Not your cup of coffee? An ethnographic study on interparental dynamics during parental involvement activities in Dutch primary schools

ABSTRACT Parental involvement in children’s education contributes to children’s educational success. Most schools, therefore, aim to increase parental involvement and organise school-based activities that provide parents with interaction opportunities with teachers, school administrators, and other parents. Although the impact of parental involvement is studied frequently, little attention has gone into examining the interparental dynamics during school-based parental involvement activities. An ethnographic study conducted in five primary schools in The Netherlands shows how interactions among parents shape school-based parental involvement activities (in specific Parent Coffee Mornings). On the one hand, the interactions during Parent Coffee Mornings contributed to increased parental involvement, parents’ network, and social capital of parents. On the other hand, these interactions created patterns of exclusion among parents in what were intended to be inclusionary activities. Knowledge about the dual nature of these activities is likely vital for researchers and school administrations alike.