Background: Parents can feel anxious and unsecure when their children enter first grade and must learn to negotiate classroom life independently, to develop good social, emotional, language and physical skills. Good school adjustment can be linked with effective communication between teachers and parents, and to create optimal cooperation, teachers are required to develop effective communication skills during their daily work with parents. This qualitative study will explore how parents of first-grade students experience their communication with teachers.
Method: Participants were 12 parents (8 women) of first grade students (age 5-7) in Israeli public secular schools. The parents underwent semi-structured in-depth non-directive interviews to gather information about their experience of communication with their child’s teachers. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed, themes and categories were defined.
Findings: Parents expressed various levels of concerns, mostly linked to whether this was their first child to enter school, and their perception of the child's ability to adjust. Parents expect teachers to be a professional source of support, but do not always feel that the teachers are fully aware of the great sensitivity of the stage they are in, as a family.
Conclusions: First-grade teachers should be made more aware of the parents' experience in the transition to first grade, for example, through specially designed in-service programs. This will enable to better support and guide parents at this critical stage.

Authors:
Asnat Dor, Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Israel

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Asnat Dor is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel in Israel

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