ABSTRACT
This chapter explores parental involvement in the educational transitions of children in Slovenia, with a focus on the social, institutional and specific historical-political context. In the last three decades, both familial life and educational trajectories have undergone many changes, some of which are global societal trends (e.g. individualisation, familiarisation), while others are more country-specific (such as the legacy of egalitarianism, the specific mix of individualism and collectivism, familial and neighbourly links, and institutional changes to the education system). These changes have added to the responsibility of parents who face many new societal pressures and have led to what we can describe as an overprotective parenthood in terms of parental involvement in the educational trajectories of children. Based on policy analysis (the national legislative and regulative framework) and qualitative and quantitative empirical data gathered in the European project GOETE (Governance of Educational Trajectories in Europe), this chapter aims to analyse and contextualise these contemporary processes and interpret the practices of parents in terms of their involvement in their children’s education from a social and institutional perspective.
