Perspectives of family-school relationships in Qatar based on Epstein's model of six types of parent involvement

Establishing a collaborative relationship between family and school is associated with positive outcomes for children; however, little research exists, especially in the Arab Gulf region, on whether the perspectives of those who are involved in children's development and learning are similar re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early years (London, England) England), 2020-03, Vol.40 (2), p.188-204
Main Authors: Ihmeideh, Fathi, AlFlasi, Maryam, Al-Maadadi, Fatima, Coughlin, Chris, Al-Thani, Tamader
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrator Attitudes
Counselor Attitudes
Decision Making
early childhood education
Early Childhood Teachers
Epstein's six-types model
Families & family life
Family (Sociological Unit)
Family Environment
family involvement
Family School Relationship
Family-school relationships
Foreign Countries
Interpersonal Communication
Parent Attitudes
Parent Participation
Parent School Relationship
Parenting Skills
School Community Relationship
School Counselors
Teacher Attitudes
Volunteers
Young Children
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Summary:Establishing a collaborative relationship between family and school is associated with positive outcomes for children; however, little research exists, especially in the Arab Gulf region, on whether the perspectives of those who are involved in children's development and learning are similar regarding family-school relationships. Thus, the primary purpose of this research is to investigate how parents of children, early childhood teachers, subject coordinators, school administrators, and school counselors living in Qatar perceive family-school relationships. A survey was developed based on Epstein's six types of parent involvement and administrated to 552 participants in Doha city. To add more information and deepen the findings, the authors interviewed a subsample of the participants (n = 60). Overall, participants expressed high to moderate levels of family-school relationships. Learning at home exhibited the highest mean score among Epstein's six types model of parents involvement, while decision-making received the lowest level. Furthermore, school staff responded more positively regarding family-school relationships than did parents. Implications for school and family practices and policy development are discussed, together with directions for future research.
ISSN:0957-5146
1472-4421
DOI:10.1080/09575146.2018.1438374