“Now, everyone is so busy that there is no one to take care of the children”: Need for parent education: Perspectives of supervisory teachers in middle school.

Abstract

Family life has changed in recent decades and become more complex, leading to new challenges regarding children’s upbringing. In modern society, most parents have jobs outside of the home and children spend a large part of their day in school. Therefore, we can assume that supervisory teachers are aware of children’s needs, as well as their parents, due to the emphasis on cooperation between school and home (lög um grunnskóla [Act on Compulsory Education] no. 91/2008; Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneyti, [Ministry of Education and Culture], 2011).

The aim of the study is to provide insight into the challenges associated with parenting children 10–13 years of age in modern society, according to Icelandic supervisory teachers’ estimation. Moreover, the objective is to explore the teachers’ perspectives on parents’ and supervisory teachers’ roles and responsibilities in parenting, along with their estimation of the need for parental support and parent education. The data consists of semi-structured interviews with eight supervisory teachers in 5th–7th grade in middle schools. The data was analysed using thematic analysis (Braun og Clarke, 2006). Three main themes were explored: (1) High sociological demands are made on parents and children; (2) increasing demands from parents on teachers to participate more in children’s upbringing and; (3) the need for increased parental support and parent education.

The main findings revealed that Icelandic society places significant pressure and demands on parents, resulting in parents’ busy lives. These sociological demands cause Icelandic society to be fast-paced, with parents lacking time, thus causing stress and strain on families. The job market plays a major role in this high tempo. The schools also make demands on parents, such as monitoring the children’s academic progress. Children’s after school activities makes demands on parents as well. Additionally, parents’ social and personal lives are a source of strong pressure. Therefore, it is not surprising that some parents have neither the time nor energy to monitor and support their children’s school attendance and academic progress, as the elementary school law stipulates (nr. 91/2008, paragr. 18). Parents’ responsibilities for their children’s education and behavior are clearly expressed in the law of the land (lög um grunnskóla no. 91/2008; Reglugerð um ábyrgð og skyldur aðila í skólasamfélaginu [Regulation on the Responsibilities and Obligations of Partners in the School Community] no. 1040/2011) and teachers require parents to be more actively involved in their children’s education.

Teachers experience increasing demands from parents to the effect that teachers participate more in children’s upbringing. For instance, many parents want teachers’ assistance in solving communication difficulties between children, even in cases that happen after school hours. However, the teachers do not feel able to meet these demands. They say the workload and related stress is already excessive. Besides, they do not see this as part of their job as teachers nor are they trained in field of parent education. The teachers would have liked to learn more about collaboration between school and parents during their education process. According to the National Curriculum Guide (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneyti, 2011), teachers are obliged to attend to the upbringing of their students and are responsible for their well-being However, it is not further explained what this entails. The role of parents and teachers, respectively, remains unclear. A good example of this vagueness is when children need support and guidance in solving communication problems with their peers. Is that the role of teachers or parents? Does it matter whether this happens during or after school hours?

The teachers want parents to take responsibility for their children. They think there is a real need for parent education and parental support in bringing up 10–13 year old children. The teachers say that parents need to be educated in setting limits and boundaries and emphasize the importance of parents spending time and communicating successfully with their children. The children urgently need guidance in using computers and smart devices, especially when it comes to social media. Some of them have access to their own social media accounts, despite the age limit being 13 years or older. Some of the teachers expressed concerns regarding the effect these factors have on children and speculated that this could have a negative influence with respect to anxiety and depression among children. The teachers said it would be beneficial to conduct parent education in the schools although some doubted that parents would take the time to attend.

The results of this study should be an important contribution to the discussion on parents’ and teachers’ roles and responsibilities in children’s upbringing. Also, the findings are important for policy formulation regarding parent education and support for those who work with parents. Thus, the findings should be of value both for parents and their children.