Organizing participation: a process-oriented interpretation of parent–teacher associations through cooptation

Purpose This study examines how parent participation is organized and sustained within parent–teacher associations (PTAs) after stakeholders are formally incorporated into school governance. Rather than evaluating whether participation is democratic or symbolic, it explores the organizational processes through which participatory governance is enacted and interprets these processes through Selznick's (1949) concept of cooptation. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a critical phenomenological design, the study draws on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 parents and school administrators from two public and two private K–12 schools. Data were analyzed through an iterative abductive process combining inductive theme development with subsequent theoretical interpretation. Findings Three interrelated organizational processes were identified: organizational legitimacy, boundary-work, and role internalization. The findings show how these shape participation after formal inclusion: legitimacy concerns how participation remains institutionally acceptable despite recognized limits to influence; boundary-work concerns the ongoing negotiation of participation, authority, and organizational responsibility; and role internalization concerns how incorporated stakeholders come to understand and enact their participatory responsibilities through continued organizational interaction. Together, these processes show how cooptation operates not as a one-time act of incorporation but as an ongoing organizational process through which the conditions of participation and influence are negotiated. Research limitations/implications Future research could examine participatory governance longitudinally, comparatively, and across different educational systems and stakeholder groups. Practical implications The findings encourage school leaders to complement formal participation with transparent decision-making, constructive disagreement, and meaningful opportunities for stakeholder influence within participatory governance. Social implications The study contributes to broader debates on participatory governance by illuminating how inclusion is continuously negotiated within everyday organizational life. Originality/value and extends Selznick's cooptation perspective by conceptualizing participation as a dynamic process shaped by legitimacy, boundary-work and role internalization.