ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Trust is considered to be a crucial element of effective parent-preschool partnerships and an important prerequisite of parental involvement in their children’s educational processes. The present study examines the role of child and family characteristics and aspects of parent-preschool communication in parents’ trust. 735 families at 169 preschools participated in the study. All data were obtained in the context of the evaluation of a governmental preschool initiative in Germany. As well as trust, child and family characteristics were assessed using questionnaires. Aspects of parent-preschool communication were assessed with questionnaires and standardized observations. Structural equation modeling analyses indicate that a child’s behavioral disorder and their family’s language predict parents’ trust in their child’s preschool. In addition, the results highlight that the quality of informal communication during transition times is crucial in trusting relationships. Thus, all aspects of parent-preschool communication (parents’ perceived quality of communication, parents’ satisfaction with communication, and observed interaction quality between parents and professionals) are positively related to parental trust. Practice or Policy: Consequently, training programs should make use of these results to enhance professionals’ communication strategies and thereby to establish a trustful relationship with all parents.

摘要

研究成果：信任被认为是有效的家长与学前班伙伴关系的关键要素，也是家长参与孩子教育过程的重要先决条件。本研究探讨了儿童和家庭特征以及家长与学前班沟通在家长信任中的作用。169 所幼儿园的 735 个家庭参与了这项研究。所有数据都是在对德国政府学前教育计划的评估中获得的。除了信任之外，还使用问卷评估了儿童和家庭特征。通过问卷和标准化观察评估家长与学前班沟通的各个方面。结构方程模型分析表明，孩子的行为障碍和家庭语言可以预测父母对孩子幼儿园的信任。此外，结果强调，过渡时期非正式沟通的质量对于建立信任关系至关重要。因此，家长与学前班沟通的各个方面（家长感知到的沟通质量、家长对沟通的满意度以及观察到的家长与专业人士之间的互动质量）都与家长信任呈正相关。实践或政策：因此，培训计划应利用这些结果来增强专业人员的沟通策略，从而与所有家长建立信任关系。