Parental perspectives on family learning were examined through focus group discussions with parents who had participated in family learning courses at a nursery school, primary school, secondary school, and family support center in London, England. Five focus group discussions with a total of 25 family learning course participants, 2 in-depth interviews with family learning course participants, and 1 focus group discussion with 4 nonparticipating parents were conducted. The "participating" parents conceptualized family learning very broadly, as an entity involving a wide network of people, activities, and places. The "participating" parents saw family learning as a means to gaining qualifications, improving their employment situation, increasing their stimulation, increasing their contact with others, gaining more confidence, and enabling them to teach their children more and better prepare them for their future. The barriers to participation in family learning cited by the "participating parents" included lack of time, lack of physical and financial support for child care, and poor accessibility/availability of courses. Compared with the "participating parents," the "nonparticipating" parents conceptualized family learning very similarly but cited many more disadvantages of and barriers to participation. Twenty-one recommendations regarding the marketing, design, and delivery of family learning programs were formulated based on the focus group findings. (Contains 23 references.) (MN)