Lived Experiences of Parents Supporting the Education of Children from Vulnerable Families
Abstract
Parental support plays a critical role in children's educational participation and success, particularly among families experiencing social, economic, and cultural vulnerabilities. This study explored the lived experiences of parents supporting the education of children from vulnerable families within the contemporary schooling context. Guided by a narratological qualitative design, the research examined parents' understandings of educational success, the influence of their life histories and social positioning on educational aspirations, the challenges encountered in supporting schooling, and the strategies employed to navigate these challenges. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 parent-participants selected using maximum variation purposive sampling and were analyzed through narratological thematic analysis. The findings revealed four interconnected themes. First, parents conceptualized educational success as holistic development encompassing school continuity, literacy, character formation, responsibility, future security, and cultural identity rather than academic achievement alone. Second, parental aspirations were shaped by personal experiences of poverty, interrupted schooling, migration, family responsibilities, and limited access to resources. Third, parents encountered multidimensional challenges, including financial constraints, emotional strain, time limitations, communication barriers, and cultural adjustment difficulties that affected their capacity to support their children’s schooling. Fourth, despite these challenges, parents demonstrated resilience through sacrifice, resourcefulness, family and community support networks, communication with teachers, faith, and hope. The narratives highlighted that parental support extends beyond material provision and includes emotional, moral, cultural, and relational dimensions.
Downloads
References
Anazia, I., Skinner, B., & Woods, C. (2025). Home-school partnerships: Values and expectations of rural teachers and parents. Educational Research, 67(2), 170–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2025.2492143
Bond, A., Moore, G., & Hawkins, J. (2025). Understanding parental involvement with schools and parental engagement with learning across schools in areas of socioeconomic deprivation in Wales. Educational Review, 77(7), 2025–2045. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2432255
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In T. Husén & T. N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 1643–1647). Elsevier.
Cecalupo, A., Scarci, F., Marini, M., & Prislei, L. (2026). School and its educational value: The role of parental influences in shaping adolescents’ values, academic beliefs, and expectations. Social Psychology of Education, 29, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-026-10177-2
Sotero, L., Fernandez, F. A. F., Bezerra, P. da S., Queiroz, J. M., Pontes, F. A. R., & Silva, S. S. da C. (2026). Resilience, parental stress, and family functioning associated with quality of life: A study with caregivers of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1671097. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1671097
Finch, E. M. H., Obando, A. M., & Gewirtz O’Brien, J. R. (2026). Housing instability and homelessness in pediatrics: A narrative review of health impacts and multi-level interventions. Academic Pediatrics, 26(1), Article 103142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.103142
Garcia, A. S., Jocson, R. M., de Guzman, M. R. T., Garcia, R., & Aquino, A. K. (2025). Parental educational involvement among Filipino parents: Exploring motivators, facilitators, and barriers related to socioeconomic status. Psychology in the Schools, 62(7), 1973–1986. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23446
Johnson, A., Ma, T., Hodges, J., Boyle, C., & Sanders, M. R. (2025). Partners in Education Survey: Validation of a brief, parent-report home-school partnership measure in Australia. Children and Youth Services Review, 177, 108455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108455
Kollannoor, S. A., & Thomas, S. (2025). Exploring the influence of family relationship on students’ school well-being. Children and Youth Services Review, 178, 108540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108540
Lin, E. (2026). Pressure to attend a prestigious college: High school students and parents’ differing definitions of success. Youth & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X261424883
Lindstrom Johnson, S., Kulkarni, N., Rodríguez De Jesús, S. A., Cottam, S., Fillhouer, M., & Meléndez Guevara, A. M. (2024). School-family partnerships to support attendance: Advancing an equity-centered theoretical framework. Journal of School Health, 94(8), 777–785. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13457
Lv, X., Yan, R., & Wang, S. (2025). The relationship between family-school-community collaboration and students’ academic achievement: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Educational Research, 134, 102774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102774
Marcenaro-Gutierrez, O. D., Prieto-Latorre, C., & Lopez-Agudo, L. A. (2025). On the contribution of parental expectations to the academic progress of youngsters. International Journal of Educational Research, 133, 102746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102746
Martinez-Yarza, N., Solabarrieta-Eizaguirre, J., & Santibáñez-Gruber, R. (2024). The impact of family involvement on students’ social-emotional development: The mediational role of school engagement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39(4), 4297–4327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00862-1
Melnikova, N. (2022). (Verify exact title in your dissertation reference list before submission; cited in discussion section.)
Mendoza, J., & Lasco, G. (2026). More-than-parental care: Exploring the roles of significant others in nurturing young Filipino children. Journal of Early Childhood Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X251408385
Mitchell, J. E., Ferguson, L., Symonds, P., & Hardelid, P. (2025). Mental health impact of adverse housing conditions on children and young people: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 108, 102846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102846
OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 results (Volume I): The state of learning and equity in education. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en
Ochoa, W., Li, L.-W., Kiyama, F., & McWayne, C. M. (2024). Are family-teacher communication quality and child and family characteristics associated with Head Start children’s classroom engagement? It’s complicated. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 67, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.11.007
Park, S. (2026). Breaking barriers to immigrant parental engagement: A systematic review and policy implications. Policy Futures in Education, 24(3), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103251381948
Sianturi, M., Lee, J.-S., & Cumming, T. M. (2022). A systematic review of Indigenous parents’ educational engagement. Review of Education, 10(2), e3362. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3362
Strømme, T. B., & Wiborg, Ø. N. (2024). Social origins and educational attainment: The unique contributions of parental education, class, and financial resources over time. The British Journal of Sociology, 75(4), 400–419. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.13091
Todd, K. K., Gobrogge, K. A., Hapgood, S., Delaney, K. K., Sloane Cleary, H. M., Virani, A. K., Toland, M. D., Dueber, D. M., & Fox, C. M. (2025). Lived experiences of families with young children facing housing instability: Literacy and social service access. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-02072-w
Wang, Z., Cui, H., Zhang, K., Ji, Y., Gao, Z., Tian, J., & Lv, C. (2025). Aligning parental and student educational expectations: Implications for sustainable development of education and social and emotional skills. Sustainability, 17(22), 10121. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210121
Yang, J., & Wang, Y. (2025). How perceived parental educational aspirations predict primary school children’s educational aspirations, mathematics achievement and social-emotional competence: The mediating role of mathematics self-beliefs. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1633737. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1633737
Copyright (c) 2026 Randwick International of Education and Linguistics Science Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
