Family Engagement Interpretations: A Comparison of Primary Classroom Teachers and Chinese Families

The research questions addressed in this project were: How do primary classroom teachers interpret the roles of families in engagement in education? How do the families of primary-aged Chinese children interpret their own roles in engagement in education? How are these interpretations similar and different? In this project, the researcher discovered answers to these questions by administering a questionnaire to families of primary-age Chinese students and those students’ teachers. Using references to family engagement categories suggested by researchers Epstein and Dauber, Ho, and Berger and Riojas-Cortez, the researcher was able to determine that practices currently in place at this school provide opportunity for families to engage in events across multiple engagement categories. In addition, referencing Ho’s work, the researcher was able to determine that teachers viewed the role of families to be both active and passive, meaning that they were both to take initiative as well as be responsive. Families believed their role to be more passive, responding to teachers and not taking initiative. Despite these differences in interpretation of the families’ role, the study showed that families and teachers both believed that the purpose of family engagement practices is to develop children academically, socially, and emotionally, and that communication and community building are important to effective engagement