Grupos de Whatsapp en familias de Educación Infantil y Primaria / WhatApps groups in families of Preschool and Primary Education

Abstract

The main objectives of this study were firstly, to know the opinions of the families of the children belonging to Early Childhood Education and Primary Education in the Region of Murcia about the usage of WhatsApp groups for families and teachers; and secondly, to analyze their opinions based on these socio-demographic variables: relationship, age, level of education, school degree, employment status and number of children at the school. To that end, a questionnaire was created consisting of 26 items based on six dimensions (usage, shared content, regulations, permissiveness, involvement/participation and educational resources) and measured against a 1 to 5 scale. The full sample was composed of 134 subjects selected through a convenient nonprobability sampling, since it was applied to those families we had access to. The results indicate that it is not useful in promoting family involvement or as an educational resource to support education, but as a place for parents and teachers to stay connected.Los objetivos principales planteados en este estudio son, por un lado, conocer la opinión de las familias de los niños y niñas de Educación Infantil y Educación Primaria de la Región de Murcia sobre el uso de los grupos de WhatsApp creados entre familias y docentes del centro; y, por otro lado, analizar sus opiniones en función de las siguientes variables sociodemográficas: parentesco, edad, nivel de estudios, titularidad del centro educativo, situación laboral y número de hijos en el centro. Para ello se procedió al diseño ad hoc y valoración de un cuestionario formado por 26 ítems basados en seis dimensiones (uso, contenidos compartidos, normativa, permisividad, implicación/participación y recurso educativo) y valorados con una escala gradual del 1 al 5. La muestra total la componen 134 sujetos seleccionados mediante un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, dado que fue aplicado a familias a las que tuvimos acceso. Los resultados indican que los grupos de WhatsApp no se consideran útiles a la hora de fomentar la participación familiar o ser utilizado como un recurso educativo de apoyo a la educación, sino como un espacio para que familias y profesores permanezcan conectados. Abstract The main objectives of this study were firstly, to know the opinions of the families of the children belonging to Early Childhood Education and Primary Education in the Region of Murcia about the usage of WhatsApp groups for families and teachers; and secondly, to analyze their opinions based on these socio-demographic variables: relationship, age, level of education, school degree, employment status and number of children at the school. To that end, a questionnaire was created consisting of 26 items based on six dimensions (usage, shared content, regulations, permissiveness, involvement/participation and educational resources) and measured against a 1 to 5 scale. The full sample was composed of 134 subjects selected through a convenient nonprobability sampling, since it was applied to those families we had access to. The results indicate that it is not useful in promoting family involvement or as an educational resource to support education, but as a place for parents and teachers to stay connected.