THE ATTITUDE OF THE PARENT COMMUNITY OF THE RUSSIAN METROPOLIS TOWARDS THE CONDITIONS OF TEACHING CHILDREN AT SCHOOL

Abstract

Introduction Active reformation of school education is a tendency of recent decades in Russia. However, carried out by administrative-bureaucratic methods, it sometimes does not reduce the number of problems, but increases them. In many respects, therefore, the parent community of large Russian cities is beginning to show more activity and interest towards the situation in school education. According to recent studies, parents become more organized and focused on solving real problems of the school where their children study. In this regard, in the framework of our study, the task was to identify the attitude of parents to the educational conditions of their children, as well as their ideas about the most pressing problems that require special attention from the educational authorities. Materials and methods The article is based on the materials of the research project of the scientific team of the Ural Federal University called "Parents and the School: Interaction in the City's Education System" (2019), implemented with the support of the Department of Education of Yekaterinburg. Using an online questionnaire, parents of children studying in Yekaterinburg were interviewed. The sample size is 7281 people, quota sampling, quotas are set by city districts and types of schools. The quantitative data obtained over a large sample made it possible to use statistical methods such as cluster and correlation analysis to solve the scientific problem, which allowed us to identify the typology of the parent community and describe its basic characteristics. Results of the research Using a two-stage cluster analysis based on a wide range of indicators, an empirical typology of parents was formed according to the criterion of satisfaction with the conditions of the educational activity of their children. Two clusters of parents were identified: those who rated the conditions for teaching children at school higher (61.9%) and less highly (38.1%). The use of correlation analysis made it possible to see that there are no fundamental differences in the socio-demographic characteristics of these groups of parents, however, significant differences between the clusters of parents exist in assessing the most pressing problems of the Russian school. The group of “dissatisfied” parents is characterized by increased requirements for the level of organization of the educational process, the professionalism of teachers and the level of training of students in general. They consider it necessary to reduce the level of bureaucratization and corruption in the school system; creating conditions for dialogue between teachers, students and parents. Conclusion The results of the study provide an opportunity not only to see the differences in the needs, goals and interests of different segments of the parent community, but also to draw a conclusion about the formation of a social order for the public participation of parents in solving problems of school education, as well as about determining ways of its development. Keywords: Educational reforms, parent community, social participation, elementary education