Attitudes of Parents of Primary School Children : National Survey of Parents of Primary School Children, 1964

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The purpose of this survey was to obtain parents' views on the education their children were receiving, on their relationships with the teaching staff of their childrens' schools and on certain aspects of primary school organisation, and to collect information about parental attitudes and home backgrounds of the children.Main Topics:Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Educational support given to children in their homes: time spent by parents with their children; interest taken by fathers in their childrens' education and upbringing; reading habits of parents (membership of library) and of child; parents' attitudes towards school work being done at home and towards helping their children with homework. Parental aspirations for their children: attitudes to school leaving age; secondary school preferences. Physical conditions of the home and neighbourhood amenities; existence of garden/yard; bath; hot water; number of bedrooms in home; play areas available and used; recreational facilities of area; public libraries; outdoor play spaces; children's clubs; societies, etc.; swimming pools; indoor recreational facilities; children's use of these and parental preferences. Parental attitudes to primary education: school starting age; changes of, and parental choice of secondary schools. Parental contacts with primary school: enquiries made and interest taken by parents when children entered school; talks with teachers (frequency and subjects discussed); opportunities provided for parents to visit schools and advantages for seeing school staff and opinion of their contacts with teachers; communications between parents and teachers. Parents' views on school organisation and teaching methods: parental preferences for combined or separate schools for infants and juniors; for streamed or mixed ability classes; parents' satisfaction with teaching methods and with their children's progress at school. Behaviour training and discipline of child: where parents felt responsibility for behaviour training of child lay; opinion on degree of control exercised by school; views on corporal punishment. Other issues: opinions on facilities at school; size of classes, and other issues parents wished to raise. Background Variables Household composition, number of children in household, date of birth of selected child, type and ownership of dwelling, number of bedrooms, occupation of father and mother, mother's hours away from home, income of father, total income of family, country of birth of parents, parents' terminal education age, types of schools attended for full-time formal education by parents and siblings of child, further education and recreational courses of both parents, qualifications obtained by parents, car ownership