Chapter 5. Discussion
5.3 Parental Expectations of Boarding Schools for Gifted Students
Upon review of all of the current available literature, it became apparent that the expectations of parents were not widely described by authors. Most of the studies are focused
51 on school selection itself and school assessment. The current study, therefore, extends the previous literature by revealing what parents actually expect from school while their children participate in the boarding schools.
There were cases when some of the parent participants did not have any specific expectations of the boarding schools. They believed that the majority of parental expectations might depend on the family and the child. Nevertheless, according to responses, parental expectations could be divided into two categories: academic and non-academic expectations.
A discussion of each of these results is now provided.
5.3.1 Non-Academic Expectations
The most frequent factors that influenced parents’ decision to support their children’s enrolment in the boarding schools were value-based education and the individualized
approach to learning provided by the schools. In terms of non-academic expectations, parents believed that by studying at boarding school, their children might reveal their underlying identities and develop positive qualities. Moreover, responses from parents suggested that student success was equally attributable to both academic and non-academic factors.
Aligned with the current findings, research on parental expectations of boarding schools suggests that non-academic outcomes were equally if not more important that academic outcomes. Vigar-Ellis (2013) found out that parents expect from boarding schools the development of independence and the building character in children. The participants highlight that living in a dormitory can help their male children by “weaning them [boys] off their mothers’ support” (p. 9). Moreover, based on the direct statements of the parents, the author posited that the children’s independence and strong character were related to value- based education and the strict discipline of the schools. Therefore, findings from the Vigar- Ellis study align very well with the findings of the current study. The same answers were
52 given by parents in the boys’ boarding school in Almetyevsk city, Tatarstan. In another study, Ved (2021) revealed that “School environment” stood higher than academic results according to parents’ point-of-view. In addition, the factor described as “Student welfare” was also highlighted by parents as primarily important. Therefore, findings from both the Vigar-Ellis and Ved studies suggest that parents view non-academic factors as centrally impactful on the future of children.
5.3.2 Academic Expectations
Understandably, parents expected that their children might achieve higher academic results in the boarding schools compared to what they might achieve in public schools.
Parents assumed that the school would provide more optimal academic support for their children and that their children would achieve higher results on standardized exams. Getting high exam results and enrolling to the top universities, from the parents’ view, would lead to their children’s success in the future.
Research by Haderlein (2022) identified the central importance of academic quality for parents. Based on the findings of this study, it became apparent that parents appear to pay a lot of attention to school academic performance as a proxy for the academic quality of the
selected schools and expect their children to achieve well academically. Similarly, according to a study by Erickson (2017), the academic expectations of parents were identified as “very important”. The parent participants believed that academic quality was related to critical thinking, study habits, and communications skills. In addition, like the parent respondents in the current study, parents in the Erickson study expected schools to develop this key attribute in their children and assumed that this would be a positive influence in their children’s future.
6. Conclusion 6.1 Introduction
This final chapter summarizes the key findings, discusses implications, and suggests recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. The current study aimed to understand what factors affect parental choice in selecting boarding schools for gifted children. More specifically, the study attempted to identify the academic and non-academic factors that influence parental school choice in the Republic of Tatarstan and what are
parents’ expectations from boarding schools for gifted students. The following questions were addressed: 1) Why do parents choose boarding schools for gifted students in the Republic of Tatarstan? 2) What are parents’ expectations of the boarding school for gifted students?
6.2 Revisiting the Research Questions
Why do parents choose boarding schools for gifted students in the Republic of Tatarstan?
This study revealed the following seven main reasons: value-based education, an individual/personal approach, the quality of teachers, academic quality,
surroundings/selection, single-gender education, accommodation, and nutrition. Contrary to the research literature, the findings suggested that non-academic factors dominated over academic factors. Parents explained that the values of the school played an important role during school selection. They believe that academic results influence exams, but moral education influences a child’s entire life trajectory. Some of the parents noted the threat that ill-mannered and unethical people pose to society. Such factors as the school’s individualized approach to supporting students, the school surroundings and general feeling, and the quality of teachers speak to parents’ faith about the impact of the overall experience that the boarding schools have on their children’s development.
Many of the motivational factors revealed in this study appeared to not be covered in the literature, or at least did not appear to be prominent at all. For example, the schools’
individual approach to learning, the connection between the selection process and the school
54 surrounding/environment, and aspects of accommodation and nutrition are highly valued by parents in the Republic of Tatarstan. Unexpectedly, academic quality, which is recognized worldwide as the most prominent factor that parents consider when selecting schools, was not among the most popular factors. The current study revealed that the mere academic results of these schools do not capture the full range of essential characteristics considered by parents when making the selection for such schools. The clear implication for this is that non-
academic factors should be considered as a highly relevant area to inform parents about when advertising to parents to enroll their children in entrance exams for such schools.
In addition, single-gender education and the specific gender-specific psychological view of parents, was not presented in literature review as a factor that influenced parents’
school selection of boarding schools. In current study, the parents believed that the
development of boys and girls proceeds differently, so the educational process should vary.
This view runs contrary to the generally accepted social constructivist view of parents in the West that a child’s gender has little bearing on the way that they learn. This conception from parents may have also been linked to religion, though religion itself was also mentioned as a distinct reason for why the parents selected such schools.
What are parents’ expectations of the boarding school for gifted students?
Findings suggested that the expectation of parents are reflective of the criteria with which parents selected the schools. The expectations could be divided into two main groups:
academic and non-academic expectations. Academic qualities are connected with students’
successful passing of exams and ultimate enrolment in top universities while the non- academic expectations were associated with the capacity of the boarding schools to support students to identify their strengths and reveal their unique competencies. These parental
55 expectations appear to be quite common among the boarding schools surveyed. The results of this research reveals the importance of boarding schools for meeting parents’ non-academic expectations, which appeared to be quite unique in the literature.
To sum up, the findings from the current study may help the schools of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and other post-Soviet countries to re-orient their key recruitment approaches to meet the needs and expectations of parents, especially non-academic related needs and expectations, and make the schools more attractive to families.
6.3 Recommendations
This section presents recommendations based on this study’s conclusions, which are relevant to policymakers and school administrative bodies. Additionally, this sub-section will also suggest some implications for further research on the investigation of school selection factors in the Republic of Tatarstan and worldwide.
To meet the needs of parents and to recruit new students, school principals and
administrators are recommended to pay more attention to non-academic factors such as value- based education, individualized approaches to learning, and the development of a healthy yet competitive school environment. Moreover, based on these research findings, it is also recommended for school administrators to get acquainted with the expectations of parents to make schools more inclusive. Even if academic results were not identified as the most important factor for parents, finding balance between this and non-academic factors remains crucial for school administration.
State and school policymakers are recommended to use the research results for
assessing schools in the context of the Republic of Tatarstan. Since academic results were not the most important criteria for the parents’ selection of such schools, key findings may help in the development of more appropriate and relevant indicators for evaluating school
56 performance. Moreover, the voice of parents, specifically the value that they place on non- academic aspects of school education, should be accounted for and communicated in the reframing of policy documents, school objectives, and procedures for evaluating school effectiveness. Moving forward, to motivate schools, the Department of Education of the Republic of Tatarstan may consider a more broad focus on the non-academic aspects
identified as important for parents as bi-annual/yearly key performance indicators for schools.
The non-academic focus of boarding schools, while a feature of the sample schools
themselves, may also be important to parents whose children attend other school types in the Republic of Tatarstan and other post-Soviet contexts. Therefore, such other schools may consider at least exploring the importance of these factors for their students’ parents.
6.4 Limitations and Directions for Further Research
There are several important limitations of this study, mostly associated with the way in which this study was designed. The main limitation of the research is associated with the relatively small number of participants who cannot represent the views of the parents of all the boarding schools in the region. As the results of this research suggest, school selection factors appear to be subjective and multifaceted, therefore it is difficult to generalize the current fundings to other similar contexts. Consequently, a more significant number of participants could be involved in future research in order to develop a more thorough and comprehensive understanding parents’ thoughts of factors affecting school choosing. There were only two cities represented in the survey. The inclusion of neighboring regions of Tatarstan may have increased the variety of responses of parents. Moreover, including participants from more varied regions could have provided a more nuanced region-related understanding of the factors that might affect parental school choice. Certainly, this research has identified non-academic criteria that warrant further investigation. Therefore, any future quantitative research on parental expectations should certainly aim to measure the degree to
57 which non-academic features such as values, student personality development, and healthy competitive environments. The current study concentrated on parental reasons for school choice at a single point in time. Therefore, it would be useful to explore whether the actual expectations might have been realized for their children upon completion. Another suggestion is to obtain information on parental choice and expectations vis-à-vis written responses. This was recommended by one of the parents. This may enable participating parents to concentrate more on questions and provide more detailed and broad responses. Interviewees can at times be bewildered and respondents may forget some important details.
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Appendices Appendix A
INFORMED CONSENT FORM
The following has been translated as required into the languages of the research country/community and for GSE. For Tatarstan, Russian and Tatar are the official languages, and English is provided for GSE/NU.
Why do parents choose boarding schools for their gifted children and what are their expectations of this schooling? Evidence from the Republic of Tatarstan
DESCRIPTION: I invite you to participate in the present study I am conducting as part of my M.Sc. in Educational Leadership at Nazarbayev University about why you chose this school for your child. I would like to provide you with information about the research project. Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. You may decide not to participate or to withdraw from this study at any time. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand what factors affect parental choice in selecting boarding schools for gifted children. Through your participation, I hope to explore and understand what academic and non-academic factors influence parental school choice in the Republic of Tatarstan, and what are their expectations from a school with single sex education providing full accommodation.
TIME INVOLVEMENT AND FORMAT: This research will involve your participation in a one-on-one interview and a simple questionnaire. The duration of the interview is about an hour and the questionnaire will take about five minutes. The interview will take place at co- working (Prospekt Gabdully Tukaya, 46B, Almetyevsk; Dekabristov St, 85B, Kazan) - or if you prefer we can conduct the interview in the library or at home. You will be asked a series of questions about your experience and decision to choose the lyceum, where your child is studying. If you do not wish to answer any of the questions during the interview, I will move
64 on to the next question. If you are okay with it, I will also share the findings to confirm your responses, and will record the interview to facilitate collection of information, but it is okay if you choose not to have it audio recorded
RISKS: There are minimal risks to you as a participant in this study. For example, someone can hear something during the interviewing process or my computer can be hacked. I will try to avoid these risks: the interview will take place in a separate room and the password to the computer will be set. If you are stressed or feel uncomfortable, I will skip the questions, support you and we can take a break.
ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: I will be the only person who knows you are.
Though excerpts from the interview will be included in the final research final thesis which will be available through NU report, your name and other identifying information will be kept confidential. Findings will be a composite of multiple people. I will save all copies in a personal computer with a password. The researcher will be the only person who has access to this information. All these data will be kept for 3 years before deleting. There will be used pseudonyms to keep the confidentiality.
BENEFITS: This project has several potential benefits to the participants. First, it is an opportunity for parents to share their experiences choosing schools for their child. Secondly, your participation in the research will be of great significance to raise the awareness of parents' needs and contribute to the development of effective strategies to work with students (your children) and parents of these lyceums in satisfying students’ and family needs.
Therefore, school leaders can become better aware of difficulties that parents and students of lyceums are facing and potentially make adjustments to improve school life