Investigating Parent and Teacher Perceptions of School, Family and Community Connectedness
Droe, K.L. (2015). Investigating Parent and Teacher Perceptions of School, Family and Community Connectedness. Contributions to Music Education, 40, 57-70.
The purpose of this research was to examine teacher and parent perceptions of school, family and community connectedness as a function of music participation and community type. An online questionnaire measuring perception of family, school and community connectedness was completed by153 parents and 83 music teachers representing rural, suburban and urban communities in a Midwest state. Results indicated that community type was a significant factor influencing parent perception of family-school connectedness, and school-community connectedness. Post-hoc analysis of comparisons between community types indicated significant differences among all three types with rural parents rating their connectedness with school the strongest and suburban parents rating their connectedness with school the weakest. There was no effect of student music participation on parental perception of either family-school or school-community connectedness. Responses from teacher questionnaires contained the opposite patterns. Teachers in suburban schools rated the connectedness between family and school the strongest. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
