Ethnic Incongruence and Quality of Parent-Teacher Relationships: Teachers’ and Parents’ Perspective

Abstract

This study regarded a mixed methods design about the parent-teacher relationship (PTR) in the current multi-ethnic school context. Study 1 examined the effect of ethnic incongruence and student-teacher relationship (STR) quality on PTR quality, based on data of 32 native Dutch teachers of native Dutch majority (N = 85) and ethnic minority (N = 130) students in grade 4-6. It was to be expected that ethnic incongruence had a negative effect on PTR quality and that STR quality influenced PTR quality positively. Results showed that ethnic incongruence affected PTR quality negatively, but STR quality and control variables explained this effect. STR quality indeed influenced PTR quality positively. In study 2, interviews about parents’ perspective on the PTR were conducted with mothers (N = 13) of children in grade 4-6. No hypotheses were formed. Results showed that parents see the PTR as mainly supportive to child development and they spoke about their own practices, teacher practices and appreciated aspects of parent-teacher interaction.