Family-School Articulations: The Effects of Interaction Rule Mismatch

Abstract

This paper explores the schooling effects of discontinuities in the rules of interaction the child experiences in family and classroom. Two fundamental forms of rules are identified: exchange rules of interaction (which define allowed and expected behavior based on relative position, age, sex and/or status differences), and communal rules of interaction (which define desired and appropriate behavior based on interpersonal affinities and attitudes). Data gathered on 196 children in eight elementary school classrooms in suburban New Zealand suggest that families tend to cluster into three general types, similar to those identified by earlier researchers: Cohesive (strong in both types of rules), Coercive (strong in exchange but relatively weak in communal rules), and Laissez-faire (relatively weak in both). When classrooms are similarly classified, analyses of variance yield significant interactive effects between family and classroom interaction rules on children’s academic grades. These findings suggest (a) that the greater the discontinuity in interaction rules between home and school, the more the child’s academic grades decline, and (b) that children from any type of home can be relatively advantaged in some classrooms and relatively disadvantaged in others, Implications for further research and theory development are discussed.