Who is responsible for educational outcomes? Responsibility ascriptions for educational outcomes in a sample of Italian teachers, parents, and students

Teachers', parents' and students' beliefs about their reciprocal roles and responsibilities at school are crucial if responsibility for educational process and outcomes is to be effectively shared. Results of previous research, however, indicate that their perspectives on responsibility do not completely overlap. By investigating 235 students', 35 teachers' and 175 parents' assignment of responsibility to themselves or to others at an Italian junior-high in parallel with a high school, this study shows that students', parents' and teachers' ascription of responsibility significantly differs, especially concerning parent responsibility in school and students' own perceived responsibility. The study suggests the need for and importance of further investigating the interplay of responsibility assignment in the school context so as to help schools create a positive and effective school-family relationship, establishing a mutually accepted frame of responsibility.