converging and diverging views of parents and teachers ...€¦ · jc aconnect 9 january 2017 ....

Converging and Diverging Views of

Parents and Teachers about Students

with ASD in Hong Kong Schools

Irene Ho Ph.D.

Project Director (School Support)

JC AConnect

9 January 2017

Home-school collaboration • “Given the pervasive nature of autism and it’s effects on

individuals’ functioning at home and school, having parents participate in educational planning service delivery is crucial.” (Azad & Mandell, 2016)

• Children with ASD have difficulty applying and generalizing skills across contexts.

• A “best practice” (National Research Council, 2001)

• Operation Guide on the Whole School Approach to Integrated Education Ch. 8. Home-School Cooperation (Education Bureau, HKSAR, 2010)

“An unchallenged mantra within policy related to special educational needs” (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2008)

Home-school collaboration

“One essential component in effective family-

school partnerships is for parents and teachers to

openly share their concerns and come to

consensus about prioritizing and addressing them” (Azad & Mandell, 2016)

communicate agree

make decisions

solve problems 1 3 4

2

Collaboration: Working together toward a common goal or set of goals

Home-school collaboration

To what extent is this operationalized?

Limited empirical information on this.

“partnerships continue to be experienced as problematic by both parents and professionals” (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2008)

“confused about the nature of their partnership roles” , “source of conflict and tension” (Cole, 2004)

communicate agree solve problems make decisions


Reported difficulties by parents of participants in JC AConnect:

“不知老師會否接納小兒，亦不知老師是否有經驗，有愛心去教導他。…如像去年，完全不知小兒的學習情況，只知老師投訴小兒影響課室秩序，而小兒成績一落千丈，老師似乎束手無策，父母只能等待黑暗的日子快點過去。”(P1-P3)

“兒子在學校的表現,行為和在學校情況,本人完全不知,因為他從來沒有向本人透露。”(P4-P6)

“未太清楚學校老師對特殊需要學生的知識及處理能力? 未太了解學校將如何及投放多少資源給我的子女? 未太了解學校會否因著子女在學習需要上有適當的調節? 以及就著子女在特殊需要上的包容以至調節懲處的制度。”(S1-S3)

“不太清楚在校的情況。(有困難)與學校支援組…好好的溝通。” (S4-S6)

Don’t know what’s happening in school

Reported difficulties by teachers of participants in JC Aconnect:

“與家長溝通及合作幫助有自閉症的學生時,如何鼓勵家長在家中也實行相應的支援策略”

“家長工作繁忙, 未能在家做好適切支援, 與學校共同努力”

“與部分家長溝通，特別是認為子女不太有問題的家長”

“不是所有家長都願意配合”

“家校合作，如家長不合作/不接受學生的困難，很難有效地幫助那位學生。”

“家長的期望跟學生的能力不相符; 家長要求學業, 但學生情緒較大問題, 難以配合幫助學生”

“我感到最困難是家長不願面對子女的問題，…以致家校未能有效支援有關學生。”


Parents’ unrealistic expectations for students

Not cooperative in supporting school efforts

However, some encouraging comments too:

“XXXXXXX學校，是一非常好的學校。師長們充滿愛心，給予學童很大的關心，支援。#學生姓名#得到學校不同成員莫大的幫助。”


學校與家長有良好的溝通，有不同機會討論子女/學生的進度和學習情況。 The school and parent communicate well and have different opportunities to discuss the progress and

learning of the child/student.

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Home School Communication(Q6)

Primary Parents (N=2263) Secondary Parents (N=623) Primary Teachers (N=2247) Secondary Teachers (N=587)

傾向同意

同意

完全同意

Parents Teachers

…and overall rating of home-school communication tends to be positive

Tend to agree

Agree

Totally agree

Summary

Importance of coming to consensus on the most

critical issues and how to address them

Effectiveness of collaboration could vary a lot,

depending on many personal and school factors

When there are problems in collaboration…

Parents: Don’t know what’s happening in school

Teachers: Parents’ unrealistic expectations for

students, not cooperative in supporting school efforts


? ?

Where do teachers and parents converge and diverge in:

1. Concerns and difficulties?

2. Sense of efficacy in dealing with related problems?

3. Perceptions of support quality?

Home support

School support

Effectiveness of inclusion


? ?

1. Difficulties in helping child adjust in school

• 232 primary school teachers; 93 secondary school teachers

Overall, where do you experience more difficulties in teaching students with ASD?

總括而言，在教導有自閉症的學生時，你感到在哪些方面有較大的困難?

• 1555 primary school parents; 378 secondary school parents

Overall, where do you experience more difficulties when you try to help your child adapt to learning and school life?

總括而言，在幫助子女適應學習和學校生活時，你感到在哪些方面有較大的困難?

Students’ social/learning/emotional problems

Difficulty with student’s social problems

2 out of every 10 PS teachers 3 out of every 10 SS teachers

6 out of every 10 PS parents 7 out of every 10 SS parents

Difficulty with student’s learning problems



Difficulty with student’s emotional problems



Parents’ concerns


Social problems***


Learning problems**


Emotional problems*

Teachers’ concerns

2 out of every 10 PS teachers

Social problems**

3 out of every 10 SS teachers


Learning problems*



Emotional problems**


Summary of reported difficulties

• Overall parents show overwhelming concern about helping students with their social and learning adjustment and much less about their emotional adjustment at school

• Overall teachers report some difficulties in managing issues related to student adjustment in all three areas but with an inclination to be more concerned about managing social and emotional problems

• Secondary school teachers tend to report greater difficulties in all three areas than their primary school counterparts. They are also more concerned than parents about managing students’ emotional problems

2. Sense of efficacy in dealing with related problems

The extent to which

• I understand my child’s/student’s needs and difficulties

e.g. 我明白自閉症如何影響我子女/學生的學習

• I can effectively manage the problems e.g. 我能運用有效策略處理我子女/有自閉症的學生的行為問題

• I feel hopeful that I can help my child/student learn and improve

e.g. 我相信付出努力後，我子女/有自閉症的學生的情況與前景

會得到改善

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019

understand can manage feel hopeful

Parents

Teachers

Parents Parents Teachers

Teachers

Sense of Efficacy (i) Teachers report greater understanding of child’s needs/difficulties than parents

(ii) Parents report greater ability to manage child’s problems than teachers

(iii) Parents and teachers are similarly hopeful about helping child learn/improve

Summary: parents and teachers are similarly hopeful but vary in their

relative confidence in understanding and ability

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020

understand can manage feel hopeful

Parents

Teachers

Parents Parents Teachers

Teachers

• Parents feel hopeful about helping child improve and able to manage related

problems but rate oneself lower on understanding of child’s difficulties

• Teachers rate themselves higher on understanding child’s difficulties and feeling

hopeful about helping child improve than being able to manage related problems

Converge and diverge

3. Perceptions of support quality

School support

學生在學校得到有效的支援，得到學校不同成員的幫助

Home support

家長積極支援學生的學習，了解自己可以在家中怎樣協助子女學習

Effective inclusion

學生在學校感到被接納，能積極投入學習，能維持自尊感和自信心，師生關係良好，能投入學校生活，建立正面的朋輩關係

Perceptions of support quality: (i) Overall: “tend to agree” or “agree” that effective support is in place

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School Support(Q9, Q10)

Home Support(Q7-Q8)

Effective Inclusion(Q1-Q5)


Parents

Parents

Parents

Teachers Teachers Teachers

School support Effective inclusion Home support

Agree

Totally agree


(ii) Discrepancy between parents and teachers in perception of home support

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Home Support(Q7-Q8)



Parents

Parents

Parents




(ii) Discrepancy between parents and teachers in perception of home support

(iii) Secondary school parents and teachers show a slight tendency to rate lower

than their primary school counterparts for “effective inclusion”

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Home Support(Q7-Q8)



Parents

Parents

Parents



“子女都不會主動跟家人分享在學校發生的事情，這會對我們幫助他們適應學校生活有一定的困難”

“本人希望班主任和xSIR多和我溝通,使我能知#學生姓名#於學校的情況,能把#學生姓名#的性格和習慣改善,多謝!”

“女兒的大部份時間在學校,而我並沒有太多機會知道她在學校的情況。老師只會在突發事件/違規行為才會聯絡我。除了班主任可能掌握較多資料關於女兒外,其他科目老師並未有相關資料。以上情況,令家長很難在家裡配合或幫助她改善學習”

Parents’ needs

Parents’ needs “沒有足夠的時間.沒有精神應付他及日常生活.沒有一個好的學習環境”

“當自己忙碌，疲倦和有壓力的時候，在面對孩子的脾氣和頑固而猛烈的情緒時，我自己也會陷入不能控制的情緒中，所以我常在成功和失敗的處理中徘徊”

“他的問題是永不完…照顧他都感到相當疲倦和吃力”

“是我無足夠時間精力幫到她成長”

“缺少專業知識及處理策略”

“是否有老師有教無類的精神,肯放時間精力去改變一位學生令他有自信有信心,家長怎樣努力, 都要學校配合”

“功課量太多,以學生能力一定沒法完成. …要其他同學接受有特殊需要的學生也是最大困難之一”

“學校同輩學生欺凌問題, …家長未能即時清楚當時情況…, 老師也未有將事情處理經過報告了解”

Parents of teenagers:

“當孩子長大時, 支援越來越少, 在學習上, 看不到進步的地方. 自己很想幫助他, 但不知怎樣做? …眼淚在心裡流, 想幫無從入手, 很想掉換角色, 自閉是我自己 (JS)

女兒已步入反叛年齡，很多時候也跟我作出無聲或逆方向的抗議，我在“迫“她努力溫習中常常遇到很多矛盾及無奈。這使我很氣餒和不知如何找到一個平衡點。(SP)

因子女步入青春期，我對此時期的特殊需要完全不知，感到一片空白，但每天都有不同程度的教導問題重覆出現，學習適應的問題，自己也常常束手無策 (SP)

我在協助#孩子名字#適應學習和學校生活時, 感到身心疲倦. 因為每日工作完畢, 回家後, 與他鬥志鬥力, 角色扮演, 觀察及監察他和朋輩的交往過程, 聆聽他在校的生活, 讓我有喘不過來的感覺! (JS)

因不太瞭解新中學的學校生活和學習情況, 所以不知道孩子遇到什麼困難, 也不知道怎樣去幫助 (JS)

升中四後, 我總是未能跟進他的情緒和進度, 尤其是通識, 藝術發展等, 根本找不到途徑去學習後回家教他 (SS)

Teachers’ needs

“和學生溝通, 尢其討論如何處理急躁的情緒時, 時間上往往是一個限制…, 而處理技巧上亦未能掌握, 故處理時顿感壓力”

“最大問題是時間和空間,因處理需時,未必能處理其他工作”

“欠缺足夠的策略去處理自閉症學生的問題”

“如何在處理學生行為和學業中取得平衡”

“老師未能同時兼顧全班及個別自閉症的學習需要”

“課堂內容較難配合學生的興趣或專長，學習成效未如理想”

Teachers’ needs 和學生溝通, 尢其討論如何處理急躁的情緒時, 時間上往往是一個限制…, 而處理技巧上亦未能掌握, 故處理時顿感壓力最大問題是時間和空間,因處理需時,未必能處理其他工作欠缺足夠的策略去處理自閉症學生的問題如何在處理學生行為和學業中取得平衡老師未能同時兼顧全班及個別自閉症的學習需要課堂內容較難配合學生的興趣或專長，學習成效未如理想

On home-school cooperation:

“我遇到最大的困難是處理老師和家長對自閉症學生的期望，…兩者需互相配合方能達到最佳效果” “家長的期望跟學生的能力不相符; 家長要求學業, 但學生情緒較大問題, 難以配合幫助學生” “我感到最困難是家長不願面對子女的問題” “和家長,老師及專業人士一起制訂學習計劃上面對較大困難,因未必能達成共識” “難以讓所有老師對自閉症學童看法及施教方法一致”

“老師,家長是否有心思,時間及技巧在支援上作出配合” “家長及教師未必有足夠的認識(對自閉症學生),以致方法未能配合學生的需要”


Converging and diverging needs

Be informed

Sources of pressure:

• Inadequate time/energy

• Emotional fatigue

• Lack of knowledge/strategies

Parents

Worries:

• Teachers’ attitude

• School work

• Peer relationship

…added concerns during teenage

years

Sources of pressure:

• Inadequate time

• Lack of skills/strategies/resources

• Juggling with multiple demands

(priority of issues, whole class vs

individual needs)

…added concerns during teenage years

Consensus, cooperation

Teachers

Home-school collaboration: summary of observations

Effectiveness of collaboration varies highly from case to case, but there is room for improvement in most cases:

• Importance of coming to consensus on the most critical issues and how to address them – Influenced by differing perceptions of parents and teachers, reflecting

differences in parents’ and teachers’ needs, limitations, and efforts

• Mutual support to enhance sense of efficacy in dealing with related issues – Relative confidence in understanding and ability (knowledge and skills)

– Teachers: expertise based on professionalism

– Parents: expertise based on indispensable knowledge and experience about the child

• Mutual trust and appreciation of each others’ efforts – Partnership: seeing each others’ needs, limitations, efforts

Home-school collaboration: summary of observations


The foundation for effective home-school

collaboration is parent-teacher partnership (a relationship)

The key to building partnership is communication.

Effectiveness of collaboration varies highly from case to case, but there is room for improvement in most cases:

• Importance of coming to consensus on the most critical issues and how to address them – Influenced by differing perceptions of parents and teachers, reflecting differences in parents’ and teachers’ needs,

limitations, and efforts

• Mutual support to enhance sense of efficacy in dealing with related issues – Relative confidence in understanding and ability (knowledge and skills)

– Teachers: expertise based on professionalism

– Parents: expertise based on indispensable knowledge and experience about the child

• Mutual trust and appreciation of each others’ efforts – Partnership: seeing each others’ needs, limitations, efforts

JC AConnect 賽馬會喜伴同行計劃 Model of support for school programmes

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Enhancing home-school collaboration:

Top strategies from NGOs

• Individual consultation with parents/teachers (meeting, phone, whatsapp group)

• Regular meetings (IEP conference, review meeting)

• Workshops for parents/teachers

• Parents’ mutual support group

• Communication regarding training programmes for the children – Parent column in home assignment for students

– Parent handout to aid practice outside school

– Parent observing group training

Regular communication platform (building partnership)

Empowerment (enhancement of knowledge, skills and positive attitude)




Goals: Regular communication platform (building partnership)






• Communication regarding training programmes for the children

– Parent column in home assignment for students

– Parent handout to aid practice outside school

– Parent observing group training

Parents’ needs:

Start early (from P1): habit of communicating with schools and early

positive experience

Consistent and reliable communication partner (right person to

communicate and build trust with – feel listened to, interested in

child’s welfare)

Stay informed: child’s progress in training, strategies used in

class/school



Goals: Regular communication platform (building partnership)






• Communication regarding training programmes for the children

- Parent column in home assignment for students

Parents’ needs:

Start early (from P1): habit of communicating with schools and early positive

experience

Consistent and reliable communication partner (right person to communicate and

build trust with – feel listened to, interested in child’s welfare)

Stay informed: child’s progress in training, strategies used in class/school

Often feel vulnerable in their relationship with teachers/professionals

Concluding remarks

Threats to partnership:

For teachers: apparently uninvolved, demanding, angry parents

For parents: apparently unconcerned, unhelpful teachers

Tension and conflict

See them as expressions of needs, limitations, and frustrations

Take care of our emotions and emotional reactions

“如遇上有愛心及耐性好老師，父母的心較踏實及安穩” Parents often feel vulnerable in their relationship with teachers/professionals

For both parents and teachers :

• Compassionate goals (focused on understanding, appreciating and meeting the unique needs of one’s child/student satisfaction, efficacy and meaning ) vs. self-image goals (focused on how one’s child/student reflects on oneself stress, limitations) (Conti, 2015)

• Believe in your ability to bring about positive outcomes for the children

Coming together is the beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

-- Henry Ford


converging and diverging views of parents and teachers ...€¦ · jc aconnect 9 january 2017 ....

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