School family

Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - Special Issue • Autumn • 3099-3110
©
2012 Educational Consultancy and Research Center
www.edam.com.tr/estp
Abstract
This study aims to determine the level of the contribution of school-family cooperation on effective classroom
management in early childhood education, and what should be desired contribution according to views of pa-
rents and teachers. The data was collected qualitatively through semi-structured interview forms in downtown
Gaziantep during the during the spring semester of 2011/2012 academic year. The participants of this study
are; 28 preschool teachers, and 23 parents of the students of the selected 5 schools with convenience sampling
method. Descriptive analysis and content analyses were performed for analyzing the interview results. As the
findings of this study showed; most of the teachers think that the parents give them support in all the questioned
dimensions except when coping with students’ misbehaviors. However, some of the teachers and parents think
that there are still problematic areas in the school-family cooperation and various improvements should be
made for developing this cooperation.
Key Words
School-Family Cooperation, Classroom Management, Early Childhood Education.
Ahmet Cezmi SAVAŞ
a
Zirve University
The Contribution of School-Family Cooperation on
Effective Classroom Management in Early Childhood
Education*
Parents play a key role in their children’s academic
progress and school achievement. Parental support
of the child in the home (e.g., emotional support,
helping with homework, assistance with encou-
ragement, and educational decisions) influence
school success (Peterson et al., 2011). Involvement
and participation of parents in schooling has con-
sistently been shown to impact children’s improve-
ment and achievement (Epstein, 1983; Fehrmann,
Keith, & Reimers, 1987; Stevenson & Baker, 1987;
Lee & Green, 2008). Effective collaboration betwe-
en schools and families is a significant factor for
improving the children success and the effective-
ness of schools (Mortimore, Sammons, Stoll, Le-
wis, & Ecob, 1988; Sammons, Hillman, & Morti-
more, 1995). In addition, the literature argues that
good collaboration between teachers and parents
can bring, not only effectiveness, but also improve-
ment in other areas of the school, for example, the
way a classroom is managed (Angelides, Theopha-
nous, & Leigh, 2006).
Classroom management is one of the most im-
portant factors in providing education to students
(Evertson & Weinstein, 2006; Wang, Haertel, &
Walberg, 1993). Research and common sense cle-
arly demonstrated that effective teacher classroom
management strategies diminish and avert class-
room- disruptive behavior (Hawkins, Catalano,
Kosterman, Abbott, & Hill, 1999; Kellam, Ling,
Merisca, Brown, & Ialongo, 1998; Walker, Col-
* This paper was revised after being presented at
the International Conference on Global Issues of
Early Childhood Education and Children’s Rights,
Gaziantep, Turkey, 27-29 April 2012.
a Ahmet Cezmi SAVAŞ, Ph.D., is currently a lecturer
at Faculty of Education, Zirve University. His re-
search topics organizational psychology, learning
schools and emotions of leaders. Correspon-
dence: Dr. Ahmet Cezmi SAVAŞ, Zirve University
Faculty of Education Kızılhisar Campus, 27260,
Şahinbey/Gaziantep-Turkey. E-mail: cezmisa-
vas@gmail.com Phone: +90 342 211 6666/6792.
Fax: +90 342 211 6677.

E D U C A T I O N A L S C I E N C E S : T H E O R Y & P R A C T I C E
3100
vin, & Ramsey, 1995) support student interest in
learning (Kunter, Baumert, & Koller, 2007) and
improve academic achievement and school wil-
lingness (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004). On the
other hand, ineffective classroom management
practices cause to decrease in students’ motivati-
on and increase the students’ misbehaviors in the
classroom (Jones & Jones, 2004). These schools
should take immediate action, because effective
classroom management form the basis of effective
teaching and learning. Administrators, teachers,
and parents should be employed in a cooperative
effort for effective classroom management. Teac-
hers and parents have major roles to play in effec-
tively managing students’ behaviors in classroom
(Marzano, 2011).
In this sense, to design an effective teaching and le-
arning environment, a successful classroom mana-
gement and organization comprised of motivating
students for achievement, helping students for en-
hancing their performance, preventing misbehavi-
ors, and solving students’ social and psychological
problems (Çelik, 2009; Erdogan et al., 2010). The
teacher and parents’ communication (e.g., Parents’
meetings, private conversations, home visits) is
very important to motivate students for success
and to solve the child’s poor behavior (Morgan,
2010). In order to increase the existing rate of
school-parent cooperation for effective classro-
om management, the schools should initiate more
social activities with parents, employing guidance
service to increase communication and address
expectations and respective needs (Mahasneh et
al., 2012).
Classroom management is still a major weakness
a among number of preschools. Preschool class-
rooms are complex learning and living environ-
ments, because each child feels secure, has a fair
chance to learn, and has a sense of belonging (Tal,
2010). In preschool classrooms, some children are
eager and insistent when engaging in block buil-
ding while others are goal-oriented and focused
while working on a puzzle. Early childhood teac-
hers recognize that children differ not only in what
they know and are learning but also in how they
manage the classroom throughout the school day
(Chen & McNamee, 2011). Because of these dif-
ferences preschool teachers use when confronted
with classroom management problems school-pa-
rent cooperation strategy (Uysal, Altun Akbaba, &
Akgün, 2010).
Early childhood teachers recognize that children
differ not only in what they know and are learning
but also in how they approach activities througho-
ut the school day. In preschool classrooms, some
children are enthusiastic and persistent when enga-
ging in block building while others are goal-orien-
ted and focused while working on a puzzle. Child-
ren invariably use different learning approaches in
play activities and problem solving tasks.
This article describes the findings of a study, scho-
ol-family cooperation on effective classroom ma-
nagement in early childhood education, which
aimed to provide a comprehensive picture of teac-
hers’ and parents’ opinions toward school-family
cooperation. Addressing the issues of “what’s the
level of contribution of school-family cooperati-
on?” and “what should be the desired contributi-
on?” the study sought to redress a significant gap in
the research literature at the intersection of scho-
ol-family cooperation and teachers’ professional
classroom management. The present study seeks to
bridge the gap between existing research on scho-
ol-family cooperation and classroom management
on the early childhood educational system in par-
ticular.
Method
The design of the study was made use of qualita-
tive research method. This method provides the
researchers to work small groups, but thus to gain
in-depth information, understanding and wider
insight on the selected subjects (Strauss & Corbin,
1998).
Participants
With convenience sampling method, 5 preschools
were selected in downtown Gaziantep during the
spring semester of 2011/2012 academic year. Tar-
get subject of this qualitative study consisted of 30
preschool teachers and 30 parents at these 5 presc-
hools. These teachers and parents were offered to
interview. 28 teachers (24 females, 4 males) and 23
parents (13 mothers, 10 fathers) accepted to parti-
cipate in this study. So the participants of this study
are; 28 preschool teachers, and 23 parents of the
students of the selected 5 schools. Characteristics
of the subjects (teachers and parents) are summa-
rized in Table 1.

SAVAŞ / The Contribution of School-Family Cooperation on Effective Classroom Management...
3101
Table 1.
Demographic Information of Parents and Teachers
Teachers (N=28) Parents (N=23)
Gender f Gender f
Female 24 Female 13
Male 4 Male 10
Age (years) f Age (years) f
30 and below 15 30 and below 2
31-40 11 31-40 11
41 and above 2 41 and above 10
Data Collection Instruments
In this study, two different, but parallel semi-struc-
tured interview schedules; for teachers and parents,
were prepared for the study based on the informal
interviews with two faculty staffs of early childho-
od education and primary education and also ba-
sed on the analysis of the empirical and theoretical
literature on classroom management of preschools.
After examining the related literature, five main
themes were determined as the areas of school-
family cooperation. There were five main themes
in each interview form such as; 1) Coping with
students’ misbehaviors, 2) Solving students’ so-
cial problems, 3) Solving students’ psychological
problems, 4) Motivating students for achievement,
and 5) Helping students for enhancing their per-
formance. In each main theme, the teachers were
asked as; in the matter of ………: A) Do you re-
ceive sufficient support from the parents? If so, in
which matters do parents cooperate and give sup-
port. B) For attaining the desired situation, what
can be done and in which areas there is a need for
school-family cooperation? Similarly in each main
theme, the parents were asked as; in the matter of
……… A) Do you give sufficient support to the
teachers? If so, in which matters do you cooperate
and give support. B) For attaining the desired situ-
ation, what can be done and in which areas there is
a need for school-family cooperation?
Data Collection and Analysis
The data was collected qualitatively through se-
mi-structured interview forms by the researcher
during the spring semester of 2011/2012 academic
year. Descriptive analysis and content analysis were
performed for analyzing the interview results in
five steps which were similar to the method offered
by Schools and Smith (1999). These steps were cal-
led as (1) transcription, (2) reliability analysis, (3)
coding, (4) constituting categories and themes and
(5) writing up and commenting the results.
Collected data was firstly transformed into written
format. In order to increase the internal reliability,
all of the data was written without any comment. In
order to increase the internal validity of the study,
before preparing the interview form, the related lit
erature was scanned to produce a contextual frame.
The research process was clarified distinctly with
the aim of increasing external validity and relia-
bility. The data collection process and instrument,
the design of the research, study group, and data
analyses were explained in detail and then imposed
on content analysis for examining the common co-
des and thus categories.
Later, three randomly selected transcripts were
coded independently by three coders in order to
examine the consistency among the codes emerged
and to find inter-rater reliability. So coding sche-
me is developed. For each main theme, firstly the
responses of the teachers and the parents for the
sufficiency of parental support were evaluated, and
then participants’ views about the current and the
desired situation were categorized. Then, another
researcher with experience in qualitative studies
coded the information again and got the findings
from the interview data. When these findings were
compared with that of the researcher, consistency
was found (84%). For examining the validity of
the semi-structured interview forms, the drafts of
these forms were controlled by specialists. Both the
teachers and the parents were interviewed through
the interview forms prepared for them. For ensu-
ring the reliability of the qualitative measurement;
while the interviews were recorded, the intervie-
wees’ gestures were observed and some notes were
taken about these observations.
Categories and themes were later established based
on the codes and their similar characteristics. Fi-
nally, the emerged codes and established categories
and themes were interpreted along with the quota-
tion taken from the transcripts. For summarizing
the interview results, the views of the teachers and
the parents were quoted indirectly and the number
of participants with the same view was indicated in
parenthesis. At the end of these explanations, the
results were combined in a table indicating the fre-
quency of each view for each main theme.
While descriptive analysis was performed on the
basis of predetermined main themes, the interview
results were examined with content analysis to deter-
mine if there were new categories and themes except
for the predetermined main themes. In each inter-
view form, there were five main themes and each

3102
main theme had two sections asking the views of
the participants about the current situation and the
desired situation as mentioned earlier. While desc-
riptive analysis was performed on the basis of these
five items, content analysis was also performed. Furt-
hermore, two additional categories were determined
such as “the tools used for cooperation between the
parents and the teachers” and “the obstacles of coo-
peration between the parents and the teachers”.
Findings
Views of the teachers and parents about family-
school cooperation on “coping with students’ mis-
behaviors” are presented in Table 2 with the frequ-
ency of each view.
As shown in the Table 2 above, in the current situ-
ation, the view of teachers with highest frequency
is monitoring and controlling students’ misbeha-
viors outside the school (8). E.g., a teacher stated,
“I provide the maintenance of the school rules at
home”. Teachers are in need of parental support for
maintaining and controlling students’ behaviors
outside the school. In the desired situation to cope
with students’ misbehaviors, both parents and te-
achers want to increase family-school cooperation,
and they want to develop consistency strategies.
Also they want to use the guidance and counseling
service of the school more effectively. E.g., a parent
stated, “To cope misbehaviors, it is important to
discuss with the child psychologist”. Guidance and
counseling services play a major role in assisting a
student to overcome his/her misbehaviors for bet-
ter performance.
Frequencies of the teachers’ and parents’ views
on parents’ contribution to “coping with students’
misbehaviors” are presented in Table 3.
Table 3.
Frequencies of the Teachers’ and Parents’ Views on Parents’
Contribution to “Coping with Students’ Misbehaviors”
Parents give
support
Parents
sometimes
give support
Parents do
not give any
support
Views of
teachers
13 7 8
Views of
parents
19 3 1
As shown in the Table 3 above, in the current si-
tuation, most of the parents (N=19, 83%) think
that they give support to the teachers on the matter
of coping with students’ misbehaviors. However,
most of the teachers (N=15, 54%) respond that
they do not take enough support from the parents
in this matter.
school cooperation on “solving students’ social
problems” are presented in Table 4 with the frequ-
ency of each view.
ation, the view of teachers with highest frequency
is implementing the decisions (5). E.g., a teacher
stated, “I’m getting aids such as implementation
of the decisions taken at teacher-parent meeting”.
Parental support on the matters of implementing
most of the decisions taken in the parent-teacher
meetings is important for solving students’ social
problems. Also in the current situation, the view of
parents with highest frequency is seeking to find
Table 2.
Views of the Teachers and Parents about Family-School Cooperation on “Coping with Students’ Misbehaviors” with Frequencies
Views of Teachers Views of Parents
A.Current
Situation
Monitoring and controlling students’ behaviors outside
the school (8).
Maintaining and reinforcing positive behaviors (6).
Developing the competencies of responsibility (3).
Developing the competencies of empathy (3).
Teaching respect for teachers and obeying rules (3).
Developing the competencies of self-care (2).
Arranging activities for keeping students away misbehaviors
(1).
B.DesiredSituation
Using the guidance and counseling service of The
school more effectively (7).
Increasing family-school cooperation (6).
Developing consistent strategies (4).
Informing parents on managing children’s behaviors
(3).
Using the behavioral monitoring forms (2).
Sharing the observations (2).
Working together in coordination (6).
Using more effectively the guidance and counseling Service
of the school and requesting specialist help (5).
Developing consistent strategies (4).
Giving trust (1).
Approaching more empathetically (1).

3103
common solutions (5). E.g., a parent stated, “We
try to produce common solutions to this issue with
meeting”. In other words, they seek to find com-
mon solutions for their children’s social problems
in coordination with their teachers. In the desired
situation, the view of teachers with highest frequ-
ency is parents’ more democratic and considerate
approach to students (6). The parents approach
to the students should be more democratic and
considerate for eliminating their negative attitu-
des and behaviors which are the sources of their
social problems. In desired situation, according to
parents, more frequent meetings between parents
and teachers must be arranged.
Frequencies of the teachers’ and parents’ views on
parents’ contribution to “solving students’ social
problems” are presented in Table 5.
Table 5.
Contribution to “Solving Students’ Social Problems”
Parents give
support
Parents
sometimes
give support
Parents do
not give any
support
Views of
teachers
20 5 3
Views of
parents
14 4 5
As shown in the Table 5 above, in the matter of sol-
ving students’ social problems, most of the teachers
(N=20, 71%) think that the parents give support to
them. Similarly, most of the parents (N=14, 61%)
think that they give support to the teachers in this
matter. But some of the teachers and parents think
that the parental support is not in a sufficient level
in this matter.
school cooperation on “solving students’ psycholo-
gical problems” are presented in Table 6 with the
frequency of each view.
Table 6.
Views of the Teachers and Parents about Family-school
Cooperation on “Solving Students’ Psychological Problems
with Frequencies”
A.CurrentSituation
Implementing the
suggestions of the teacher
and counselor (10).
Sharing observations by
teachers (4)
Sharing observations by
parents (3).
Understanding and
exploring the sources of
the problems (2).
Implementing the
suggestions of the teacher
(6).
Trying to understand the
sources of the problems
by communicating
warmly (4).
Implementing the
suggestions of the
counselor (4).
B.DesiredSituation
Visiting the homes of the
students more frequently
(3).
Using more effectively the
guidance and Counseling
service of the school
and requesting specialist
help (3).
Solving the psychological
problems of the parents
(2).
Approaching more
patiently and tolerantly
to students’ psychological
problems (2).
Using the guidance and
counseling service of the
school and requesting
specialist help more
frequently (4).
Giving more information
to the parents about the
sources and solutions of
the problems (3).
ation, the view of both teachers and parents with
highest frequency is implementing the suggestions
of the teacher and counselor (10 and 6). E.g., a teac-
her stated, “Implementation of the decisions taken
Table 4.
Views of the Teachers and Parents about Family-school Cooperation on “Solving Students’ Social Problems” with Frequencies
A.Current
Situation
Implementing the decisions (5).
Determining the sources of social problems (3).
Solving students’ adaptation problems (2).
Equipping the students with communication skills (2).
Seeking to find common solutions (5).
Equipping the students with communication skills (4).
Trying to use consistent strategies (3).
B.DesiredSituation
Parents’ more democratic and considerate approach to
students (6).
Using more effectively the guidance and counseling
service of the school and requesting specialist help (3).
Encouraging students to develop constructive social
relationships (2).
Using dramatization (1).
More frequent meetings between parents and teachers (6).
Arranging social activities more frequently (3).
Using more frequently the guidance and counseling service
of the school and requesting specialist help (2).
Improving interactions of parent-teacher and parent-
parent (2).

3104
at the teacher-counselor-parent meeting should
be considered”. In the matter of solving students’
psychological problems, parents try to implement
the suggestions of the teacher and counselor for
solving the psychological problems of the students.
In desired situation, teachers want to visit the ho-
mes of their students more frequently to examine
their familial situation and explore the sources of
their psychological problems. Also both teachers
and parents think that students’ psychological
problems could more easily be solved if; the gui-
dance and counseling service of the school is used
and the specialist help is requested more frequently
for understanding and solving the psychological
problems of the students
parents’ contribution to “solving students’ psycho-
logical problems” are presented in Table 7.
Table 7.
Contribution to “Solving Students’ Psychological Problems”
Parents give
support
Parents
sometimes
give support
Parents do
not give any
support
Views of
teachers
21 3 4
Views of
parents
14 5 4
As shown in the Table 7 above, in the matter of
solving students’ psychological problems, most of
the teachers (N=13, 75%) think that the parents
give support to them and also most of the parents
(N=14, 61%) think that they give support to the
teachers.
school cooperation on “motivating students’ for
achievement” are presented in Table 8 with the fre-
quency of each view.
highest frequency is monitoring and guiding on
children’s performing their homework (5 and 9).
E.g., a parent stated, “We control whether our child-
ren perform their homework on time and help in
their homework to motivate”. If the parents control
whether their children perform their homework on
time and help their homework, the motivation of
the children will increase. In the desired situation
According to the teachers, to motivate the children,
the teachers and parents cooperate more effectively
on developing more consistent behavior manage-
ment strategies especially in terms of giving adequ-
ate and consistent rewards and reinforces for their
performance. According to the both parents and
teachers, the students can more easily be motivated
for achievement if; parents and teachers use a more
supporting, encouraging and motivating language
in communicating with the children.
parents’ contribution to “motivating students for
achievement” are presented in Table 9.
Table 9.
Contribution to “Motivating Students for Achievement”
Parents give
support
Parents
sometimes
give support
Parents do
not give any
support
Views of
teachers
18 4 6
Views of
parents
15 5 3
Table 8.
Views of the Teachers and Parents about Family-school Cooperation on “Motivating Students for Achievement” with Frequencies
A.Current
Situation
Monitoring and guiding on children’s performing their
homework (5).
Following children’s works and reinforcing their gains of
the school (5).
Providing educational toys and entertaining books (3).
Controlling and helping in children’s homework (9).
Guiding on planning and performing their timetable
(3).
Encouraging and motivating them for studying and
achievement (3).
Arranging their work environment (3).
B.DesiredSituation
Giving adequate and consistent rewards and positive
reinforcements for performance (4).
Parents’ using a more supporting, encouraging and
motivating language (3).
Parents’ refraining from a discouraging and demotivating
language (2).
Parents’ not oppressing their children for achievement and
working harder (2).
Teachers’ using a more exciting, motivating and
encouraging language (5).
Teachers’ presentation and teaching the contents
more interesting and attractive (2).

3105
As shown in the Table 9 above, to motivate students
for achievement, most of the teachers (N=18, 64%)
think that parents (N=15, 65%) give support to the-
ir children, and most of the parents think that they
support the teachers.
school cooperation on “enhancing students’ per-
formance” are presented in Table 10 with the fre-
quency of each view.
highest frequency is making their children consci-
ous of the importance of planning and time ma-
nagement (4 and 8). E.g., a teacher stated, “With
the support of our teacher, the timeline is a useful.
My child is making efforts to comply with the time-
table”. Parents and teachers think that planning and
time management are very important for children’s
achievement in their lessons and life. In the desi-
red situation, the view of both teachers and parents
with highest frequency is effectively using the gui-
dance and counseling service. Both the parents and
the teachers think that the students’ performance
could be enhanced if; the counseling and guidan-
ce service of the school give more information and
training to the students about the ways of perfor-
ming better and studying more efficiently.
parents’ contribution to “enhancing students’ per-
formance” are presented in Table 11.
Table 11.
Contribution to “Enhancing Students’ Performance”
Parents
give
support
Parents
sometimes
give support
Parents do
not give any
support
Views of
teachers
15 4 9
Views of
parents
13 4 6
As shown in the Table 11 above, in the matter of hel-
ping students for enhancing their school performan-
ce mostly both teachers (N=15, 54%) and parents
(N=13, 57%) think that they support each other.
Views of the teachers and parents about “the tools for
cooperation between parents and teachers” are pre-
sented in Table 11 with the frequency of each view.
Table 11.
Views of Teachers and Parents about “the Tools used for
Cooperation between Parents and Teachers” with Frequencies
A.Current
Situation
Private conversations
(14).
Parents’ meetings (8).
Private conversations
(6).
Parents’ meetings (3).
B.DesiredSituation
Effectively employing
guidance service (7).
Behavioral monitoring
forms (4).
Home visits (3).
The activity monitoring
forms (3).
Effectively employing
guidance service (4).
Social activities (3).
Table 10.
Views of the Teachers and Parents about Family-school Cooperation on “Enhancing Students’ Performance” with Frequencies
A.Current
Situation
Making their children conscious of the importance of
planning and time management (4).
Controlling children and informing the teachers about
in time performing of their homework (4).
Controlling children and informing the teachers about
their studies in home (3).
Putting their children in mind of their timetable and
controlling their performing of this timetable (8).
Cooperating with the teachers in preparing a timetable (3).
Raising awareness of their children on the importance of
planning and time management (2).
B.DesiredSituation
Effectively using the guidance and counseling service
and requesting specialist help for the psychosocial
problems of underperformance (4).
Informing the parents about the right course of actions
on enhancing students’ school performance (4).
Effective cooperation of the teachers and parents
for determining and solving students’ performance
problems (2).
Giving more information and training to the students by
teachers and the counseling and guidance service about the
ways of performing better and studying more efficiently (5).
Effective cooperation of the teachers and parents for
examining and solving psychosocial problems of the
students’ underperformance (3).

3106
As shown in the Table 6 above, in the current situa-
tion, both parents and teachers stated that they fre-
quently use parents’ meetings and private conver-
sations. In the desired situation, both parents and
teachers want to utilize the counseling and guidan-
ce service of the school more effectively for helping
parents and students. Furthermore, for improving
the current situation, teachers suggested that it wo-
uld be helpful if teachers; visit the homes of their
students more frequently for building more strong
and warmly cooperation.
Views of the teachers and parents about “the obs-
tacles of cooperation between parents and teac-
hers” are presented in Table 11 with the frequency
of each view.
Table 12.
Views of Teachers and Parents about “the Obstacles of
Cooperation between the Parents and the Teachers” with
Frequencies
Distorted communication
between the parents and the
teachers (8).
The parents’ unwillingness
for cooperation (5).
Difference of opinion
between the parents and
the teachers about the
right course of action of
their students that cause
the parents not to accept
the behavior management
strategies of the teachers (3).
Some parents’
insensitiveness about the
instructional and behavioral
development of their
students (2)
Lack of importance to the
school-family cooperation
for the administrators and
teachers (9).
The unwillingness of the
school administrators and
the teachers for cooperation
(2).
As shown in the Table 6 above, the view of teachers
with highest frequency is distorted communicati-
on between the parents and the teachers, “Parents
do not want to get in touch with us. They do not
come to parent-teacher meetings”. Healthy com-
munication between parent and teacher can help
make children more successful. According to pa-
rents, lack of importance to the school-family co-
operation is an important obstacle. E.g., a teacher
stated, “Some of the administrators and teachers
do not give enough importance to the school-fa-
mily cooperation”. Lack of the parents conscious of
the importance of school-family cooperation is an
important obstacles of school-family cooperation.
Results and Discussion
Teachers are in need of parental support for main-
taining and controlling students’ behaviors outside
the school and for sustaining the psychological, so-
cial and academic development of their students. If
the parents do not support to the teachers or they
stand out against the attempts of the teachers, the
expected behavioral changes are very hard to be
performed and the students are hard pressed to at-
tain an expected developmental level.
As the findings of this study showed; most of the
teachers think that the parents give them support
in all the questioned dimensions in this study ex-
cept when coping with students’ misbehaviors. In
this dimension, most of the teachers think that
the parents do not give them enough support. Si-
milarly, most of the parents think that they give
teachers enough support in all the dimensions. Ho-
wever, some of the teachers and parents think that
there are problematic areas in the school-family
cooperation and various improvements should be
made for developing this cooperation.
In all the cases except motivating students for achi-
evement, both the teachers and parents stressed the
importance of the effectively using the counseling
and guidance service of the school and requesting
specialist help for increasing school-family coo-
peration and solving the problems of the students
more effectively. There are some problems related
to students stemming from some psychological or
social sources that exceed the ability or strength of
the parents and teachers. Such problems require
assistance from specialists that have the ability or
strength to identify and cope with these problems.
The above findings agree with the results produced
by Colvin (2004) who found that school counselors
as specialists can help to students in order to pro-
vide actual guidance with problem solving techni-
ques. Well-defined instructions in problem solving
can help to deflect problem behaviors. Similarly,
Kyalo and Chumba (2011) found that Guidance
and counseling services play a major role in assis-
ting a student to adjust adequately to understand
his/her problems and to overcome his/her obstac-
les for better performance. Also, Edwards and Mul-
lis (2003) found that to assist students in generali-
zing conflict-resolution instruction to real life situ-
ations, school counselors must arrange for students
to find sufficient practice in safe environments.
For effectively coping with students’ misbehaviors,
teachers think that the parents should be trained
in the matter of behavior management and they
should share the information about students’ beha-

3107
viors outside the school in more detailed manner.
Parents think that the teachers should trust and
approach more empathetically to the students for
having personal effect on students and more effec-
tively coping with misbehaviors. Both the teachers
and the parents view that there is a need for more
effectively using the guidance and counseling ser-
vice and requesting specialist help for solving beha-
vioral problems and rehabilitating students. Also,
both the parties think that there is a need for inc-
reasing school-family cooperation and developing
common and consistent strategies for coping more
effectively with the misbehaviors of students. This
study confirmed the findings of Mahasneh et al.
(2012) that to decrease the existing rate of student
misbehavior, it is suggested that reciprocal coope-
ration and a closer relationship between parents
and teachers should be established and promoted
through media such as telephone calls, home visits,
report cards, open day programs, and parents-te-
acher conferences. The consistency between parent
and school of such program could gradually decre-
ase student misbehaviors.
To effectively solve students’ social problems, both
the teachers and parents stressed the importance of
more frequently and effectively using the counse-
ling and guidance service of the school. Teachers
think that parents should approach their children
in a more democratic and considerate manner,
instructional methods (like dramatization) sho-
uld be used that make the students feel the social
situations in authenticity, and students should be
encouraged to develop constructive social rela-
tionships for their social problems which can be
solved more easily. Parents stressed the importance
of developing more sincere social relationships bet-
ween teachers, parents and students for more effec-
tively solving the social problems of the students.
Thus, parents think that social interactions should
be increased through various social activities and
more frequent meetings. Similarly, the findings of
the study of Zulkarnain (2009) showed that many
parents are just not capable of handling the emoti-
onal and social problems of their children, and to
solve these problems, the dialogue of parent-teac-
her should be improved.
For more effectively diagnosing and treating the
students’ psychological problems, both the teac-
hers and the parents stressed the importance of
more effectively using the counseling and guidance
service of the school and requesting specialist help
when needed. The parents declared that they are in
need of taking more information about the sources
of the psychological problems of their children and
how to solve these kinds of problems. The teachers
stated that they should visit the homes of their stu-
dents more frequently, the psychological problems
of the parents should be solved, and there is a need
for a more patient and tolerant approach to the
students for more easily solving the psychological
problems of the students. This study confirmed the
findings of Zheng (2011) that the lack of family
education often results in students with behavioral
and psychological problems.
When motivating students for achievement, both
the parents and the teachers think that the other
party should use supportive and encouraging lan-
guage rather than a discouraging language towards
students. Similarly, Williams and Williams (2011)
found that student motivation is an essential ele-
ment that is necessary for academic success and,
to motivate students, teachers must use inventive,
encouraging, interesting, beneficial method. The
parents think that the teachers should present the
contents more interestingly and attractively for stu-
dents’ motivation. Also, teachers think in this mat-
ter that more consistent behaviors management
strategies should be used by parents and teachers
in cooperation and parents should not oppress
their children excessively that cause students to
feel stress and anxiety. This study confirmed the
findings of Katz, Aidman, Reese, and Clark (1996)
that resolving and preventing the inconsistencies
that may arise between teachers, children, and pa-
rents with helpful communication can help make
children more pleased and accomplished, because
teachers and parents share responsibility for the
education and socialization of children. On the ot-
her hand, it is found that parents’ oppress for achie-
vement and forcing children to work hard in school
are strongly related to student achievement (Clark,
1988; Marjoribanks, 1979). But there is an exten-
sive amount of empirical evidence of the negative
effects of test anxiety on academic performance.
For example, in a meta-analysis of 562 studies that
related test anxiety and academic achievement,
Hembree (1988) found that test anxiety routinely
causes poor performance.
Both the parents and the teachers mentioned the
need for more effectively using the counseling
and guidance service of the school and reques-
ting specialist help for giving information on how
to improve performance and helping to solve the
problems of underperformance. Both the parties
also stated that there is a need for more effective
cooperation between the parents and the teachers

3108
to determine and solve the psychosocial problems
of students’ underperformance. The teachers also
stated that more information should be given
to the parents about the right course of actions
on how to improve and enhance their children’s
performance. Similarly, in many studies it is fo-
und that parental involvement in their children’s
schooling has regularly been shown to impact
children’s school performance, and it has been
shown across a wide range of age levels and popu-
lations (Epstein, 1983; Fehrmann et al., 1987; Lee
& Green, 2008; Stevenson & Baker, 1987). Also it
is found that improving parental involvement with
schools can improve schools so it is driving the
public school systems to higher standards (Mac-
hen, Wilson, & Noter, 2005).
According to both the parents and the teachers,
the most frequent used tools for school-family co-
operation are meetings arranged for parents and
private conversations. Both the parents and the
teachers suggested that the counseling and gui-
dance service should be more effectively used for
increasing school-family cooperation by helping
the parents and the students. The teachers think
that the behavioral monitoring forms and the ac-
tivity monitoring forms could be more frequently
used by teachers for following the development
of students and teachers should visit the homes
of the students for enhancing school-family coo-
peration. The parents think that the arrangement
of various social activities more frequently by the
school would be helpful for enhancing coopera-
tion and finding solutions to the students’ prob-
lems. This study confirmed the findings of Gülcan
and Taner (2011) that as a result of the home vi-
sits, which are significant for student motivated,
students’ successes are continuously increase. Si-
milarly, it is found that parental involvement in
social activities (such as after-school programs)
that include families and schools, provide to ef-
fective collaboration (Esler, Godber, & Christen-
son, 2002) and student achievement increases to
higher levels when the relationship between fami-
lies and schools is more collaborative and comp-
rehensive (Sheridan, Fenstermacher, Christenson,
& Hurley, 1997).
As important obstacles of school-family coopera-
tion, both the teachers and the parents mentioned
the other party’s unwillingness and not giving im-
portance to the school-family cooperation. Also,
the teachers stated that the parents’ insensitiveness,
the difference of opinion and distorted commu-
nication between the teachers and the parents are
among the obstacles of school-family cooperation.
Similarly, the findings of the study of Töremen and
Karakuş (2007) showed that a party’s insensitive-
ness and unwillingness toward cooperation, dis-
torted communication and difference of opinion
between two parties are among the most important
obstacles of cooperation.
Conclusion
In this study; most of the teachers think that the
parents give them support in all the questioned
dimensions in this study except when coping with
students’ misbehaviors. In all the cases except
motivating students for achievement, both the
teachers and parents stressed the importance of
the effectively using the counseling and guidance
service of the school and requesting specialist help
for increasing school-family cooperation and sol-
ving the problems of the students more effectively.
When motivating students for achievement, both
the parents and the teachers think that the other
party should use supportive and encouraging lan-
guage rather than a discouraging language towards
students.
According to both the parents and the teachers,
the most frequent used tools for school-family co-
operation are meetings arranged for parents and
private conversations. As important obstacles of
school-family cooperation, both the teachers and
the parents mentioned the other party’s unwilling-
ness and not giving importance to the school-fa-
mily cooperation. For enhancing school-family
cooperation, it would be helpful if various social
activities are arranged more frequently, a healthy
communication between two parties is promoted
and the other party is more aware of the importan-
ce of school-family cooperation.
Recommendations
Several recommendations can be drawn from the
results:
• Family involvement inventories should be for-
med and conveyed to the parents for determi-
ning their expectations from the teachers and
their views on the areas of cooperation.
• The parents should be informed through the
seminars about the importance of cooperati-
on with teachers for the development of their
children.
• The teachers should visit the homes of their

3109
students more frequently for creating more
sincere and constructive climate and increa-
sing cooperation with the parents.
• The counseling and guidance service of the
school should be employed more effectively to
make both the parents and the students more
conscious of the right course of actions and to
make the parents more approachable for coo-
peration.
• A more healthy and open communication bet-
ween the parents and the teachers should be
fostered to build a strong cooperation.
• Social activities should be arranged by school
to increase interaction and cooperation betwe-
en the parents and the teachers in a friendly
climate.
• Healthier communication should be promoted
between the parents and the teachers for them
to cooperate eagerly.
• Parental involvement should be accommo-
dated and facilitated by the teachers and the
school administrators as a necessary an im-
portant part of an effective education.
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