Perception of school failure/success by parents and their children

Context and relevance. School failure/success is one of the key issues of state educational policy, significantly affecting both academic and personal development of children. Despite numerous studies devoted to the factors of school failure/success, little is known about how children and their parents perceive this experience and what meaning they attach to it. In this study, school failure/success is examined through J. Hattie’s framework — from students’ characteristics to features of the school and family. Objective. To explore how parents and their children perceive and describe school failure/success, and to identify the key aspects that are meaningful for them. Research question. How do parents perceive and describe their children's school failure/success? How do children perceive and describe their school failure/success? Methods and materials. The study uses a qualitative design and analyzes in-depth semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 22) and their 5th-grade children (n = 22) from the Nizhny Novgorod region within the project “Longitudinal Study of Factors Influencing School Failure”. Results. School failure/success is viewed through three main components — the child (academic performance, cognitive abilities, and motivation), the family (parental involvement and support), and the school (school climate and teacher practices). Parents and children emphasize the importance of a positive school climate characterized by a friendly and organized atmosphere and opportunities for development. Such climate is supported by teacher practices based on respect and clear expectations. Families contribute to school success through maternal involvement and support. Children demonstrate success through responsibility, interest, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive abilities. Conclusions. The study demonstrates the complex nature of school failure/success. Addressing it requires joint support for students from schools, teachers, and parents, based on an individual approach.

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