Democracy in school development planning : the extent of parent participation in the SDP of a number of schools in Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the nature and level of parental involvement in the process of School Development Planning. The research was carried out in nine primary and secondary schools in Malta - State, Church and Private. The research instrument was a structured interview for the headteachers of the nine schools. Documentary evidence related to the SDP was collected from the schools. The nine schools under study were finally placed along the specially constructed "Parental-Involvement-in-SDP Continuum". The research findings show that in a majority of the schools, parents are involved in the SDP process only as recipients of information. Three out of the nine schools, however, are opening out to a more active involvement of parents in the SDP process, particularly in the Audit phase. The major limitation of this research was the smallness of the sample.