Motivation and teachers’ relevance from families and students’ perception

• Main Authors: Antonio Cervero, Antonio Urbano Contreras, Lucía Álvarez Blanco
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Asociación Nacional de Psicología Evolutiva y Educativa de la Infancia Adolescencia Mayores y Discapacidad 2020-06-01
• Series: INFAD
• Subjects: motivación; relevancia docente; periodo de transición; educación primaria; familia
• Online Access: http://www.infad.eu/RevistaINFAD/OJS/index.php/IJODAEP/article/view/1765

The transition from primary education to high school is a critical period for the students’ development that is a cause for concern among families, a time when the teachers acquire a remarkable relevance. Specifically, some of the factors affecting the well-being and performance of students and their educational development are the motivation and the importance attached to the teacher. Account taken of the above, this research aims to analyze whether there are differences between the perception of students and their families of different aspects related to these factors. To this end, a questionnaire was used on a sample of 158 participants (103 students and 55 parents), analyzing statistically significant differences using the Mann-Whitney U. Results show discrepancies in the perception of aspects such as whether the teacher helps the student, cares about their personal problems, or encourage them to improve their marks. These data prove a diversity of points of view among the students and their families, which may result from a lack of communication or information about the activities performed in the educational institution. Therefore, it is advisable to improve these aspects to establish a shared vision that would allow students to move forward in the same direction as the families and the educational institution.