Analysis of parents, teachers and school managers' experiences on parent-teacher conferences: A phenomenological study

The main purpose of this research is to examine the experiences of parents, teachers and school managers on parent-teacher conferences. This research has been conducted on phenomenological design, one of qualitative research designs. The study group of the research consist of public and private primary school managers in the central district of Bingöl, the classroom teachers working in these schools and the parents whose children are studying at these schools. Participants in the research study group were determined according to the criteria and maximum diversity sampling method. The research data were collected with the semi-structured interview forms developed by the researcher. Descriptive and content analysis methods were used in the analysis of the obtained data. The validity and reliability of the research findings was provided by data variation, pilot application and participant confirmation methods. According to the research findings, some preparations are made by teachers, parents and school administrators prior to parent-teacher conferences. Parents are mostly invited to the meeting via whatsapp, sms or written invitations. At least two parent-teacher conferences are held annually. Parent-teacher conferences are usually held in classrooms after course hours on weekdays. The most discussed topics in the meetings are students' academic achievement and behavior assessments, parental attitudes and responsibilities, and course materials. During the meetings, stakeholders such as teachers and parents, often have an attentive communication styles but they can sometimes use negative communication codes. Parent-teacher conferences can have great effects on the development of students' sense of supervision, increasing their academic achievement, decreasing their negative behaviors, caring, motivation and self-confidence. Cooperation and responsibility sharing are the main effects of the meetings on teachers and parents. Parents' participation in the meetings can have various effects on teachers, such as being cared, being happy, increasing motivation and changing attitudes towards students. Parents-teachers conferences function as an audit control over the teachers and the school administration, allowing the school administration to develop the school. Parent teacher conferences are effective on the awareness of parents in many ways. Decisions made at meetings are often monitored by classroom teachers via the class whatsapp group and by warning text messages sent to parents on phones. The main difficulties encountered in meetings are parents' behaviors incompatible with the seriousness of the meeting, communication conflicts between stakeholders and problems related to participation in the meeting. In order to make parents-teachers conferences more effective and productive, some suggestions are made by stakeholders. These are, encouraging parental participation to the meetings, supporting the group meetings with individual meetings, raising awareness of parents and improving teacher competence. Finally, various suggestions for the stakeholders of the subject have been developed in order to make parent teacher conferences more effective. In addition, based on the research findings, a guide for stakeholders has been developed in order to make parent-teacher conferences more effective. Keywords: Parental Involvement, Parent, Primary School Teacher, School Managers, Parent Teacher Conferences