International authors have argued that social class inequalities can influence parental engagement in education. Lareau argued that middle-class families possess the resources to actively cultivate their children to succeed academically, whereas working-class and poor families feel they lack such resources and allow their children to develop limited and passive relations with school. This article applies a core element of Lareau’s typology of child rearing to examine disadvantaged British mothers’ experience of engaging with schools. A study involving 77 parents and caregivers of secondary school children, considered disadvantaged, sought to understand the experiences of parental engagement in primary and secondary education. Selective case studies have been chosen from this larger study, using a thematic analysis, to understand how these mothers interpreted their experiences of engaging with secondary education, their feelings of frustration, powerlessness and distance from secondary school. The stories presented illustrate that the ‘accomplishment of natural growth’ provides a contemporary class analysis framework to interpret the experiences of some disadvantaged British parents. Recommendations are made advising how Lareau’s typology of child rearing can inform policy and practice in the British education system and recommendations for future research are made with the purpose of promoting equal access to educational engagement and opportunities.

中文翻译：

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不平等的童年：拉罗“实现自然成长”在英国工人阶级和贫困家庭中的案例研究

国际作者认为，社会阶级不平等会影响父母对教育的参与。拉罗认为，中产阶级家庭拥有积极培养孩子在学业上取得成功的资源，而工人阶级和贫困家庭则认为他们缺乏这种资源，并允许他们的孩子与学校发展有限和被动的关系。本文应用 Lareau 育儿类型学的核心要素来研究处于不利地位的英国母亲参与学校的经历。一项涉及 77 名被认为处于不利地位的中学生的父母和照顾者的研究试图了解父母参与中小学教育的经历。使用主题分析，从这项更大的研究中选择了选择性案例研究，了解这些母亲如何解释她们接受中学教育的经历、她们的沮丧、无能为力和与中学的距离感。所呈现的故事说明，“自然成长的成就”提供了一个当代阶级分析框架来解释一些处于不利地位的英国父母的经历。就拉罗的育儿类型学如何为英国教育系统的政策和实践提供建议提出了建议，并提出了对未来研究的建议，目的是促进平等获得教育参与和机会。所呈现的故事说明，“自然成长的成就”提供了一个当代阶级分析框架来解释一些处于不利地位的英国父母的经历。就拉罗的育儿类型学如何为英国教育系统的政策和实践提供建议提出了建议，并提出了对未来研究的建议，目的是促进平等获得教育参与和机会。所呈现的故事说明，“自然成长的成就”提供了一个当代阶级分析框架来解释一些处于不利地位的英国父母的经历。就拉罗的育儿类型学如何为英国教育系统的政策和实践提供建议提出了建议，并提出了对未来研究的建议，目的是促进平等获得教育参与和机会。