SCHOOL-FAMILY RELATIONSHIP: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS USING DISCUSSION GROUPS
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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3714-1670
Diego Hervella-Fariñas
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3185-0302
Beatriz Rodríguez-Ruiz
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3009-6766
Abstract
Framework. Family participation in schools is a key factor in ensuring educational quality and must be further strengthened across diverse educational contexts worldwide. The type of relationship established between schools and families’ shapes teachers’ attitudes and educational practices, influencing their emotional well-being and professional development, and may even become a source of teacher stress in different institutional environments. The aim of this study was to analyze the feelings and perceptions of Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers regarding the school–family relationship. Methods. Three discussion groups were conducted with the participation of sixteen teachers from both educational stages in this qualitative research. A content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti 7.5.10 software, through which two subdimensions emerged: one related to “Positive Feelings and Perceptions” (three categories) and another to “Negative Feelings and Perceptions” (two categories). Empirical Analysis. Results indicate more benefits than drawbacks in teachers’ relationships with families. Families are perceived as valuing teachers’ professional work and as educational allies within the broader schooling process. However, teachers’ feelings are divided between positive (gratitude, motivation) and negative (insecurity, frustration). Methodological Reflection. Discussion groups, in a climate of trust, facilitated the emergence of meanings associated with relationships with families within teaching culture. Potential biases were mitigated through the moderator’s reflective training and continuous analytical reflexivity practices. Final Considerations. The study concludes that teachers tend to adopt a professionalist school culture, conceiving family participation in traditional, hierarchical and unidirectional terms. A shift toward a democratic school culture is needed, where family participation benefits the educational community.
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