Chapter 4: Findings
4.3 RQ2: Parental Expectations of Boarding Schools for Gifted Students
41 4.2.7 Accommodation and Nutrition
Parents from both cities underlined the importance of the dormitory and catering services provided in boarding schools. Accommodation was more crucial for parents from Kazan, because of the city size and the distance from home to school.
To drive from one part of the city through traffic jams [each day]—it is a torment.
Especially in winters. Also, I liked the format of the dormitory [and] the system of mentors. Mentors maintain order. (P6)
In addition, one of the participants from Almetyevsk, even if this city is small, noted this criterion as important, because of the location of the school.
The lyceum is located on the outskirts, so I could not drive him there everyday.
(P1)
Nutrition was one of the least mentioned factors noted by parents. Only one participant said that it was one of the factors considered for selection
Also, nutrition is very important. I knew that there was very good nutrition here.
(P3)
Overall, accommodation and nutrition appeared to not be the most prominent factors, but they could play an important role when considered in relation to other factors such as distance to school for some families and potentially less nutritious meal options in other alternate schools.
42 of moral education, while the main academic expectations were strongly associated with the academic factors that motivated parents to select the boarding schools in the first place.
4.3.1 Non-Academic Expectations
The participants had the expectation that the school values at the boarding would positively influence their children. Specifically, most parents believed that the responsibility for raising their children should be the responsibility of both the family and the school.
Human qualities are taught by parents, but sometimes we to do it correctly, so we should do it together. (P1)
While parents expected schools to support the development of human qualities, parents also expressed that they expected the schools to support and provide the appropriate conditions for the psychological development of their children:
I want my child to be able to psychologically adjust to different situations. And I want him to be able to choose what he wants and reach it. (P2)
Expectations of parents are also related to the future careers of their children. They believed that the boarding schools might better support their children to find a beloved profession, one that reveals their best attributes and is ethical:
I wish that he will know what he wants from this life. And to be morally educated.
(P6)
Parents also expected that their child would be more independent as a consequence of being more disciplined and responsible:
First is that I want to see her setting goals and achieving them. The second is moral stability and discipline. (P5)
43 I am waiting for a high level of self-organization and independence. (P8)
To sum up, the expectations of parents were inextricably linked to psychological conditions, their children’s future careers, and the appearance of moral features that might help them in the future. It is worth noting that some of the participants do not have any non- academic expectations from school.
4.3.2 Academic Expectations
Academic expectations were highlighted by parents as important and they expect that their children would achieve a good education and successfully pass their exams. The parents believed that excellent exam results would open up more opportunities for their children in the future, such as options for university.
Of course, it is an academic education that will give him the opportunity to enroll in a university and get higher education in his chosen specialty. (P1)
I want my child to pass the EGE [exams] successfully. (P2)
Overall, despite boarding schools being famous for high EGE and Olympiad results, academic expectations were underlined only by few of the participants.
5. Discussion 5.1 Introduction
The previous chapter presented the key findings from the individual interviews with the participants of the study. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the major findings that were revealed during the data analysis process in relation to the literature that is relevant to the purpose of the study. Thus, this chapter aims to answer the two main research questions about parental choice and expectations of boarding schools for gifted students in Tatarstan. The discussion of the findings was guided by the following two specific research questions: what academic and non-academic factors influence parental school choice in the Republic of Tatarstan? and (2) What are the parental expectations of boarding schools for gifted students?
The findings were divided into two main sections according to research questions.
5.2 Academic and Non-Academic Factors Affecting Parental Choice 5.2.1 Value-Based Education
The most frequent response of the parent participants to their choice for choosing the boarding schools was value-based education. In the literature review, this factor was not featured prominently as it was rarely referred to in the literature. The only time it was
mentioned was in the journal article “Boys’ Boarding School Management: Understanding the Choice Criteria of Parents (Debbie Vigar-Ellis, 2013). According to the Vigar-Ellis study, factors such as behavioral education was a third-ranking criteria as academic quality and student safety featured as most important for parental choice of single-sex boarding schools in South Africa. Nevertheless, parents in the South African study underlined the strong value system of such schools that builds student independence and character. The reason why this developmental element was so rated by parents in the Republic of Tatarstan may be associated with the specific sample schools’ orientation and focused on values. This finding also reveals that, unlike in other settings such as South Africa, parents that select boarding schools in the Republic of Tatarstan, consider non-academic school qualities more valuable than academic
45 results. The study revealed that single-parent families try to give boys to boarding schools with predominance of male staff. They believe that boys should be educated by men to
nurture male qualities. According to Rosstat (2023) the percentage of divorces in the Republic of Tatarstan is 52.3%. It means that there are many children that are brought up in single parent families.
5.2.2 Individual Approach
The individual approach of the boarding schools mentioned by parents could be considered the second most important factor. There are three main features that were
underlined as part of this motivation. The first feature is that boarding schools are many times smaller than common state schools. This feature pertains to both an overall smaller number of students and an improved student-staff ratio. The second feature is that the number of staff that are responsible for any individual student is higher in comparison to other public schools.
For example, in the boarding schools, the staff consists not only of class teachers, but also so- called Bashkans or mentors from older classes who take on an important duty of care. The third feature as mentioned by participating parents was that the teachers’ focused on the disclosure of behavioral information to parents and clear lines of direct communication. This final feature of the individualized approach inherent to the boarding schools in Tatarstan was not mentioned in the literature review and could not be found in the literature. However, it should be noted that these newfound features may not exist in all boarding schools--the schools differ from one country to another. Boarding schools, like their state-school
counterparts, may also consist of a large number of students. So other boarding schools in the Tatarstan region and elsewhere may not always provide such an individualized approach for their students.
46 James Garvin (1987), in the article “What do parents expect from middle level
schools?”, supports the idea of importance of the individual approach. Parents expect that there will be some adults or teachers whom every child can address their own worries to and have the opportunity to be heard. This need of parents appeared to arise from their perception that public middle schools were enormous and consequently more “impersonal” (page 3) In other research on parental perceptions of schooling, individual attention was named as one of the most important expectations of parents (Erickson, 2017). In that study, this factor was even seen as more important that academic quality. Therefore, the Erickson study points to the potential shift in priorities of parents from academic results to non-academic outcomes.
Therefore, findings herein suggest that the personal approach and the need for children to share their problems and worries with teachers are central to satisfying the needs of parents and for making the selected schools more inclusive.
5.2.3 Qualities of Teachers and Their Relations toward Students
The qualities of the teachers play a big role during school selection. It is noted that, findings from different studies suggest that the quality of a teacher is often based on their professional features. For example, Ved (2021) identified that parents thought that it was important for teachers to complete teacher training and to make use of modern technology in the classroom. In this study, the participating parents underlined the human qualities and ability to lead the class as important factors for their decision. This factor was also another indicator that non-academic factors are quite prominent among parents in the Republic of Tatarstan.
The study by Alsuiadi (2016) “Reasons Influencing Selection Decision Making of Parental Choice of School” revealed that the quality of teachers drives the perceived
“educational climate in class” (p. 203). The conception of parents in the current study
47 mirrored that of the parents in that original study. The significance of the factor “Relationship between students and teachers” was also proved in this study. Parents are waiting from schools fair and sincere treating from teachers toward their children.
Research by Al Shimri (1999) also supports the importance of student-teacher relationships for parental school choice. The participants stated that they preferred private schools because of the strong positive relationship between students and their teachers in those schools. This means that given the choice, it would appear that parents in both Tatarstan and abroad would likely select schools that are more likely to provide more quality
relationships between teachers.
5.2.4 Academic Quality
Academic quality featured prominently in the literature review. Most of the studies put this factor as the most significant driver of parental choice of boarding and selective schools.
The studies concluded that academic quality is recognized worldwide as the most prominent factor that parents consider when selecting schools (Rohde, 2019). It was revealed that parents generally pay more attention to the school’s capacity to teach mathematics and sciences (Alsuiadi, 2016). One of the reasons why academic quality is widely used to assess schools is associated with accountability. There are many indicators (for example, level of moral
education and respect) that cannot be empirically checked. In this study, academic quality was, expectedly, also mentioned by parents. The boarding school was considered by parents as a good opportunity for their students to pass high-stakes exams and enroll in top
universities. Parents believed that transferring their students from state schools to boarding schools could provide some advantages in the academically, though this did not appear to feature as prominently as in other studies and educational contexts. Therefore, the prominent
48 role of the that the aforementioned factors of school values, individualization, and student relationships could be explored further in the future.
5.2.5 School Selection-Based Criteria and Atmosphere
The boarding school enrolls students based on a merit-based selection system. The Parents believed that selection based on achievements can help to organize a healthy
atmosphere and environment in the school. In addition, participants believed that the selection process itself ensured that all parents appreciated their children’s opportunity in the school and also ensured students partook in healthy competition with each other. This factor appeared to not be widely presented in the academic literature. One of the reasons for this is that the boarding schools mentioned in the literature do not involve merit-based selection and are often made up of students from the countryside and other cities. Nevertheless, the current study suggests that parents viewed the merit-based system as a potentially positive factor that helped develop their students’ competitive nature in a supportive environment.
Ved (2021) in the research “The Factors Impacting Parental Choice in Picking Non- Public Schools for Their Children” mentions the factor “school environment” as the most influential for parents during school selection. However, this was not connected to the selection process. The current study perhaps identifies a new criterion for parental choice of selective boarding schools—more research may be undertaken to understand this phenomenon further, especially for single-gender selective boarding schools.
James Garvin (1987) also supports the atmosphere factor as crucial for parents. In his study, he underlines the concerns of parents about negative influence of society in schools.
His study revealed that parents expect schools to be healthy environments conducive for supportive friendships to develop among students.
49 5.2.6 Single-Gender Education
Some parents in the Republic of Tatarstan believe that single-gender positively influences the education process. They note that boys and girls develop differently and the ways in which information is communicated to these gender groups should vary accordingly.
This opinion was supported by research by Eisenkopf and Hessami (2011). They studied single-gender education and revealed that, for example, higher results by the female students may have been due to the lack of gender stereotypes and competitiveness in the single-sex school contexts. However, there is conflicting research on the effect of single-gender schooling in post-Soviet countries—for example, students from single-sex contexts in Kazakhstan tended to exhibit lower levels of academic purpose and motivation in university settings (Gilazh, 2022). Clearly, more research is needed in this area.
Another study by Pahlke and Bigler (2014) explored mothers’ preferences during the period of school selection. The authors proposed that the shared interests among girls in schools allow teachers to concentrate on girls’ interests while teaching lessons. Interestingly, findings from PISA (2012) suggested that there are only three countries where girls feel better about studying math than boys. These three countries were Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, all Muslim countries with universal single-gender education. Therefore, this finding actually support the idea of parents about the positive influence of gender-based education.
It is worth to say that the Muslim religion was one of the factors for why single gender education was highlighted by parents. According to the Tatar census (2022) a total 2,091,175 persons (53.2%) identified as Muslims in the Republic of Tatarstan. Therefore, it there may have been strong religious reasons for why the parents were motivated who have their children enrolled in single-gender schools.
50 5.2.7 Accommodation and Nutrition
The factors identified as accommodation and nutrition were not widely represented in research literature. Likewise, this factor only featured as important for a few parents.
Specifically, the current study revealed that the provided accommodation was more important for parents from Kazan, because of transportation issues associated with the population and size of the city. In most cases, parents were positive about the fact that students resided in the dormitory and were provided with five meals a day—however, these factors were not
considered as dominant. Hence, accommodation and nutrition cannot be counted as the main reasons for parental school selection in the current study. This may be associated with the specific context of Russia, a middle-income country that provides school children with meals in schools. For example, the aforementioned Debbie-Viggar Ellis (2013), based on school systems in South Africa, provided empirical evidence for the importance of nutrition for parents. They do not want their children to feel any hunger and discomfort. According to the survey, parents believed that healthy nutrition has a positive impact on their children’s emotional well-being of pupils, academic results, and physical perception. Also running counter to the findings of the current study, Ved (2021) revealed that providing
accommodation is not an important factor for parents of boarding school children. According to the study, parents are more likely to choose schools which were of walking of 30 minutes or less from their homes. It means that the participants will prefer day school nearby to boarding school. Therefore, the more anomalous findings of this study to do with nutrition and accommodation may be context specific.
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.