The Dynamics of Home-School Partnership and Young Learners’ Performance: From the Lens of Kindergarten Teachers

This phenomenological study delves into the lived experiences of kindergarten teachers about home-school partnership and the young learners’ performance. The study is anchored on Vygotsky’s social learning theory and the zone of proximal development. The researchers conducted the study during the first semester of SY 2017-2018 with sixteen (16) kindergarten teacher participants coming from public and private schools in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines. They explained the research and its merits to the prospective participants and solicited their informed consent. Once granted, the researchers conducted semi- structured interviews. The data collected were analyzed using Colaizzi’s approach. It generated the following themes: “Home-School partnership is fostered with the 5C’s – Celebrations, Classroom Meetings, Conferences, Classroom Projects, Contributions”; Partnership is strengthened with the 3 R’s: Rapport, Reaching Out, Recognition to Parents”; “Involved Parents beget confident, sociable, and active kids”, “Less involved parents tend to have kids who are timid, withdrawn and perform less.”The researchers recommend that a seminar/training on facilitating strong home-school partnership may be conducted for the teachers to be equipped with the needed knowledge, values and skills for this important noble task

Keywords – home-school partnership, parental engagement, kindergarten teachers, phenomenology, Collaizi approach