School Dropouts in Hong Kong: Parents' Experiences

National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. Clemson University, 209 Martin Street, Clemson, SC 29631. Tel: 864-656-2599; Fax: 864-656-0136; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.dropoutprevention.org/ndpcdefault.htm

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4

Dropouts; Focus Groups; Parent Participation; Parent Child Relationship; Foreign Countries; Anxiety; Parent Attitudes; Asian Culture; Parents; Student Behavior; Cultural Influences; Parent Role; Parent School Relationship; Social Influences

1478-8497

Chinese parenting emphasises parents' responsibility in training and governing children's appropriate and expected behaviors, including good academic performance. As reflected by the Attendance Ordinance and the strong involvement of parents in children's study, there is continuous emphasis on parental responsibility in children's education in contemporary Hong Kong. Children dropping out of school could predict stressful parental experiences. However, no exploration on parents' experiences has ever been made in the Chinese context. In response to the identified knowledge gap, a qualitative study was conducted. The study included a focus group interview with five parents and two individual interviews with another two parents. There were six mothers and one father. Four mothers were full-time housewives with two of them relying on welfare, while the other three participating parents had full-time employment. The age of the participating parents ranged from 42 to 48. Their education level ranged from illiterate to bachelor degree. The age of their children ranged from 12 to 15. The qualitative interviews were audio-taped, and the transcribed verbatim was used for data analysis. This article discusses the identified experiences and perspectives of the parents. The analyses indicated that the dropping-out behavior of children brought shame, guilt and a strong sense of incompetence to the parents. Furthermore, children's dropping-out behaviors have added much pressure and tension to the family relationship, which may lead to negative family dynamics. These findings call for strong support for parents when working with school dropouts. More systemic interventions are also necessary to address the family dynamics and the needs of the family as a whole. (Contains 1 note.)

ERIC

9

2012

EJ962371