FAMILY-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIP: AN EXPERIENCE REPORT BASED ON TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ALMENARA, MG

Abstract

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a research study conducted within the Pedagogy course at the Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (UNIMONTES), Almenara Campus, aimed at analyzing teachers' perceptions of family participation in public schools in the municipality of Almenara, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrated quantitative data collected through an online questionnaire with qualitative content analysis of discursive responses. Four teachers working in Early Childhood Education, Elementary School, and High School participated, representing varying levels of professional experience. The results indicate that, although all teachers acknowledge the positive contribution of family involvement to student performance, significant tensions persist: some teachers report low academic monitoring frequency and the transfer of educational responsibilities to the school, while others describe excessive interference with their pedagogical autonomy. The analysis engages with the theoretical frameworks of Bourdieu and Passeron (1975), Lahire (1997), Vygotsky (2007), and Freire (1996), demonstrating that family participation patterns are mediated by structural socioeconomic and cultural constraints. The findings contribute to the critical professional development of educators and to the design of school-family partnership strategies more attuned to the diversity of popular contexts.