Patterns of parent involvement: A longitudinal analysis of family-school partnerships in the early years of school in Australia

Abstract

Parent involvement in family-school partnerships is widely accepted as supporting improved student outcomes. International research indicates that the formation of these partnerships varies across family sociocultural backgrounds, and over time. Analysing longitudinal data, this paper examines patterns of parent involvement in family-school partnerships in the early years of formal schooling in Australia. Similar to experiences in other national contexts, parent involvement in home-, school- and community-based family–school partnership activities reduced as children moved through the school grades. Parent involvement also differed with family socioeconomic and cultural background. The implications of these differences in children’s experiences of parent involvement for family–school partnership theory and pedagogical practice are considered.