Cooperation Between Parents and Teachers in the Context of Applied Forms of Cooperation

Abstract

Aim. It is possible to carry out the development of family-school relations through various forms of cooperation, both traditional and innovative. This paper presents the results of research aimed at identifying the forms of family-school cooperation applied, with an emphasis on the primary level of education. The research aimed to find out the preferred forms of cooperation between parents and teachers and also to determine whether there is a statistically significant association between parents' education and the forms of cooperation used.    Methods. The research instrument was a questionnaire of our construction designed for parents of children in primary education. We statistically evaluated the research findings using descriptive statistics methods and statistical method called Ordinal logistic regression analysis. Subsequently, we tested the reliability and validity (internal consistency) of the questionnaire by Cronbach's α (coefficient alpha). Results. Our research has shown that the most used form of cooperation between family and school is still the parents' meeting, as the most traditional form of cooperation. Parents do not often use innovative forms of cooperation (open classes, extracurricular activities organised by the school or suggestion boxes for parents). Communication between parents and teachers through digital technologies is widely used to the detriment of face-to-face communication. At the same time, we found that parents' education has not a statistically significant influence on the preferred and used forms of cooperation.  Conclusion. Regardless of the form of cooperation, any contact between parents and teachers helps to build and shape efficient cooperation. The family-school relationship determines the nature of this cooperation, as well as the expectations of both parties for the education of the pupil. We see active family-school cooperation in the active involvement of parents in school and extracurricular activities.