The Influence of School-Family-Community Partnership on Organizational Health among Public Elementary School Teachers

The Influence of School-Family-Community Partnership on Organizational Health among Public Elementary School Teachers

¹Rey Avila Mangarin, ²Junery B. Tabal

¹Consultant, RAMyeR Research and Consultancy Services

²Faculty, Tulalian Elementary School

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8090313

Received: 16 September 2024; Accepted: 30 September 2024; Published: 25 October 2024

ABSTRACT

This study determined the significant influence of School-Family-Community Partnership to Organizational Health to public elementary school teachers. Respondents were 204 public elementary school teachers randomly chosen to respond to the survey conducted. Quantitative non-experimental descriptive correlation was the design utilized in this study. Survey questionnaires were used in the collection of data. Pearson-r and regression analysis were used to present the data in a meaningful way. It was found out that all indicators of school-family-community partnership, to wit, parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community, have significant influence on organizational health. Furthermore, school-family-community partnership has significant influence on organizational health.

Keywords: school-family-community partnership, organizational health, public school

INTRODUCTION

Educational institutions play a vital role not only in academic instruction but also in fostering the holistic development and well-being of students. However, achieving these goals requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including schools, families, and communities. This collaboration, known as school-family-community partnership, has gained increasing attention in educational research and practice due to its potential to create healthy organizations that support student success and well-being.

Unhealthy organization among public school teachers is often characterized by high levels of stress, poor communication, and lack of support from administration. This negative environment can lead to burnout, absenteeism, and reduced teacher effectiveness. A toxic organizational culture, where there is little collaboration and trust between staff and leadership, contributes to the deterioration of job satisfaction (Kim & Lee, 2020). Additionally, teachers in unhealthy organizations may feel overburdened by administrative tasks, which detracts from their primary role of educating students (Brennan, 2021). The presence of such organizational stressors has been linked to lower student achievement, as demotivated teachers are less likely to engage students in meaningful ways (Smith et al., 2022). These challenges highlight the need for systemic reforms that prioritize teacher well-being and foster a supportive professional environment (Jackson & McMillan, 2023).

School-family-community partnerships play a crucial role in fostering a healthy organizational environment among public school teachers. These partnerships promote open communication, shared responsibility, and mutual support, which can lead to improved teacher morale and job satisfaction (Epstein & Sheldon, 2020). When families and communities are actively involved in the educational process, teachers feel more supported and are more likely to collaborate effectively, reducing stress and improving their ability to manage classroom challenges (Bryan & Henry, 2021). Research suggests that strong partnerships enhance the school’s social capital, creating a positive culture where teachers feel valued and respected (Sanders, 2022). Furthermore, community engagement helps alleviate some of the burdens placed on teachers, as external resources can support student learning and provide additional avenues for student development (Weiss et al., 2023). By strengthening these partnerships, schools can create a more collaborative and supportive environment, contributing to overall organizational health.

The study of Mangarin and O’Loughlin (2024) emphasized that the use of people within the organization as baseline resource creates public value because when a school head was able to set an atmosphere where teachers take part and in control of tasks, one perception and uniform understanding of the tasks can be achieved. The role of school heads in managing resources and generating initiatives to address problems in school operation during pandemics and other emergencies both in the present and in the future is deemed vital and their well-being must be adhered upon. The school head being the leader of the organization or agency is responsible for the welfare of the environment is expected to deliver and implement the necessary policies together with the help of teachers to address the problems on environment particularly on the organization.

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the influence of school-family-community partnerships on organizational health within educational settings. By examining the existing literature, conducting qualitative interviews, and analyzing case studies, this research seeks to identify the mechanisms through which such partnerships contribute to organizational health.

Understanding the dynamics of school-family-community partnerships and their impact on organizational health is essential for educational leaders, policymakers, and practitioners. Insights gained from this study can inform the development of strategies and interventions aimed at enhancing collaboration among schools, families, and communities, ultimately leading to healthier educational organizations and improved student outcomes.

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of the study was to determine the significant influence of school-family-community partnership on organizational health among public elementary school teachers. Specifically, this aimed to determine which domain of school-family-community partnerships significantly influences organizational health.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis that school-family-community partnership does not significantly influence organizational health was tested at 0.05 level of significance.

METHODOLOGY

The research design utilized is quantitative non-experimental descriptive-correlational research as the design of this study. According to Curtis, Comiskey, and Dempsey (2016), the role of correlation research which concerned with establishing relationships between two or more variables in the same population or between the same variables in two populations is very important part of a research study. Understanding the associations and relationships that exist among human phenomena is a remaining incentive for scientific investigation in all of the social science disciplines, and that motivation surpasses even the most differentiated model distinctions between various research methods.

In this research endeavor, the use of the quantitative non-experimental descriptive-correlational is appropriate since the researcher would like to investigate the significant influence of school-family-community to organizational health among public school teachers in Sto.Tomas, Davao del Norte.

Utilizing quota and convenient sampling, the researchers conducted the survey to 100 elementary school teachers who volunteered to respond the survey. Quota and convenience sampling are often used in research due to their practicality, but their appropriateness depends on the study’s goals. Quota sampling, where researchers intentionally select a sample that reflects the population’s key characteristics, can be useful when a study needs to ensure representation of specific groups (Palinkas et al., 2020). However, it may introduce bias, as the sample is not randomly selected. On the other hand, convenience sampling, which involves selecting participants based on their availability, is beneficial for exploratory research or when time and resources are limited (Etikan & Bala, 2021). While convenience sampling is cost-effective and easy to implement, it often leads to a sample that may not accurately represent the broader population, potentially limiting the study’s generalizability (Taherdoost, 2022). Thus, the researchers recognized limitations of this study due to sampling technique.

Moreover, the researchers utilized two sets of survey questionnaires: school-family-community partnership with 30 items from the Salinas, Epstein, and Sanders (2019) and organizational health with 10 items from Doganay and Dagli (2020). Statements were paraphrased and contextualized to suit the target respondents, however, indicators used by the abovementioned authors were retained and used for this study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The table below presents the significant influence of school-family-community partnership to organizational healths.

Table 1. The Significant Influence of School-Family-Community Partnership to Organizational Health

α = 0.05

As shown in the table, all indicators have significant influence (p-value<0.05) to organizational health. As can be seen school-family-community partnership has significant influence (p<0.05).  to organizational health. This is in rejection of the hypothesis that school-family-community partnership does not significantly influence organizational health. Moreover, 96.90% of the organizational health can be accounted for in school-family-community partnership. This means that a shared responsibility and reciprocal process whereby schools and other community agencies and organizations engage families in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways and families take initiative to actively supporting their children’s development and learning, is a contributing factor of how a healthy organizations are established in the community. The more the school-family-community partnership is strengthened, the better health organizations can be created.

Likewise, improving parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community, are good predictors to establish a healthy organization. The more open, effective, and honest communication is the better the healthy organization is founded. This is true also to promoting positive parenting which is found to be a good factor contributing to better healthy organizations. Enhancing student learning is found also to be an additive feature that influences healthy organizations. So, the increase of volunteerism will also lead to healthy organization. Collaborating with the community is also found to be a good influential factor in founding a healthy organization.

Mangarin and Cortez (2023) recommended that it is very important for parents to be reminded on their roles as partners of teachers in the educational process in this modular approach of learning and that learning the lessons is very important aspect in the assessment of children.

With the result, it was emphasized that to have the most positive impact on the academic and wellness outcomes of students, it is imperative that schools and communities work together through a collaborative and comprehensive approach. Community partners can help schools prepare students for career and citizenship by offering additional opportunities, support, and enrichment for young people. Strong school–community partnerships are essential for a world-class, 21st century education, and more and more communities across the country are creating such partnerships (Institute for Educational Leadership, 2015).

While parents, family, and community members may assume specific roles as they become involved in the education of children, for example as volunteers in the classroom, a synthesis of the literature reveals that the roles are contributing to the building of a better educational organizations in the community (Crump and Ellis, l995).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, fostering a healthy organization within schools is deeply influenced by the active engagement of parents, effective communication, volunteering, learning at home, inclusive decision-making, and collaboration with the community. When parents are equipped with the tools to support their children’s education, and schools maintain open, transparent communication, the foundation for a positive school environment is strengthened. Volunteering allows families and community members to become active participants in the educational process, promoting a shared sense of responsibility. Encouraging learning at home bridges the gap between school and home, reinforcing student success. Inclusive decision-making ensures that the voices of all stakeholders are heard, creating a more responsive and supportive environment. Finally, collaborating with community organizations enhances the resources available to schools, allowing for a more comprehensive approach to education. Together, these elements contribute to a healthy, vibrant organizational culture that benefits students, educators, and families alike.

RECOMMENDATION

Based on the results and conclusions, the following recommendations are generated:

1. School heads are recommended to design programs that will promote an effective school-family-community partnership to enhance organizational health. Moreover, at the institutional level, programs and intervention strategies may be implemented to enhance both school-family-community partnership and organizational health.
2. Teachers are invigorated to participate in activities and planning that promote a better school-family-community partnership to enhance organizational health. Activities and tasks should be worthy to be performed that are contributing to the development of supporting decision making, improving communication, promoting positive parenting, enhancing student learning, increasing volunteerism, and collaborating with the community.
3. Further studies may be conducted in exploring other factors that significantly influence organizational health affecting the competence of teachers or factors that social skills may affect. Moreover, replication of this study is encouraged to test and validate results in other settings.

REFERENCES

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