Parental cognition of the trustworthiness of teachers and related factors

Abstract

The purposes of the present study were to develop a scale to measure parental cognition of the trustworthiness of teachers, and to examine related factors. Purpose 1: In order to develop the scale, 34 items were chosen, based on a pilot study, and the resulting questionnaire was completed by 516 parents of elementary and junior high school students. A factor analysis yielded 4 factors: role executing competence, disciplinary guidance, guidance according to individual children's needs, and favorable regard by the child. Using the results of that analysis, the Parental Cognition of Trustworthiness of Teachers Scale was developed with those 4 factors and higher construct. Purpose 2: An investigation of related factors that might predict parental trust of teachers revealed that the parents' level of satisfaction with how the school dealt with trouble among the children was significant. In addition, when scores on the Parental Cognition of Trustworthiness of Teachers Scale and on the measure of the parents' level of satisfaction with how the school dealt with trouble among the children were both low, the parents were more likely to report feeling anxious about asking teachers for help. These findings suggest that parental cognition of the trustworthiness of teachers may be an important element in successful collaboration between parents and teachers.