International schools in Cyprus as an arena of teacher-parent struggles: Teachers' perspectives

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how teachers perceive teacher-parent relationships in international schools in Cyprus. Using semi-structured interviews, 17 teacher interviews reveal that teachers face pressure from demanding parents, feel professionally undermined by them, and experience conflicts and misunderstandings with parents driven by from cultural differences. In addition, teachers noted numerous barriers to parental involvement, including differing expectations of parental involvement, language gaps, a lack of parental familiarity with curricula, and the lack of social or familial support common to expatriate parents. Implications for practice and research are discussed.