Parents' perceptions of power in the school exclusion process examined through Arnstein's ladder of participation.

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Title: Parents' perceptions of power in the school exclusion process examined through Arnstein's ladder of participation.
Authors: Bridgeman, Jemma (AUTHOR)
Source: Educational Review. Nov2025, Vol. 77 Issue 7, p2282-2301. 20p.
Subjects: Power (Social sciences), Participation, Stakeholder theory, Parents, Educational equalization, Student expulsion, Political participation, Decision making
Abstract: Parents have highlighted that they felt powerless in the school exclusion process because school staff speak louder and have all the authority. This study draws on Arnstein's ladder of citizen participation to analyse parents' experiences of the school exclusion process. At the bottom of Arnstein's ladder is nonparticipation; citizens cannot participate in decision-making in this domain. The following domain is tokenism. This is where citizens have a voice and are heard, but their views are not considered. The final domain at the top of the ladder is citizen control; this is where citizens have varying degrees of decision-making power. This paper uses data from semi-structured interviews with parents to understand their children's experiences of school, measures that schools implemented to prevent exclusions, and how they experienced the school exclusion process. The data showed that parents could feel manipulated in the school exclusion process when they were involved too late when school staff had already decided to exclude their children. Conversely, some parents felt that they had the power to influence decisions and valued working in partnership with school staff to inform the sanction their child would receive and avoid permanent exclusion. It is concluded that not all parents have equal influence in the school exclusion process. The findings of this research highlight the need to make sure that all parents are given the opportunity to participate in the exclusion process to ensure that the education system is fairer and more inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Parents' perceptions of power in the school exclusion process examined through Arnstein's ladder of participation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Educational+Review%22">Educational Review</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 77 Issue 7, p2282-2301. 20p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Power+%28Social+sciences%29%22">Power (Social sciences)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participation%22">Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stakeholder+theory%22">Stakeholder theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parents%22">Parents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+expulsion%22">Student expulsion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+participation%22">Political participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decision+making%22">Decision making</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Parents have highlighted that they felt powerless in the school exclusion process because school staff speak louder and have all the authority. This study draws on Arnstein's ladder of citizen participation to analyse parents' experiences of the school exclusion process. At the bottom of Arnstein's ladder is nonparticipation; citizens cannot participate in decision-making in this domain. The following domain is tokenism. This is where citizens have a voice and are heard, but their views are not considered. The final domain at the top of the ladder is citizen control; this is where citizens have varying degrees of decision-making power. This paper uses data from semi-structured interviews with parents to understand their children's experiences of school, measures that schools implemented to prevent exclusions, and how they experienced the school exclusion process. The data showed that parents could feel manipulated in the school exclusion process when they were involved too late when school staff had already decided to exclude their children. Conversely, some parents felt that they had the power to influence decisions and valued working in partnership with school staff to inform the sanction their child would receive and avoid permanent exclusion. It is concluded that not all parents have equal influence in the school exclusion process. The findings of this research highlight the need to make sure that all parents are given the opportunity to participate in the exclusion process to ensure that the education system is fairer and more inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00131911.2024.2418918
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 20
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      – SubjectFull: Power (Social sciences)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Participation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stakeholder theory
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational equalization
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      – SubjectFull: Student expulsion
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      – SubjectFull: Political participation
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      – SubjectFull: Decision making
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      – TitleFull: Parents' perceptions of power in the school exclusion process examined through Arnstein's ladder of participation.
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              M: 11
              Text: Nov2025
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              Y: 2025
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