Video production as a tool for raising educator awareness about collaborative teacher–parent partnerships

Background: This article describes research undertaken with teachers working in a South African township school, where parental involvement is a persistent problematic issue. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the use of video production as a tool for assisting teachers to explore their perceptions about parental involvement in education and how these perceptions impact on their relationships with parents. Sample: Nine teachers participated voluntarily in the study, seven from two different primary schools and two from the high school in the township. All the teachers were isiXhosa speaking and had grown up in communities similar to the one in which the school was situated. Design and methods: Following a participatory research approach, we guided the participating teachers to design and produce short videos about issues that they perceived to impact negatively on their teaching and learning. We then facilitated critical reflection on these videos, specifically exploring how they had portrayed the teacher–parent relationship in each case. Results: Through a content analysis of a structured focus group and their written responses to questions, we identified emergent themes that made it apparent that the participating teachers viewed parents in a negative light, indicating a lack of the respect that would be required for the formation and sustainment of co-operative relationships. These themes were then used to facilitate discussion to raise teacher awareness of how the teachers' perceptions of parents could hinder meaningful parental involvement. Conclusion: The article offers an example of how visual methodologies can be useful tools for beginning to raise teacher awareness around issues, as a precursor to helping teachers to take action to improve a given situation.