Parents of children with additional needs : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of their experiences of involvement with secondary school

• Main Author: McGrory, Shauna M.
• Published: University of Bristol 2012
• Subjects: 371.90473
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.627959

This thesis explores experiences of involvement with secondary school from the perspective of parents of children with additional needs. In this way, this research represents a voice for parents to tell their story and allows their perspective to be included within the paradigm of involvement in order to offer a better understanding and to identify which types of involvement are more effective. The views of seven participants were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews. The participants were all parents of young people still attending their 11-16 compulsory secondary education. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the chosen methodology to interpret and analyse the interview data. The findings are presented as 'case with theme' (Smith et al., 2009, p.109). This process involves presenting evidence from the participants to support each theme in turn. The analysis highlighted a number of features pertinent to parent's involvement with secondary school. These features were explored through a number of themes, including 'feeling reassured,' 'information sharing' and the 'school climate'. The findings also raise the question about the importance of involvement as a mechanism for parents to ensure support is in place for their child, specifically the 'academic side of things'. In addition, support for transitions became apparent, particularly a sense of uncertainty around post-16 transitions. Parents also indicated the importance of raising awareness of siblings needs within the equation of support. In relation to considering the needs of siblings, the most illuminating aspect of this thesis identified a genuine need for emotional support for parents within the paradigm of parental involvement. The findings of this research underlined a number of implications for educational psychologists, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness of the importance of parent involvement and outlining ways for school staff to involve parents effectively. Directions for further research are also provided.