The Family as a Place of Education - Between a School-Centred Focus on Education and Family Needs

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

Findings from PISA studies reveal that school systems reproduce social inequalities, and empirical ethnographic research with families of mentally ill parents shows social exclusion starting even before children enter school. The work analyzes how parents’ mental illness influences children and what support these families require. It argues that child and youth welfare discourse and formal education systems must incorporate family coping situations to better address education and child protection needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The family as a place of education in social discourse

The family as a place of education alongside the school

The Family as a Place of Education. Between a SchoolCentred Focus on Education and Family Needs Ulrike Loch1 • The results of PISA studies over recent years have revealed the social selectivity of the scholastic education system. Based on my empirical research on families with mentally ill parents, I show how, for the children involved, social exclusion begins before they even start school. I also show how parents’ mental illness is seen to affect children, and what support such families require. The findings demonstrate how important it is to take family coping situations into account in education discourse concerning child and youth welfare services and formal education systems. Keywords: child and youth welfare, child protection, social exclusion, mentally ill parents, ethnography 1 Institute of Educational Science and Research, University of Klagenfurt, Austria; [Ulrike.Loch@aau.at](Ulrike.Loch@aau.at). 94 the family as a place of education . between a school-centred focus on ... Družina kot mesto edukacije. Med izobraževanjem osredinjenim na šolo ter družinskimi potrebami Ulrike Loch • Izsledki študije PISA so v zadnjih nekaj letih pokazali na socialno selektivnost sholastičnega edukacijskega sistema. Na podlagi empiričneraziskave o družinah s starši z duševnimi težavami pokažemo, kako se za vpletene otroke socialna izključenost začne, še preden začno šolanje. Pokažemo tudi, kako duševna bolezen staršev vpliva na otroke inkakšno podporo potrebujejo take družine. Izsledki kažejo, kako pomembno je, da v edukacijskem diskurzu upoštevamo tudi situacije, s katerimi se spoprijemajo družine in socialne službe, ki jih spremljajo. Ključne besede: dobrobit otrok in mladostnikov, varstvo otrok, socialna izključenost, duševno bolni starši, etnografija Introduction The basis for the following exposition is my empirical study “Kinderschutz mit psychisch kranken Eltern”(Child Protection with Mentally Ill Parents, Loch, 2014a). As part of this study, I accompanied children’s social care service staff in Germany and Austria as an ethnographer while they processed child protection cases. My research focused on families in which the parents were mentally ill. The following relates to the current discourse on families as a place for education and the effects this has on families receiving support from child and youth welfare services. Based on the example of families with mentally ill parents, I examine how the current trend towards education in child and youth welfare is affecting families coping with difficult situations. Specifically, I study the question of how a school-focused understanding of education affects child and youth welfare in practice, as well as on the support processes arranged in this context with families. This question is investigated based on a case example, preceded by a fundamental examination of the current discourse on education and the social living environment of families with mentally ill parents. The family as a place of education in social discourse In Germany and Austria, one significant factor for the current discourse is acknowledging that the two countries’ education systems reproduce social inequalities. The results of PISA studies in recent years have revealed the social selectivity of the scholastic education system. For Austria, analyses of PISA data from 2009 show, among other things, that: “While, for example, 75% of 15- to 16-year-olds whose parents achieve upper secondary qualifications as their highest educational level also attend a school at that level, that number falls to 23% when parents only attend the minimal amount of compulsory education” (see Bacher, Leitgöb & Weber, 2012, p. 432) . In Austria and Germany, these repeated PISA results have led to discussion among academics and social policymakers, as well as within educational institutions, about the future development of the school education system and the importance of informal education. In the context of in

FAQs

How do PISA results relate to social exclusion before school?

PISA results demonstrate the social selectivity of scholastic education systems. The study’s evidence indicates that social exclusion begins for affected children before they even start school.

What does the research say about the impact of parents’ mental illness on children?

The findings show that parents’ mental illness affects children and shapes what support such families need. This includes considering family coping situations in education and welfare discourse.

Why does the article link family education with school success?

The discourse presented in Germany and Austria treats families as key educational settings alongside school. The article explains that family-based education and educational achievements influence scholastic success, while also raising how schools can respond to family contexts.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay