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To Involve Parents in the Assessment of the Child in Parent–Teacher Conferences: A Case Study

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Abstract

This article explores the face-to-face interactions between parents and teachers in parent–teacher conferences in the Swedish preschool. The article highlights how the preschool teacher introduces the conference by using a specific artifact, so-called “strength cards” with words relating to characteristic behaviour and qualities. The theoretical framework is adopted from research of institutional talk and discourse analysis. The empirical material consists of two cases included in a larger study of parent–teacher conferences. The analysis reveals that the talk not only focuses on the assessment of the individual child but also is directed at the cards, the procedure, and the importance of parents being active and involved in learning the procedure. In addition, the cards are used by the teacher as a tool that governs parents towards becoming ‘good enough preschool parents’ who are cooperative and able to categorise and label their own children, that is, follow the institutional discourse. The analysis also shows that parents take control in order to overcome institutional barriers to parents’ involvement.

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Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the support of The Swedish Research Council in financing this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Linköping University, 601 74, Norrköping, Sweden

    Ann-Marie Markström

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  1. Ann-Marie Markström
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Correspondence to Ann-Marie Markström.

Appendix

Appendix

Transcription Conventions

CAPITALS:

mark speech that is obviously louder than surrounding speech.

Underlining :

signals emphasis.

‘word’:

The participant quotes or reads the word.

(word):

Transcriber’s comments. Description of relevant information.

.:

Indicates a stopping intonation.

,:

Indicates a continuing intonation.

?:

Indicates a rising inflection.

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Markström, AM. To Involve Parents in the Assessment of the Child in Parent–Teacher Conferences: A Case Study. Early Childhood Educ J 38, 465–474 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0436-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0436-7

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