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Parental Involvement in Supporting Their Children with Special Educational Needs at School and Home in Bhutan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2019

Karma Jigyel Open the ORCID record for Karma Jigyel [Opens in a new window] ,
Judith A. Miller ,
Sofia Mavropoulou  and
Jeanette Berman
Karma Jigyel*
Affiliation:
University of New England, Australia
Judith A. Miller
Affiliation:
University of New England, Australia
Sofia Mavropoulou
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Jeanette Berman
Affiliation:
University of New England, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: kjigyel@myune.edu.au
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Abstract

This paper reports the findings from a study investigating Bhutanese parents’ involvement in supporting their children with special educational needs (SEN) in schooling. The interaction between the parents themselves in supporting each other was also explored. Individual interviews were conducted with 26 parents (13 fathers and 13 mothers) of children with either full inclusion or partial inclusion in 3 schools located in 3 regions (urban, semi-urban, and rural) and analysed using manual thematic coding and Leximancer text mining software. Of Epstein’s (1987) 6 types of parental involvement activities in education, these parents reported their actions to be parenting, volunteering in schools, supporting learning and development at home, and collaborating with the community. The minimal interaction among the parents was mostly between the stay-in-school urban mothers who had consistent but impromptu and informal interactions. The implications of this study inform the need for schools to respond to policy and to actively engage parents, and for education programs and support groups to be set up to strengthen parental involvement in the education of children with SEN in Bhutan.

Keywords

involvementinclusionparentsspecial educational needsLeximancerBhutan
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 54 - 68
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019 

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Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Umesh Sharma.

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