An analysis of parental engagement in contemporary queensland schooling

AN ANALYSIS OF PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY QUEENSLAND SCHOOLING Kym Macfarlane Bachelor of Education Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood) Centre for Learning Innovation Faculty of Education Queensland University of Technology - Doctor of Philosophy 2006 i Queensland University of Technology Doctor of Philosophy Thesis Examination Candidate Name: Kym Majella Macfarlane Centre: Centre for Learning Innovation Supervisors: Professor Erica McWilliam Dr Daphne Meadmore Dr John Knight Thesis Title: AN ANALYSIS OF PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY QUEENSLAND SCHOOLING Under the requirements of the PhD Regulation 16.8, the above candidate presented a final seminar that was open to the public A Faculty Panel of two academics attended and reported on the readiness of the thesis for external examination The members of the panel recommended that the thesis be forwarded to the appointed Committee for examination Name: …………………………………… Signature: …………………………………… Panel Chairperson (Principal Supervisor) Name: …………………………………… Signature: …………………………………… (Panel Member) ii The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree or diploma at any other higher education institution To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made Signed: ………………………………………………………………… Date: …………………………………………………………………… iii KEYWORDS Case study, genealogy; bricolage; discourse; truth; power; governmentality; discourse analysis; performativity; propriety; pedagogicalisation; responsibilisation; Foucauldian theory; poststructuralism; Bourdieu; habitus; capital; field; game iv Foucault; ABSTRACT This thesis examines an instance of the failure of a parent-led bid for a new local school in Queensland at the end of the last millennium This parent-led and school-endorsed initiative failed despite a policy climate that appeared actively to encourage such initiatives from government funded school communities The work shows that the parents of Sunnyvale College, (a pseudonym), were both encouraged by the policy environment and discouraged by the response given to their new schooling initiative, from being full educational partners in the process of the schooling of their children The unanticipated failure is investigated as a case study of parent engagement set against a background of relationships between government and particular educational stakeholders in that time and place It examines how these relationships are played out in this context and what the implications of this are for contemporary relationships of this type Because the approach to the case study is not based on any assumption that the “failure” was the outcome of a pernicious state, the investigation acknowledges the discontinuous nature of such educational relationships and thus, refuses notions of linearity and continuity The case study approach draws on poststructuralist scholarship, in particular the work of Michel Foucault (1979-84), who is the key theorist informing the investigation Foucault’s theories relating to truth, power and governmentality, are of particular interest and are used as a basis for argument and analysis The case study is conducted in three key parts First, the study brings together an overarching framework of interpretive and theoretical bricolage, which works to allow multiple theoretical perspectives and understandings to inform the process of investigation Second, there is an acknowledgement of the importance of history and also, of historical contingency, in the production of events such as this failure Thus, there is an historical account of the establishment of schools in Queensland, particularly in the 1990s, and an exploration of the differences in the establishment process across this decade This exploration is undertaken by working backwards through relevant archival documents and other data in order to highlight the discontinuous nature of such processes This means that parent/school relationships are historicised, using a macro and micro analysis to understand how such relationships have v been produced over time The case in question is situated within this historicising, allowing for an exploration of its nature and setting, its historical background, the roles of particular individuals, and the processes and procedures that were important in the development of the case The third part of the study involves re-theorising parent/school relationships in contemporary contexts The main argument of the case study is that there was a shift in the discursive constitution of schooling that was taking place at the very time that the initiative was undertaken in 1997 It is argued that the school community in question was working out of a set of assumptions about school partnerships, which had already been substantially reinscribed by a new discursive system This new system reframed “choice” and “community” in terms of the “performative” rather than the “democratic” school The main arguments and findings in the case study are then used to re-theorise parent/school relationships in post-millennial Queensland, particularly in relation to policy reform This retheorising is conducted in the form of a discourse analysis of current federal and state government policy and other types of data, which are relevant to schooling in contemporary contexts Various interpretive and theoretical perspectives are used in this process of retheorising, including notions of performativity (Ball, 2003a, 2003b, 2004), responsibilisation (Rose, 1990, 1999, 2000) and pedagogicalisation (Popkewitz, 2003) Such notions are employed to build on the lines of inquiry that develop as a consequence of the use of Foucauldian theory in the earlier part of the study These concepts are also used to develop new epistemological understanding of parent/school relationships in contemporary contexts The work of Pierre Bourdieu (1984, 2001) further assists in the conceptualisation of parent engagement in schooling as a game played on the field of schooling As a consequence of this re-theorising, it is argued that parent engagement in schooling is a focus of increased attention on the part of educational stakeholders and is increasingly demanded by way of increased levels of responsibilised participation This trend raises questions about the levels of fatigue and anxiety that could result for parents as a consequence of such demanding levels of performance Additionally, an argument is presented that “performative” parenting is a prescribed set of activities, not an open invitation vi to leadership and high-level decision-making Thus, as previously mentioned, choice is always already framed, as “proper” parents make “informed” choices with regard to their children’s schooling This thesis concludes that “performative” schools offer new and problematic subject positions for “performative” parents, which are inviting more engagement but constraining the type of partnership that is possible between parents and schools vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the writing of this thesis I have received a great deal of support and encouragement from many individuals to whom I owe heartfelt thanks To Professor Erica McWilliam whose support and friendship have sustained me on the journey to the completion of this work It is no exaggeration to state that this project would not have been completed without her encouragement and enthusiasm throughout some very tough times Her dedication and appreciation for my research inspired me to continue when it seemed impossible To Dr Daphne Meadmore, I express thanks for her encouragement and valuable comments in relation to my work Her intelligence and knowledge of poststructuralist theory gave me a sound base to work on Her patience with my slow understanding was also very commendable Finally, to Dr John Knight whose editorial work and supervisory support was exceptional and proved indispensable in the later stages of the work My special thanks to him for his support, at the emotional, last stages of the process The generous support of Associate Professor Nicholas Buys and Dr Jayne Clapton has had no small role in the completion of this thesis Their constant encouragement to achieve completion and assistance throughout difficult times has allowed me to remain focused and to enjoy many opportunities to present my work both in this country and overseas Additionally, I thank Jayne further for sharing with me her insight and understanding of parent fatigue Special thanks also must go to my colleagues in the School of Human Services at Griffith University who have encouraged me and convinced me that the end is nigh! They will no doubt be pleased that it is I would like to express appreciation to my mother and father, Kath and Leo Barber, for their belief in the importance of education and to my brother Peter for his intelligent conversation I am also grateful to my friends, particularly Trish, Gay, Marty, Sally and Mark, who were ‘unfree’ to decide to join me on this time-consuming journey Finally, thank you to my husband Ian, whose belief in me never waivers and to my children Sarah, Jacob, Kimberley, Caitlin, Lachlan and to my granddaughter Bailey Rose, who were viii never patient and demanded my time and attention no matter how engrossed I should have been This, after all, is their right ix TABLE OF CONTENTS KEYWORDS IV ABSTRACT V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VIII List of Tables xii List of Figures xii CHAPTER 1: PARENT ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOLING: FROM CONTINUITY TO DISCONTINUITY INTRODUCTION THE CASE THE STUDY RESEARCH DESIGN DESIGN COMPONENTS Historicising parent/school relationships Beyond orthodoxy 11 RE-THEORISING PARENT/SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS 13 HOW GOVERNMENT SPEAKS PARENT CHOICE 15 THESIS FRAMEWORK 19 CHAPTER 2: INVESTIGATING THE CASE AS AN ANOMALY 29 INTRODUCTION 29 Policy Slippage .31 Federal/State Relations 34 “State” theory 36 “Random causes” .38 “SITUATING” THE RESEARCH 40 USING CASE STUDY AND BRICOLAGE 45 Bricolage 46 Chapter conclusion 49 CHAPTER 3: THINKING DISCONTINUOUSLY 50 INTRODUCTION 50 UNDERSTANDING GENEALOGY 50 UNDERSTANDING “TRUTH” 55 Good schooling as discourse 56 UNDERSTANDING POWER 59 UNDERSTANDING GOVERNMENTALITY 65 NAVIGATING THE JOURNEY 69 The discontinuous path 71 Chapter conclusion 72 CHAPTER 4: SCHOOL, COMMUNITY, PARENT .74 INTRODUCTION 74 Modes of engagement 75 Governance in Australia 77 The Queensland position 78 Inviting “Participation” 80 Answering the call: selective community “involvement” .83 A call to arms: battling for participation 85 Localising Power .89 Confirming participation: deafening silences 95 The emergence of grass roots participation .97 x Lingard, R (2000) 'Federalism in schooling since the Karmel Report (1973), Schools in Australia: From modernist hope to postmodernist performativity', The Australian Educational Researcher, vol.27, no.2, pp.25-61 Lingard, R., Hayes, D and Mills, M (2000) ‘Developments in school-based management: the specific case of Queensland, Australia,’ Journal of Educational Administration, vol 40, no 1, pp 6-30 Lingard, R and Rivzi, F (1992) ‘Theorising ambiguities of devolution’, Discourse, vol.13, no 1, pp 111-123 Lloyd, G (1998) ‘Battlelines’, Courier Mail, 26th January, p.11 Lovat, T.J and Smith, D (1995) Curriculum: Action on reflection revisited, Australia: Social Science Press Lyotard, J F (1984) The postmodern condition, Manchester: Manchester University Press Lunn, H (1984) Johannes Bjelke-Petersen: a political biography, St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press McArdle, F (1999) ‘Art and young people: doing it properly’, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, vol 1, pp.102-105 Macfarlane, K (2003) ‘Governing Communities: The real possibility of parent choice in schooling’, paper presented at New Zealand/Australian Association of Research in Education Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 29th November – 3rd December Macfarlane, K (2004) ‘Recognising parent fatigue’, Perspectives on Educational Leadership, vol 14, no 8, pp.1-2 326 Marginson, S (1985) ‘The collapse of the 1973 Karmel consensus’, Report to the Australian Teachers Federation, Canberra, 9th December Marginson, S (1996) ‘Marketisation in Australian schooling’, Oxford studies in comparative education, vol 6, no 1, pp 111-127 Marginson, S (1997) Markets in education, St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin Martin, J (1996) ‘Corporatisation and community service obligations: Are they incompatible?’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol 55, pp 111-117 Masters, G (2004) ‘Six of the best for highly effective schools’, Courier Mail, 22nd January, p 25 Mayer, E.A (1992) Putting general education to work: the key competencies report, Melbourne: Australian Education Council and Ministers for Vocational Education, Employment and Training McLeod, J (2000) ‘Qualitative research as bricolage’, paper presented at the Society for Psychotherapy Research Annual Conference, Chicago, 22nd June McWilliam, E (1987) Standing up and being counted – The reconstructed intellectual right and Australian education, Unpublished paper, University of Queensland McWilliam, E (1997) ‘Beyond the missionary position: Teacher desire and radical pedagogy’, in Todd, S (ed.) Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture and the unsaid, pp 217-235, New York: Routledge McWilliam, E (1998) ‘Creat-ed thinking in teacher education: The appeal of non-stupid optimism’, ATEA Conference Proceedings, Australian Teacher Education Association Inc Conference, Melbourne, Australia 4th – 7th July 327 McWilliam, E (1999) How to survive best practice, Brisbane: Always Flying McWilliam, E (2003) ‘The vulnerable child as a pedagogical subject of risk management’, Journal of Curriculum Theorising, vol 19, no 2, Summer, pp 35-44 Meadmore, D., and Symes, C (1996) ‘Of uniform appearance: a symbol of school discipline and governmentality’, Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, vol 17, no 2, pp.209-225 Meadmore, D., and McWilliam, E (2001) ‘The corporate curriculum: schools as sites of new knowledge production,’ Australian Educational Researcher, vol 28, no 1, pp 31-45 Meadmore, D., Hatcher, C and McWilliam, E (2000) ‘Getting tense about genealogy’, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, vol 13, no 5, pp 463-479 Meadmore, P (1999) ‘Education at what price’?, in Meadmore, D., Burnett, B and O’Brien, P (eds.) Understanding education: contexts and agendas for the new millennium, pp 91-98, French’s Forest, New South Wales: Prentice Hall Meadmore, P (2000) ‘Managing state education: devolving practices’, in Meadmore, D., Tait, G and Burnett, B (eds.) Practising Education: social and cultural perspectives, pp 8597, Riverwood, NSW: Prentice Hall Meadmore, P (2001) ‘Free, compulsory and secular? The re-invention of Australian public education’, Journal of Educational Policy, vol 16, no 2, pp 113-125 Meredyth, D and Tyler, D (1993) (eds.) Child and Citizen: genealogies of schooling and subjectivity, Brisbane, Queensland: Institute for Cultural and Policy Studies, Griffith University Middleton, K (1996) ‘Bid to block changes to education funding fails’, The Age, 30th November, p 328 Miller, P and Rose, N (1990) ‘Governing economic life’, Economy and Society, vol 19, pp 1-29 Ministerial Consultative Council on Curriculum (1992) Schools project series – Sunnyvale State School, Brisbane: Queensland Government Miscellaneous Documents, (1862-1911) Moreton Bay Courier, (1861) January, vol, XV nos 968, 969, 970, 971,974 Morgan, I (2000) ‘Parent participation in school governance in Australia’, Scottish School Board Association, URL: http://www.schoolboard-scotland.com/conference/Australia.htm, access date 28th March, 2003 Mulderrig, J (2003) ‘Consuming education: a critical discourse analysis of social actors in New Labour’s education policy’, Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, vol 1, no 1, URL: http://www.jceps.com/?pageID=article&articleID=2 Nietzsche, F (1956) The birth of tragedy and the genealogy of morals, (translated by Francis Golffing), New York: Doubleday Anchor Books Nietzsche, F (1968) The will to power, (translated by Walter Kaufman and R J Hollingdale), New York: Vintage Books Nine Network, (2004) Sixty Minutes, ‘Electoral debate’, featuring the Honourable John Howard, Prime Minister, 12th September, 2004, Ray Martin reporter Norrie, J & Doherty, L., (2005) ‘Plea for parents to run schools’, The Age, 29th, September, p 329 O’Chee, A (1997) ‘Award winning school in rally for higher education’, Courier-Mail, 31st October, p.10, Brisbane: Queensland Newspapers Office of Non-State Schooling, (1997) Queensland non-state school planning assessment of individual applications, Brisbane: Queensland Government Osborne, D E and Gaebler, T (1993) Reinventing government: How the entrepreneurial spirit is transforming the public sector, Ringwood: Penguin Peters, T and Austin, N (1985) A passion for excellence: the leadership difference, New York: Random House Peters, T and Waterman, R.J (1982) In search of excellence: lessons for America’s best-run companies, New York: Harper and Row Piaget, J (1926) The language and thought of the child, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Popkewitz, T (2000) ‘The denial of change in educational change: systems of ideas in the construction of national policy and evaluation’, Educational Researcher, vol 29, no 1, pp 17-29 Popkewitz, T (2001) ‘Pacts/Partnerships and governing the parent and child’, Current Issues in Comparative Education, vol.3, no.2, pp 1-7 Popkewitz, T (2003) ‘Governing the child and the pedagogicalisation of the parent: A historical excursus into the present’, in Bloch, M., Holmund, K., Moqvist, I and Popkewitz, T (eds.) Governing children, families and education: Restructuring the welfare state, pp 3561, New York: Palgrave Macmillan Popkewitz, T (2004) ‘The reason of reason: cosmopolitanism and the governing of schooling,’ in Baker, B and Heyning, K (eds.) Dangerous Coagulations, pp 181-212, New York: Peter Lang 330 Popkewitz, T and Brennan, M (1998) Foucault’s challenge: Discourse, knowledge and power in education, New York: Teacher’s College Press Poulson, L and Avramidis, E (2002) ‘Pathways and possibilities in professional development: Case studies of effective teachers of literacy’, British Educational Research Journal, vol 29, no 4, pp 543-560 Power, S., Whitty, G., Edwards, T and Wigfall, V (1998) ‘Schools, families and academically able students: Contrasting modes of involvement in secondary education’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol 19, no.2, pp 157-176 Print, M (1993) Curriculum Development and Design, St Leonard’s, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin Prout, A (2003a) ‘Participation, policy and the changing conditions of childhood’, in Hallet, C and Prout, A (eds.) Hearing the voices of children: Social policy for a new century, pp 11-25, London: Routledge Falmer Prout, A (2003b) ‘Theorising childhood’ paper presented at European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, 3rd – 6th September Pusey, M (1991) Economic rationalism in Canberra: A nation-building state changes its mind, Sydney: Allen and Unwin Queensland Council of Parents’ and Citizens’ Association (1996) Parent Talk, vol 4, no 4, pp 1-4 Queensland Council of Parents’ and Citizens’ Association (1997) School Talk magazine, 50th Anniversary, 1947-1997 331 Queensland School Curriculum Council (1998) Preschool Curriculum Guidelines, State of Queensland, Brisbane: Queensland School Curriculum Council Quirke, N (1992) The wind beneath their wings: A history of John Paul College 1982-92, Brisbane: The Jacaranda Press Rabinow, P (ed.) (1984) The Foucault reader, Toronto: Random House Raethel, S (1996) ‘Private schools set to multiply’ Sydney Morning Herald, 20th May, p Reid, A (ed.) (1998) Going public: Education policy and public education in Australia, Deakin, ACT: Australian Curriculum Studies Association Reynolds, A (1998) ‘Public versus Private’ Courier Mail, 11th July 1998, p 24 Riches, G and Dawson, P (2002) ‘Shoestrings and bricolage: Some notes on researching the impact of a child’s death on family relationships’, Death Studies, vol.26, pp 209-222 Riley, M (1992) ‘If it looks like manure ’, Phi Delta Kappan, vol.74, no 3, pp 239-241 Rivzi, F (1993) ‘Contrasting perceptions of devolution’, QUT Professional magazine, vol 11, no 1, pp 1-53 Rizvi, F (1994) ‘Devolution in education: Three contrasting perspectives’, in Martin, R., McCollow, J., McFarlane, L., McMurdo, G., Graham, J and Hull, R (eds.) Devolution, decentralisation and recentralisation, The structure of Australian schooling, pp.1-5, Melbourne, The Australian Education Union Rorty, R (1989) Contingency, irony, and solidarity, New York: Cambridge University Press Rose, N (1990) Governing the soul: the shaping of the private self, London: Routledge 332 Rose, N (1993) ‘Government authority and expertise in advanced liberalism’, Economy and Society, vol 22, pp 283-299 Rose, N (1996) ‘Governing “advanced” liberal democracies’, in Barry, A., Osborne, T and Rose, N (ed.) Foucault and Political Reason, pp 37-64, London: UCL Press Rose, N (1999) Powers of freedom: reframing political thought, Cambridge UK: University Press Rose, N (2000) ‘Community, citizenship and the third way’, American Behavioural Scientist, vol.43, no.9, United States: Sage Publications, pp 1395-1411 Rose, N and Miller, P (1992) ‘Political power beyond the state: problematics of government, British Journal of Sociology, vol 43, no 2, pp 173-181, 185-201 Rose, N and Wickham, G (1993) ‘Just Say Neo’, Australian Left Review, no 147, pp 32-36 Sachs, J and Mellor, L (2003) ‘Child panic and child protection policy: A critical examination of policies from New South Wales and Queensland’, New Zealand Association for Research in Education/Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 29th November – 3rd December Schools Commission (1981) Report for the triennium 1982-84, Canberra: Schools Commission Seddon, S (1993) ‘The hidden curriculum: An overview’, Curriculum Perspectives, May, pp.1-6 Self, P (1995) ‘The consequences of reorganising government on market lines,’ Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol 54, pp 370-375 333 Settelmaier, E (2003) Transforming the culture of teaching and learning in science: The promise of moral dilemma stories…, PhD Thesis, Curtin University of Technology, Science & Mathematical Centre Sharp, R (1994) ‘Social class, policy and teaching’, in Hatton, E (ed.) Understanding teaching: curriculum and the social context of schooling, pp 235-262, Sydney: Harcourt Brace Smith, R (2000) ‘Whose childhood? The politics of homework,’ Children & Society, vol 14, pp 316-325 Smith, R.A and J Knight (1978) ‘MACOS in Queensland: the politics of educational knowledge’ Australian Journal of Education, vol 22, no 3, pp 225-248 Smyth, J (1995) ‘Devolution and teachers' work: the underside of a complex phenomenon’, Education Management and Administration, vol 23, no 3, pp 168-175 Stake, R (1998) ‘Case studies’, in Denzin, N and Lincoln, Y (eds.) Strategies in qualitative inquiry, pp 86-109, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Stewart, R (2001) ‘Practice v praxis: Constructing models for practitioner-based research’, paper presented at the ACUADS Conference, Adelaide, 20th – 23rd September Sunnyvale College Brochure, (1997), Logan City: Sunnyvale College Sunnyvale College Prospectus, (1997), Logan City: Sunnyvale College Sunnyvale State School Prospectus, (1995) Logan City: Sunnyvale State School Sunnyvale State School Prospectus, (1997) Logan City: Sunnyvale State School 334 Tait, G (2000) ‘From the Panopticon to the playground: Disciplinary practices’, in Meadmore, D., Tait, G and Burnett, B (eds.) Practising Education: social and cultural perspectives, pp 7-17, Riverwood, NSW: Prentice Hall Tamboukou, M (1999) ‘Writing genealogies: an exploration of Foucault’s strategies for doing research’, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol 20, no 2, pp 201-217 Tamboukou, M and Ball, S J (eds.) (2003) Dangerous encounters: Genealogy and ethnography, New York: Peter Lang Thomas, C (1996) ‘Why National Competition Policy?’ Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol 55, pp 339-345 Titman, W (1994) Special places, special people: The hidden curriculum of the school grounds, Goldaming Surrey, UK: World Wide Fund for Nature/Learning Through Landscapes Todd, E S and Higgins, S (1998) ‘Powerlessness in professional and parent partnerships’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol 19, no 2, pp.227-237 Turney, C (ed.) (1972) Pioneers of Australian education, Vol 2, Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press Tyler, D (1993) ‘Making better children’, in Meredyth, D and Tyler, D (ed.) Child and Citizen: genealogies of schooling and subjectivity, pp 35-60, Brisbane, Queensland: Institute for Cultural and Policy Studies, Griffith University Tyler, D and Johnson, L (1991) ‘Helpful Histories’, History of Education Review, vol 20, no 2, pp.1-8 Unpublished document, (1996) Minutes of Meeting with Director-General Mr Frank Peach 335 Unpublished document, (1996) Minutes of meeting with Rod Burchill Unpublished document (1997) Response to objections regarding the establishment of Sunnyvale College Unpublished documents, (1991-97) Sunnyvale State School Parents and Citizens Association Minutes Unpublished documents, (1991-97) Sunnyvale State School Newsletters Unpublished documents, (1991-97) Sunnyvale State School tabled correspondence Unpublished document, (1996) Tabled correspondence P & C Meeting Unpublished document, (1997) Tabled correspondence P & C Meeting Unpublished document, (1998) Tabled correspondence P & C Meeting Vaughn, K (2001) Out for the count: The last alternative state high school in New Zealand, PhD Thesis, University of Auckland Vincent, C (1996) Parents and teachers: Power and participation, London: Falmer Press Vincent, C (2000) Including parents?: Education, citizenship and parental agency, Philadelphia: Open University Press Vincent, C (2001) ‘Social class and parental agency,’ Journal of Education Policy, vol 16, no 4, pp 347-364 Vincent, C and Warren, S (1998) ‘Becoming a “better” parent: motherhood, education and transition’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol 19, pp 177-193 336 Vincent, C and Martin, J (2000) ‘School-based parents’ groups – a politics of voice and representation?’, Journal of Education Policy, vol 15, no 5, pp 459-480 Vincent, C., Ball, S., Kemp, S and Radcliffe, P (2002) ‘A market in love? Choice and provision in pre school child care markets in the UK’, paper presented to American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 1st – 5th April Ward, S (1996) ‘Filling the world with self-esteem: a social history of truth making’, Canadian Journal of Sociology, vol 21, no 1, pp 1-20 Watson, L and Lambert, J (1996) ‘Choice sparks school debate’, Sydney Morning Herald, 2nd December, p 15 Weinstein, D and Weinstein, M A (1991) ‘Georg Simmel: Sociological flaneur bricloeur’, Theory, Culture and Society, vol 8, pp 151-168 Wiltshire, K., McMeniman, M and Tolhurst, T (1994) Shaping the future: review of the Queensland school curriculum, Brisbane, Queensland: Government Printer Winkley, H and Roy, M (1999) ‘Public versus private schooling – What can money buy?’, Index of Conferences, URL: http://www.utas.edu.au/conferences access date 28th March, 2003 Yeatman, A (1994) Postmodern revisionings of the political, London: Routledge Yin, R K (1994) Case study research: Design and methods, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Yin, R K (1999) ‘Enhancing the quality of case studies in health services research’, Health Services Research, vol 34, no 5, pp 1209-1221 337 Zucker, D M (2001) Using case study methodology in nursing research, The Qualitative Report, vol 6, no 2, June, http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR6-2/imdex.html Legislation Australia, Parliament (1996) States Grants (Primary and Secondary Assistance) Bill 1996, Canberra: Department of Employment, Education Training and Youth Affairs New Schools Policy 1985 (Cwlth) Queensland, Parliament (1860) State Aid Discontinuance Act Queensland, Parliament (1992) Freedom of Information Act, Brisbane: Department of Justice and the Attorney General Queensland, Parliament (2001) Education (Accreditation of Non State Schools) Bill, Brisbane: Department of Justice and the Attorney General Queensland Parliamentary Debates, (1875) Vol XIX, pp 1029-1052 Queensland Parliamentary Debates, (1875) Vol XIX, pp 1087-1098 Queensland Parliamentary Debates (1875) Vol XIX, pp 1135-1154 Internet Sites ABC Online Forum, URL:http://www.2b.abc.net.au/news/forum/newsonline2/archives/archive25/main.shtm (2004), access date February 2004 ABC Online, 338 URL:http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl? (2004), access date February 2004 ABC News Online, URL:http://www.abc.net.au/news/tas/200401/s1030871.htm (2004), access date February 2004 Fox 23, URL:http://www.fox23news.com/common/printstory/default.aspx?content-id=f8c0c138-7c4 (2004), access date 2nd February 2004 Fox 23, URL:http://www.fox23news.com/common/printstory/default.aspx?content-id=f8c0c138-74 (2004), access date 2nd February 2004 CBS 47 Jacksonville, URL:http://www.wtev.com/commonprintstory/default.aspx?content-id-f8c0c138-7c4f4 (2004), access date 2nd February 2004 CBS 47 Jacksonville, URL:http://www.wtev.com/commonprintstory/default.aspx?content-id-f8c0c138-7c4e-4f4 (2004), access date 2nd February 2004 Kion 46, URL:http://www.kiontv.com/common/printstory/default.aspx?content-id=f8c0c13-4f (2004) access date 2nd February 2004 Kion 46, URL:http://www.kiontv.com/common/printstory/default.aspx?content-id=f8c0c138-7c4e-4f4 (2004) access date 2nd February 2004 News Channel 34, 339 URL:http://www.newschannel34.com/news/world/story.aspx?content (2004), access date 2nd February 2004 340 ... Thesis Title: AN ANALYSIS OF PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY QUEENSLAND SCHOOLING Under the requirements of the PhD Regulation 16.8, the above candidate presented a final seminar that was... of schooling As a consequence of this re-theorising, it is argued that parent engagement in schooling is a focus of increased attention on the part of educational stakeholders and is increasingly... in the marketplace as a means of meeting diverse needs of the community and determining quality in schooling These trends culminated in 1996 in an explicit government invitation to parents to