Not just communication: parent-teacher conversations in an English high school

In this article we report case study research which focused on the nature of parent–teacher conversations at one English high school. Our research aims were to discover what parents and teachers said to each other during these events and examine how they constructed their talk. Audio recordings of parent–teacher meetings/conferences were analyzed using conversation analysis (CA). One-to-one interviews with parents, students, and teachers, academic reports, and school records were also used as supporting evidence. Our results showed that, when the student was present, parents and teachers frequently joined forces during meetings, working together to seek to modify the child’s study habits or conduct. The extent of this behavior was surprising, occurring in almost every conversation in which the student was present. Using Epstein’s typology, we suggest that these examples of collaboration might be more accurately described as Type 3 involvement - in-school assistance - rather than Type 2 involvement - communication. We conclude that these meetings can be occasions during which parents and teachers do more than merely exchange information when they meet and talk.