Cooperation with parents during pandemic: Teachers’ perception

Abstract

Cooperation with parents is an important aspect of the teaching profession. Within teaching modalitiy changes due to the pandemic, parents become important partners in the realization of educational goals. The aim of this paper is to consider the key aspects of parental involvement in the context of pandemic education. Data was collected by online questionnaire at the sample of 817 teachers (84.3% female) from elementary schools in Serbia, age from 23 to 64, one third is consisted of class teachers. Based on Epstein's Framework of Six Dimensions of Parental Involvement: parenting, communication, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community, were assessed. In relation to other dimensions, teachers are most satisfied with the communication they have with parents. Two thirds of teachers report that they are engaged in helping parents how to support their children in learning. About a third report encouraging the voluntary involvement of parents as learning volunteers, rarely for former students and their parents. As it was expected class teachers more often stimulate parents for cooperation comparing to subject teachers. One third of teachers, however, believe that relations with parents made worse during the pandemic. Recommendations for establishing greather partnership between school, family and community, and preparing teachers through preservice and inservice education are given.

Saradnja sa roditeljima predstavlja značajan aspekt nastavničke profesije. Sa promenom modaliteta rada škola usled pandemije, roditelji postaju važni partneri u realizaciji obrazovnovaspitnih ciljeva. Cilj rada predstavlja sagledavanje ključnih aspekata saradnje nastavnik-roditelj u kontekstu pandemijskog obrazovanja. Onlajn upitnik je popunilo 817 nastavnika (84.8% ženskog pola) iz različitih gradova u Srbiji, starosti od 23 do 64 godine, gde su jednu trećinu činili nastavnici razredne nastave. Pošlo se od modela Epstajnove (J.L. Epstein) o 6 ključnih dimenzija saradnje sa roditeljima: roditeljstvo, komunikacija, volontiranje, učenje, donošenje odluka, saradnja sa zajednicom. Nastavnici ističu da su u odnosu na ostale dimenzije najzadovoljni komunikacijom koju sa roditeljima ostvaruju. Dve trećine nastavnika prijavljuje da je angažovano oko pomoći roditeljima kako da podrže decu u učenju. Oko trećine prijavljuje podsticanje volonterskog angažovanja roditelja kao pomoć u učenju, minimalno i bivših učenika. Nastavnici razredne nastave u odnosu na predmetne nastavnike učestalije stimulišu roditelje na saradnju. Trećina nastavnika ipak smatra da su se odnosi sa roditeljima tokom pandemije pogoršali. Date su preporuke za veće uvažavanje partnerstva sa porodicom i zajednicom i značajniju ulogu priprema za saradnju u sklopu obrazovanja i profesionalnog osposobljavanja nastavnika.