Study Objectives

The LEAPS Parent Survey expands evidence-based approaches to reduce educational inequalities in Switzerland. Annual surveys shed light on the family and learning environment of students in the Canton of Zurich during their compulsory schooling. This is particularly important in light of the growing social inequality and lower educational returns, which underscore the need for early investments in the life worlds of children – their learning, leisure, and school experiences. The focus is on the organization of out-of-school life and learning, parental expectations, parenting behavior, and the significance of early childcare and significant life events. The results enhance the understanding of early development and resilience, especially their contribution to equal opportunities. Insights inform targeted family-support measures to prevent educational inequalities and promote evidence-based education policy

Key dimensions related to these questions are as follows:

Well-being and development

Based on theoretical work by Brooks-Gunn (1990) and Deci and Ryan (2008), our understanding of well-being and development includes 6 dimensions: Academic, cognitive, social emotional, somatic, physical, and behavioral. In addition, we distinguish subjective and objective dimensions of well-being in analogy to the distinction chosen by UNICEF: Material security, health, education, housing situation, and regional conditions. A combined analysis of these dimensions allows us to gain more precise insights into mechanisms of child development and well-being in different domains of life.

Family as a site for learning

The family, including co-resident adults and siblings, is an important site of socialization and learning, and thus, along with the school environment, an essential place where "learning" occurs, experiences are gained, and behavior is tested (Reardon, 2011; Snow, 2020). Especially school transitions are key moments in which the role of the family in learning is redefined, social relations and identity evolve. Observing different families´ ability to accompany children in such transitions contributes to explain heterogeneity in children's learning, development, and well-being. Our goal is to survey objective conditions such as family structure, socioeconomic status, and parental educational attainment, as well as social (e.g., family relationships) and cultural (e.g., language, migration background, media use, attitudes) conditions for their association with children's development and well-being.

The following questions guide our project:

• How do parents support their children in their development and learning?
• What social and cultural differences (e.g. parental involvement, educational aspirations, attitudes) are apparent in the structuring and co-creation of the family as a place of learning - in the sense of structuring everyday life, time use, parental organization, media use?
• What influence does the family context, parental values and identity, and its everyday organization have on children's individual abilities, motivation, and school self-assessments ?

Previous Studies

• Qualitative Study (June 2019): Researchers from the Jacobs Center conducted a qualitative study with children, parents, teachers, and policymakers on the self and social competencies of young people. The aim was to demonstrate the competencies needed to achieve better learning outcomes or to better cope with significant experiences in the family or school context.
• Mini-Pilot Study (2022): Researchers from the Jacobs Center conducted a mini-pilot study in a sample of 42 parents with children from 4 kindergartens each in Zurich and Bern. In an online survey, selected incentive mechanisms and survey instruments from areas such as socio-demographic background, income and employment, health, family life and household division of tasks, time use, parenting style, and personality were tested. The findings from the data analysis are summarized in a dashboard.
• In 2023, another pre-test took place with a sample of 199 parents with children from 41 kindergartens across 4 districts in the Canton of Zurich, where a new two-part online design was tested for its feasibility. Descriptive statistics and insights from the pilot study in 2023 are summarized in a dashboard.