PRADINIŲ KLASIŲ MOKYTOJŲ IR MOKINIŲ TĖVŲ POŽIŪRIS Į TARPUSAVIO BENDRADARBIAVIMĄ [THE POINT OF VIEW OF PRIMARY CLASS TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOR COLLABORATION

Abstract

The problem of collaboration between teachers and parents is not new. However, every time period brings new aspects. This article examines the attitudes of primary school teachers and parents towards collaboration in primary school. In the current society, cooperation is very significant, covering various spheres of life, as well as educational institutions. The effectiveness of an educational institution's activities depends on the involvement of parents in its activities, and one of the main goals of the school is to encourage parental involvement in the activities of the school community. The population of the research carried out primary school teachers working in Siauliai city and district schools and pupils’ parents. During the study, 52 primary school teachers and 148 primary school pupils’ parents were interviewed. The study combines quantitative and qualitative methods (questionnaire with closed and open questions). An analysis of the research data has highlighted the following: both groups of respondents acknowledge the importance of collaboration, indicate successful cooperation conditions, but evaluation of it is slightly different. Both teachers and parents have made a number of rational proposals for improving co-operation. The proposals presented by them revealed a partial mismatch between the opinions of the two groups of respondents. Teachers emphasized the need for a teacher, parent and reciprocal efforts to reduce workload. According to parents, collaboration could be improved by deliberately choosing various forms of cooperation, mutual efforts, improving the quality of teacher-parent relationships, understanding parenting responsibilities, reducing workload. Keywords: collaboration between teachers and parents, primary school teachers, learners’ parents, primary school.