Parent's transition to school

Parental participation in the schooling of their children is becoming more widely accepted as beneficial in positive school adjustment, academic achievement and self-esteem for both the children and their parents. This pilot study was designed to collect base line data from a group of parents whose first child was enrolled to commence Kindergarten in the year 2000. The informants participated in a focus group or were interviewed individually by telephone or in their home. Questions were designed to gain insights into their current perceptions of the impact of their first child commencing school and possible involvement within the school in respect to both activities they would be willing to become involved in and the frequency of their perceived involvement. Participants were also asked to infer if their own memories would impact on their anticipated involvement. The findings support those reported in the literature, providing impetus for further study. [Author abstract]