Developing practice guidance for authenticity in family learning

Hardacre, Charlotte ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3155-4132 (2024) Developing practice guidance for authenticity in family learning. Doctoral thesis, Lancaster University / University of Cumbria.

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Abstract

This thesis contributes practice guidance for Family Learning courses. These courses typically aim to improve children’s educational attainment, enhance parents’ employability, and encourage parents and children to learn together. However, Family Learning can fall short of broader emancipatory ideals. Funders demands for specific forms of attainment evidence often conflict with parents’ interests or motivations for attending the courses. As a family learning tutor navigating this challenging context, I experienced professional discomfort where practice norms diverged from my values. Specifically, it was difficult to deal with an emphasis on marketisation and datafication. In response, at the beginning of this study, I developed a preliminary theory of Authentic Family Learning, comprising Five Key Practices. This theory aimed to address the competing perspectives of funders, school, parents, and practitioners. The remainder of the study examines and reconstructs this theory. After engaging with wider literature, I incorporated the views of participants using The extended case method. Over two years, I conducted four 10-week family learning courses, employing visual maps, semi-structured interviews, and a research diary. The 51 participants, including parents, teachers, and Family Liaison Workers, provided valuable insights on their experiences of family learning. Analysis of the data, later enriched with authenticity and Middle Way philosophy, led to the reconstruction of the preliminary theory, resulting in a praxis. This praxis, with three characteristics, focuses on the necessary conditions for Authentic Family Learning. The incorporation of Middle Way and authenticity equips practitioners with a framework to navigate the inherent structural contradictions of family learning based in primary schools. The development of the praxis was transformative for the researcher, suggesting others consider the extended case method to enhance practice. The Praxis of Authentic Family Learning provides an example for adopting practices that diverge from prevailing approaches and implementing core values in real-world settings.

Item Type:	Thesis/Dissertation (Doctoral)
Departments:	Institute of Health > Social Work, Children and Families
Additional Information:	A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in accordance with University of Cumbria procedures and in compliance with Lancaster University regulations), March 2024.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	15 Jan 2025 09:40
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2025 09:45
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8580

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