What are the benefits of the funds of knowledge approach? A qualitative study on teachers’ and families’ perceptions

Previous studies suggest distinct benefits of the funds of knowledge approach, such as enhancing curriculum relevance by connecting it to students’ lives and strengthening family-school relationships. However, the impact of this approach is unknown from the point of view of the families that have been visited by the teachers. In order to remedy this shortcoming in the literature, this study aims to both identify the perceptions of families after teachers’ household visits and to analyse the perception that the participating teachers had of the experience of the program on the families visited. The results show some benefits of the approach. Mainly in family-school relationships, in children’s attitudes to school and teachers, and in a more contextualised knowledge and respect for cultures available at school. The novelty of these findings is the analysis of the families’ perceptions following teacher home visits, which have not been previously documented in the literature.