Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools

When parents and educators form and maintain collaborative partnerships to support children’s development, the outcomes of inclusive preschool practices improve, not only for children but also for parents and educators. Since trust is a crucial foundation for building such partnerships, and...

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Main Authors: Jelić Marija, Buha Nataša
Format: Article
Language:srp
Published: Institute for Educational Research, Belgrade 2024-01-01
Series:Zbornik Instituta za pedagoška istraživanja
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0579-6431/2024/0579-64312402303J.pdf
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author Jelić Marija
Buha Nataša
author_facet Jelić Marija
Buha Nataša
author_sort Jelić Marija
collection DOAJ
description When parents and educators form and maintain collaborative partnerships to support children’s development, the outcomes of inclusive preschool practices improve, not only for children but also for parents and educators. Since trust is a crucial foundation for building such partnerships, and given the lack of research on this topic in our context, this study aimed to examine the congruence of trust levels between parents and educators, as well as differences in trust based on children’s developmental status (children with and without developmental disabilities). The sample included 306 educators and 450 parents of children with and without developmental disabilities. The Trust Scale was used, with separate forms for educators and parents. The results showed that educators exhibited higher levels of trust compared to parents. Additionally, parents of children with developmental disabilities reported significantly lower trust in educators than parents of children without developmental disabilities, particularly regarding aspects of developmental support and educators’ communication with parents. The lack of trust between educators and parents of children with developmental disabilities poses a risk to building effective partnerships, which undermines unified efforts to support children’s learning and development. To address this, educators should be empowered through initial training and professional development, with an emphasis on effective communication strategies and approaches for working with children with diverse needs and with their families. The study also highlights directions for future research to develop successful inclusive education programs where parents and children feel a true sense of belonging.
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series Zbornik Instituta za pedagoška istraživanja
spelling doaj-art-949109df174f457ca5941c5872cc2ea12025-08-20T02:56:27ZsrpInstitute for Educational Research, BelgradeZbornik Instituta za pedagoška istraživanja0579-64311820-92702024-01-0156230332010.2298/ZIPI2402303J0579-64312402303JPerspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschoolsJelić Marija0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0146-9663Buha Nataša1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8568-6309University of Belgrade, Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Belgrade, SerbiaUniversity of Belgrade, Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Belgrade, SerbiaWhen parents and educators form and maintain collaborative partnerships to support children’s development, the outcomes of inclusive preschool practices improve, not only for children but also for parents and educators. Since trust is a crucial foundation for building such partnerships, and given the lack of research on this topic in our context, this study aimed to examine the congruence of trust levels between parents and educators, as well as differences in trust based on children’s developmental status (children with and without developmental disabilities). The sample included 306 educators and 450 parents of children with and without developmental disabilities. The Trust Scale was used, with separate forms for educators and parents. The results showed that educators exhibited higher levels of trust compared to parents. Additionally, parents of children with developmental disabilities reported significantly lower trust in educators than parents of children without developmental disabilities, particularly regarding aspects of developmental support and educators’ communication with parents. The lack of trust between educators and parents of children with developmental disabilities poses a risk to building effective partnerships, which undermines unified efforts to support children’s learning and development. To address this, educators should be empowered through initial training and professional development, with an emphasis on effective communication strategies and approaches for working with children with diverse needs and with their families. The study also highlights directions for future research to develop successful inclusive education programs where parents and children feel a true sense of belonging.https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0579-6431/2024/0579-64312402303J.pdfpreschool educationinclusionparental trusteducator trustparent-educator partnership
spellingShingle Jelić Marija
Buha Nataša
Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
Zbornik Instituta za pedagoška istraživanja
preschool education
inclusion
parental trust
educator trust
parent-educator partnership
title Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
title_full Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
title_fullStr Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
title_full_unstemmed Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
title_short Perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
title_sort perspectives of parents and educators on mutual trust in inclusive preschools
topic preschool education
inclusion
parental trust
educator trust
parent-educator partnership
url https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0579-6431/2024/0579-64312402303J.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT jelicmarija perspectivesofparentsandeducatorsonmutualtrustininclusivepreschools
AT buhanatasa perspectivesofparentsandeducatorsonmutualtrustininclusivepreschools