ECEC Professionals’ Views on Partnerships with Parents in Multicultural Classrooms in Four European Countries

The study investigates how kindergarten employees perceive collaboration with parents in multicultural kindergartens in four European countries. The study explores how employees’ practices, confidence related to diversity, and cultural background influence the quality of collaboration. The study seeks to identify factors that can strengthen collaboration and bridge the gap between kindergarten and home in a multicultural context. The research questions are:

1. How do kindergarten employees perceive collaboration with parents in multicultural classrooms?
2. Can kindergarten employees’ characteristics and practices predict their view on collaboration with parents in multicultural kindergartens?

The results show that kindergarten staff experience high levels of mutual contact with parents and low levels of hierarchical relationships. Multicultural practices, which include facilitating children’s cultural backgrounds, contributed to more positive collaboration. Staff members with high levels of confidence related to diversity had a less hierarchical approach. Surprisingly, staff members with immigrant backgrounds had a lower perception of mutual collaboration, which may be due to cultural differences in expectations regarding parental involvement.

The study uses a quantitative approach based on data collected through a survey from the ISOTIS project. The survey included questions about kindergarten employees’ views on collaboration with parents, their work practices and self-experienced competence in multicultural classrooms. The data were analysed using multivariate regression. The analysis investigates how different factors predict the quality of the collaboration.

Norheim, H., Broekhuizen, M., Moser, T., & Pastori, G. (2023). ECEC Professionals’ Views on Partnerships with Parents in Multicultural Classrooms in Four European Countries. International Journal of Early Childhood, 1–18.