Elisabeth Neiada, DP educator and PhD student at the University of Bath (United Kingdom)
This study explores how parents and educators define and practice parental engagement in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) at three private, international IB World Schools in Athens, Greece. These schools cater to families of higher socio-economic status who actively participate in the school community. Over the 2021-2022 academic year, qualitative data was collected through thirty-seven interviews with parents and educators.
Findings indicated that parental engagement is uniquely conceptualised by each individual and expressed on multiple levels and forms, rather than being specific to each school. Both educators and parents view parental engagement as vital for students’ academic success and psychological well-being. Educators and parents identified elements that influence engagement, such as their attitudes, upbringing, aspirations, lived experiences, culture, surrounding environment and school context. Greek culture and the mentality of parents are primary drivers of engagement, followed by the DP programme and the individual school context. Finally, participants noted obstacles that hinder parent-educator engagement, the most prominent being the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions on schools.
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