Family involvement as a priority element for an educational action based on dialogic learning

In our society, there is a need for a critical reflection on education and the tasks to be developed by every agent. The family and school are the two main socializing settings of children and adolescents and, therefore, their joint responsibility in their education is a commitment that should be established in an atmosphere of confidence and harmony in order to tend towards a learning community model based on dialogic learning. Many research works, as those by Pineault ([2001]), Martínez and Álvarez ([2006]) and Garreta ([2008]), back that the parents' participation in school life has beneficial consequences for the family-school dynamics, such as: free-flowing relationships between parents and teachers; more collaborative attitudes of parents concerning the educational centre; positive assessment of teachers; higher self-esteem in children and adolescents; increase in academic performance; and greater commitment towards the environment. Nevertheless, reality is still far from this model. In this research, the participation of families in state Compulsory Secondary Education schools is analysed, and some elements of reflection and working tools are presented to enhance and promote family involvement. Data were obtained from a questionnaire, especially designed for this study, which was filled in by 1388 families from the province of Barcelona; and from interviews with 21 chairpersons of parents' associations. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out. Finally, from the combination of results, some conclusions were drawn, which resulted in guidelines to improve family participation in Compulsory Secondary Education schools.