ABSTRACT

Family-professional partnerships are an important predictor of student success for children with and without disabilities. However, little is known about the perspectives of fathers of children with complex disabilities regarding their partnerships with educational professionals. This study presents findings from semi-structured interviews with 15 fathers of children with complex disabilities regarding their partnerships with professionals. Fathers described both challenging and collaborative interactions with the educational professionals working with their children. In challenging interactions, fathers described educational professionals focused on the monetary costs of their child’s educational needs, a struggle to find schools and programs that fit their child’s needs, and educators who were inflexible and unwilling to implement individualized instructional strategies. More positive and collaborative father-professional partnerships were characterized by authentic relationships that responded to the expertise of parents, as well as educators who were flexible and strengths-based in their practice. Fathers offered guidance for how educators could strengthen partnerships with fathers. Findings from this study extend the very limited research on the school involvement experiences of fathers of children with complex disabilities by identifying specific characteristics of positive and negative family-professional interactions for these fathers and highlighting avenues for change in professional practice to strengthen fathers’ school involvement experiences.

摘要

家庭-专业伙伴关系是残疾儿童和非残疾儿童学生成功的重要预测因素。然而，对于患有复杂残疾儿童的父亲对与教育专业人士合作的观点知之甚少。本研究展示了对 15 位患有复杂残疾儿童的父亲进行的半结构化访谈，结果是他们与专业人士的合作关系。父亲们描述了与教育专业人士与他们的孩子一起工作的具有挑战性和协作性的互动。在具有挑战性的互动中，父亲描述了教育专业人士关注孩子教育需求的金钱成本，努力寻找适合孩子需求的学校和项目，以及不灵活且不愿实施个性化教学策略的教育工作者。更积极和协作的父亲-专业伙伴关系的特点是真实的关系，这些关系回应了父母的专业知识，以及在实践中灵活且基于优势的教育者。父亲为教育工作者如何加强与父亲的伙伴关系提供了指导。本研究的结果通过确定这些父亲的积极和消极家庭-专业互动的具体特征，并强调改变专业实践以加强父亲的学校参与的途径，扩展了对复杂残疾儿童父亲的学校参与经历的非常有限的研究经验。更积极和协作的父亲-专业伙伴关系的特点是真实的关系，这些关系回应了父母的专业知识，以及在实践中灵活且基于优势的教育者。父亲为教育工作者如何加强与父亲的伙伴关系提供了指导。本研究的结果通过确定这些父亲的积极和消极家庭-专业互动的具体特征，并强调改变专业实践以加强父亲的学校参与的途径，扩展了对复杂残疾儿童父亲的学校参与经历的非常有限的研究经验。更积极和协作的父亲-专业伙伴关系的特点是真实的关系，这些关系回应了父母的专业知识，以及在实践中灵活且基于优势的教育者。父亲为教育工作者如何加强与父亲的伙伴关系提供了指导。本研究的结果通过确定这些父亲的积极和消极家庭-专业互动的具体特征，并强调改变专业实践以加强父亲的学校参与的途径，扩展了对复杂残疾儿童父亲的学校参与经历的非常有限的研究经验。以及在实践中灵活且基于优势的教育工作者。父亲为教育工作者如何加强与父亲的伙伴关系提供了指导。本研究的结果通过确定这些父亲的积极和消极家庭-专业互动的具体特征，并强调改变专业实践以加强父亲的学校参与的途径，扩展了对复杂残疾儿童父亲的学校参与经历的非常有限的研究经验。以及在实践中灵活且基于优势的教育工作者。父亲为教育工作者如何加强与父亲的伙伴关系提供了指导。本研究的结果通过确定这些父亲的积极和消极家庭-专业互动的具体特征，并强调改变专业实践以加强父亲的学校参与的途径，扩展了对复杂残疾儿童父亲的学校参与经历的非常有限的研究经验。