oa Contact met ouders in het grootstedelijke vmbo

Contact with parents in urban pre-vocational education

The guidance from parents of their children at home and the cooperation between school and parents can contribute to the success of students in school. This is especially important for pupils in urban contexts. Unfortunately, in urban contexts barriers exist that can hinder the relationship between school and parents. Furthermore, little is known on how school can facilitate parents in guiding their children at home, especially in the urban context. In this qualitative field-study the effect of different types of contact moments on a positive relationship with parents and the facilitation of parents to support their child at home is examined at four urban schools for pre-vocational education. The results of this study suggest that in the type of contact moments that schools currently use several issues hinder the establishment of a positive relationship with parents; organisational issues seem to interfere with the welcoming of the parents, there are few moments in which teachers and parents can get acquainted with each other, there is not much reciprocity and the role of the pupil in the contact between school and parents is often unclear. To facilitate parents in the guidance of the students at home, more attention is needed for the talents of the student in order to provide parents with more tools to encourage their children. Furthermore, schools offer parents with few concrete tools to support their children in their study process and in making choices regarding their (school)career. Several types of contact moments have been observed that offer more possibilities to realize a relationship with parents and/or facilitate the support of their children at home and overcome some of the previously mentioned issues. However, these types of contact are less prevailing in schools.