Family engagement in the educational community: Development of a tool for measuring qualitative perspectives

Abstract

The educational community has traditionally been defined as the set of people who interact within an educational ecosystem, usually a school or structured educational environment, in which an intentional, global and contextualized action occurs towards the teaching and learning of meanings, processes and values of a society (Mateos y Peñalba, 2003). From a legal perspective, the participation of all those involved constitutes an inalienable civic right and responsibility, linked to fundamental rights such as education, human dignity, legal security and protection of children (UNESCO, 2014). This article presents a conceptual tool for triangulating opinions. It allows the range of very different perspectives to be included, and the slightest elements of information to be quantified, transforming qualitative opinions (qualia) into binary units (quantum) that can be quantified, compared and managed. By using the research-action method, the research results have given students, teaching staff, families, school principals and administrative staff a voice, in an exercise of self-evaluation and transparency for accountability. In a wider ecosystem, voices from other agents linked to the educational community can be also incorporated into the analysis.