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Parent-teacher conferences: Influence of teacher experience and child achievement level
Abstract
Parent-teacher conferences have become a commonly accepted practice in elementary schools. Despite the popularity that conferences enjoy with both schools and parents, little empirical investigation of the conference process has been undertaken. The purpose of this study was to investigate the topics of conversation between teacher and parent(s) in pre-scheduled school parent-teacher conferences in early elementary grades. Of specific interest are the influences of two independent variables: experience level of the teacher and academic achievement level of the child who is the subject of the conference. The dependent measure of primary interest was the topic content discussed by teachers during actual parent-teacher conferences in lower elementary grades. The verbalizations occurring in the interview were transcribed and divided into sentence units. The Conference Analysis Record (CAR), a system of categorizing statements, was used for content analysis. Additionally, participating parents and teachers were asked to complete an 18-item conference evaluation/satisfaction measure at the conclusion of the parent-teacher conference. The child in the classroom was the primary topic discussed (63% of teacher statements), with academic concerns regarding the child mentioned in 34% of the total statements made by teachers. Neither years of teacher experience nor child achievement appear to have had significant effect on the content or satisfaction of parents and teachers with conferences when subjected to MANOVA. Both parents and teachers expressed high satisfaction with the conferences, suggesting that parent-teacher conferences are highly valued tools in linking school to home and family.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Elementary education
Recommended Citation
Stientjes, Harlan J, "Parent-teacher conferences: Influence of teacher experience and child achievement level" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9019585.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9019585