ‘problems’ and the source of their children's learning and behaviour difficulties in the classroom (see e.g., Moses and Croll, 1987). As a result of this, parents can often feel themselves to be not so much partners – or even, in Wolfendale's (1999) terminology, clients (except in the pejorative sense reserved for their clients by professionals) – but as poor relations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home–school partnership and the construction of deviance: being and becoming the Goldfish family

Watson

2010

Research in Spec Educ Needs

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Partnership between home and school is a key aspect of current educational policy. At the level of policy of the notion of partnership is constructed unproblematically as smooth consensus, but this may not be the way it plays out in school where deeply rooted assumptions surrounding parenthood – and in particular motherhood – may pertain. This paper is concerned with home–school relations and the way in which schools construct deviance and attribute stigma. It is an analysis of a narrative written by a parent of a child diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It explores Jenny's narrative concerning the events surrounding the diagnosis, in particular the part played by the school in this process, and the descent of a family from normality into madness. The paper begins with the attribution of deviance, the development of stigma and the birth of the Goldfish family. It then goes on to present three Hogarthian scenes documenting the family's progress, and examines the peculiar convergence of social pressures which result in madness, before drawing some conclusions concerning the construction of deviance and the role of the school in this.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home–school partnership and the construction of deviance: being and becoming the Goldfish family

Watson

2010

Research in Spec Educ Needs

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“…This paper sets out to demonstrate that the parents I encountered in my research have very different perspectives from health and education professionals and yet emotional and practical support is essential for the parents concerned. This support may come from extended family or social networks (Carpenter, Addenbrooke, Attfield & Conway, 2004) or from practitioners in collaboration with parents (Gascoigne, 1995;Wolfendale, 1997;Wolfendale, 1999) even though they may not, at the point of diagnosis, want support or know what support they need. This paper highlights the significance of a child's diagnosis of learning disability for parents; the process of coming to terms with a significant 'loss' of an idealised child; the denial that can ensue; but then, how important support, feeling supported and social acceptance is in the parenting journey.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disabling a family? Emotional dilemmas experienced in becoming a parent of a child with learning disabilities

Rogers¹

2007

British J Special Edu

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Becoming the parent of a child diagnosed with learning disabilities can have a dramatic impact. Chrissie Rogers, the author of this article, is both a lecturer in education studies at Keele University and the mother of a daughter who has learning disabilities. She argues here that the pressures on mothers to produce ‘perfect’ babies and to meet all their needs are immense. These pressures arise from both internalised norms and societal expectations and, in the face of these pressures, parents may feel shock, loss and disappointment. These feelings may lead, in turn, to denial, anxiety and conflict affecting both the parents and the professionals involved with the family. Drawing on a series of in‐depth interviews and personal narratives, Chrissie Rogers makes a powerful case for the importance of support, whether that support is formal or informal. She suggests that, without the right levels of support and understanding, having a child with a diagnosis of learning disability can disable the whole family.

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“…Positive effects of parental engagement in their children's reading and learning development have been reported from several studies (e.g. Topping, 2002;Wolfendale, 1999), but it is only recently that researchers have dealt with the parents' role in the context of children's reading difficulties (Aunola, Nurmi, Niemi, Lerkkanen, & Rasku-Puttonen, 2002;Baker, 2003). Aunola et al (2002) delineated the developmental dynamics involving children's mastery strategies, reading skills and parental beliefs concerning children's school competencies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resistant readers 8 months later: energizing the student's learning milieu by targeted counselling

2006

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Several studies have reported that an alarming large subgroup of poor readers seems to be treatment resistant. This group obviously needs attention beyond standard special education instructions. In Norway, the National Centre for Reading Education and Research has been assigned the task of assisting the school psychological services nationwide in severe cases of reading disabilities. The aim of the present study of a clinical sample of students with severe dyslexia, due to phonological deficits, was to evaluate effects of counselling 8 months after a 2-day assessment at the centre. Sixty-five students, with a mean age of 12.3 years, participated. A thorough assessment of each student's strengths and problems was conducted at the centre. Additional information was obtained from the school psychological services, the teachers, and the parents. Diagnostic reports and proposals for remediation were forwarded to the school psychological services. Students', parents', and teachers' evaluation of the students' reading abilities 8 months after the assessment was retrieved for 75% of cases. Of these, 80% reported clear progress in the students' reading abilities. The progress could not be related to age, cognitive level, place of residence, or previous special education received, but instead to improved motivation.

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Research Section: ‘Parents as Partners’ in research and evaluation: methodological and ethical issues and solutions

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Home–school partnership and the construction of deviance: being and becoming the Goldfish family

Home–school partnership and the construction of deviance: being and becoming the Goldfish family

Disabling a family? Emotional dilemmas experienced in becoming a parent of a child with learning disabilities

Resistant readers 8 months later: energizing the student's learning milieu by targeted counselling

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