Dejana Tavas, dipl. učiteljica

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Dejana Tavas, dipl. učiteljica OŠ Vladimira Nazora Rovinj [email protected] Sanja Bilač, dipl. učiteljica OŠ Spinut Split [email protected] ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA?

Transcript of Dejana Tavas, dipl. učiteljica

Dejana Tavas dipl učiteljica

OŠ Vladimira Nazora Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač dipl učiteljica

OŠ Spinut Split

sanja9stgmailcom

ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -

MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA

ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S

RODITELJIMA

Sažetak Posljednjih petnaestak godina u svjetskoj i hrvatskoj

obrazovnoj praksi provedena su brojna istraživanja o važnosti suradnje roditelja

sa školom a dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da je ona iznimno važna za sve

sudionike te da partnerski odnos škole i roditelja donosi svima višestruke koristi

Osim uobičajenih načina komuniciranja putem individualnih razgovora i

roditeljskih sastanaka pisanih poruka neformalnih sastanaka edukativnih

radionica uključivanjem roditelja u nastavni proces u ulozi pomagača i sl

najsuvremeniji načini komunikacije s roditeljima su web stranice škola web

mjesta učitelja e-mail i SMS poruke Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web

stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti roditelje na česte

posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti

škole na redovito postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački rad iz svojih domova i

time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja Istraživanje je obuhvatilo po 25 web stranica

osnovnih škola iz Istarske i Splitsko-dalmatinske županije odabranih slučajnim

izborom Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola

svojim sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s roditeljima te

postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja i da ne postoji statistički značajna

razlika u sadržajima među dvjema županijama

Ključne riječi suradnja s roditeljima načini suradnje

roditelja i škole suvremeni oblici suradnje sadržaji

školskih web stranica

1 Suradnja roditelja i škole

Suradnja roditelja sa školom iznimno je važna i donosi

višestruke koristi svim sudionicima odgojno ndash obrazovnog

procesa Partnerstvom roditelja i učitelja stvaraju se dobri

odnosi jer svaki partner unosi svoju kompetenciju u

obrazovanje djeteta Za dobra postignuća nužno je da

suradnja roditelja i učitelja odnosno škole bude što

bolja Berger (1991) smatra kako se danas modelima

obiteljskog uključivanja pristupa aktivnije nego 60-ih

godina 20 st kada se smatralo da obitelj i škola imaju

različite odgovornosti Danas se suradnja s roditeljima

tretira kao jedna od bitnih odrednica opće pedagoški

djelotvorne škole a istraživanja pokazuju da 22 učitelja

nedostatak roditeljske uključenosti smatra ozbiljnim

problemom (Ryan i Cooper 2010) Ta suradnja tek je dijelom

usmjerena na prevenciju odnosno na rješavanje disciplinskih

problema jer su dobiti takve suradnje za dijete višestruke

a očituju se u boljim ocjenama redovitijem polasku u školu

većom voljom za radom kod kuće te razvijanju pozitivnijih

stavova i ponašanja Roditeljska uključenost u školski život

pozitivno utječe na postignuća učenika i njihovu motivaciju

a roditelji su partnerskim odnosom sa školom bolje

informirani o događajima u školi postižu pozitivniju sliku

u očima učitelja daju doprinos kvalitetnijem radu škole

jačaju svoje samopouzdanje i sigurnost u pružanju pomoći

djetetu kod kuće i postaju sudionici a ne pasivni

promatrači školskoga života svoga djeteta Učitelji također

imaju koristi od partnerskog odnosa s roditeljima jer u

roditeljima dobivaju saveznike u rješavanju problema

postaju motiviraniji i zadovoljniji poslom postižu veće

povjerenje roditelja i imaju bolji ugled u društvenoj

zajednici

Ove a i ostale dobrobiti za sve sudionike odgojno-

obrazovnoga procesa rezultat su sve veće želje i potreba

uključenosti roditelja u školski život Prema Walsh (2002)

jedan od načina kojima se postiže uspješna veza između

roditelja i škole jest dosljedna i jasna dvosmjerna

komunikacija

Epstein (1995) navodi tri konteksta u kojima učenici

uče u obitelji školi i zajednici te ističe šest vrsta

roditeljskoga uključivanja To su roditeljstvo

komuniciranje volontiranje učenje kod kuće odlučivanje i

suradnja sa zajednicom Međutim svi ovi načini suradnje

roditelja sa školom pretpostavljaju izravnu komunikaciju

koja ponekad ni uz najbolju volju roditelja nije moguća

Mnogi roditelji rade u vrijeme planiranih školskih

aktivnosti ili sastanaka i nisu u mogućnosti biti nazočni

pogotovo u školama koje rade u jednoj smjeni Današnji način

života i zaposlenost oba roditelja onemogućuju komunikaciju

licem u lice i aktivnije sudjelovanje roditelja sa školom

2 Suvremeni oblici suradnje roditelja i škole

Jedna od ključnih značajki ljudskoga roda je sposobnost

komuniciranja Iznimna sposobnost pohranjivanja podataka te

brza informacijska razmjena ogromnih razmjera

revolucionalizirali su poslovanje i svakodnevni život

čovjeka Pristup informacijama postaje neograničen

razmjena ideja i misli slobodna transformira se svjetsko

gospodarstvo i ekonomija Značajne su promjene i u pristupu

obrazovanju Brze komunikacije postaju trend u oblikovanju

budućnosti pa su sve zastupljeniji revolucionarni modeli

učenja (primjerice korištenje interaktivne kompjutorske

tehnologije ubrzano učenje) Učenik preuzima

odgovornost za život u svijetu u kojem bdquooni koji prekinu

školovanje nemaju budućnostldquo (Dryden i Vos 2001 str 39)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S

RODITELJIMA

Sažetak Posljednjih petnaestak godina u svjetskoj i hrvatskoj

obrazovnoj praksi provedena su brojna istraživanja o važnosti suradnje roditelja

sa školom a dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da je ona iznimno važna za sve

sudionike te da partnerski odnos škole i roditelja donosi svima višestruke koristi

Osim uobičajenih načina komuniciranja putem individualnih razgovora i

roditeljskih sastanaka pisanih poruka neformalnih sastanaka edukativnih

radionica uključivanjem roditelja u nastavni proces u ulozi pomagača i sl

najsuvremeniji načini komunikacije s roditeljima su web stranice škola web

mjesta učitelja e-mail i SMS poruke Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web

stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti roditelje na česte

posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti

škole na redovito postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački rad iz svojih domova i

time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja Istraživanje je obuhvatilo po 25 web stranica

osnovnih škola iz Istarske i Splitsko-dalmatinske županije odabranih slučajnim

izborom Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola

svojim sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s roditeljima te

postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja i da ne postoji statistički značajna

razlika u sadržajima među dvjema županijama

Ključne riječi suradnja s roditeljima načini suradnje

roditelja i škole suvremeni oblici suradnje sadržaji

školskih web stranica

1 Suradnja roditelja i škole

Suradnja roditelja sa školom iznimno je važna i donosi

višestruke koristi svim sudionicima odgojno ndash obrazovnog

procesa Partnerstvom roditelja i učitelja stvaraju se dobri

odnosi jer svaki partner unosi svoju kompetenciju u

obrazovanje djeteta Za dobra postignuća nužno je da

suradnja roditelja i učitelja odnosno škole bude što

bolja Berger (1991) smatra kako se danas modelima

obiteljskog uključivanja pristupa aktivnije nego 60-ih

godina 20 st kada se smatralo da obitelj i škola imaju

različite odgovornosti Danas se suradnja s roditeljima

tretira kao jedna od bitnih odrednica opće pedagoški

djelotvorne škole a istraživanja pokazuju da 22 učitelja

nedostatak roditeljske uključenosti smatra ozbiljnim

problemom (Ryan i Cooper 2010) Ta suradnja tek je dijelom

usmjerena na prevenciju odnosno na rješavanje disciplinskih

problema jer su dobiti takve suradnje za dijete višestruke

a očituju se u boljim ocjenama redovitijem polasku u školu

većom voljom za radom kod kuće te razvijanju pozitivnijih

stavova i ponašanja Roditeljska uključenost u školski život

pozitivno utječe na postignuća učenika i njihovu motivaciju

a roditelji su partnerskim odnosom sa školom bolje

informirani o događajima u školi postižu pozitivniju sliku

u očima učitelja daju doprinos kvalitetnijem radu škole

jačaju svoje samopouzdanje i sigurnost u pružanju pomoći

djetetu kod kuće i postaju sudionici a ne pasivni

promatrači školskoga života svoga djeteta Učitelji također

imaju koristi od partnerskog odnosa s roditeljima jer u

roditeljima dobivaju saveznike u rješavanju problema

postaju motiviraniji i zadovoljniji poslom postižu veće

povjerenje roditelja i imaju bolji ugled u društvenoj

zajednici

Ove a i ostale dobrobiti za sve sudionike odgojno-

obrazovnoga procesa rezultat su sve veće želje i potreba

uključenosti roditelja u školski život Prema Walsh (2002)

jedan od načina kojima se postiže uspješna veza između

roditelja i škole jest dosljedna i jasna dvosmjerna

komunikacija

Epstein (1995) navodi tri konteksta u kojima učenici

uče u obitelji školi i zajednici te ističe šest vrsta

roditeljskoga uključivanja To su roditeljstvo

komuniciranje volontiranje učenje kod kuće odlučivanje i

suradnja sa zajednicom Međutim svi ovi načini suradnje

roditelja sa školom pretpostavljaju izravnu komunikaciju

koja ponekad ni uz najbolju volju roditelja nije moguća

Mnogi roditelji rade u vrijeme planiranih školskih

aktivnosti ili sastanaka i nisu u mogućnosti biti nazočni

pogotovo u školama koje rade u jednoj smjeni Današnji način

života i zaposlenost oba roditelja onemogućuju komunikaciju

licem u lice i aktivnije sudjelovanje roditelja sa školom

2 Suvremeni oblici suradnje roditelja i škole

Jedna od ključnih značajki ljudskoga roda je sposobnost

komuniciranja Iznimna sposobnost pohranjivanja podataka te

brza informacijska razmjena ogromnih razmjera

revolucionalizirali su poslovanje i svakodnevni život

čovjeka Pristup informacijama postaje neograničen

razmjena ideja i misli slobodna transformira se svjetsko

gospodarstvo i ekonomija Značajne su promjene i u pristupu

obrazovanju Brze komunikacije postaju trend u oblikovanju

budućnosti pa su sve zastupljeniji revolucionarni modeli

učenja (primjerice korištenje interaktivne kompjutorske

tehnologije ubrzano učenje) Učenik preuzima

odgovornost za život u svijetu u kojem bdquooni koji prekinu

školovanje nemaju budućnostldquo (Dryden i Vos 2001 str 39)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački rad iz svojih domova i

time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja Istraživanje je obuhvatilo po 25 web stranica

osnovnih škola iz Istarske i Splitsko-dalmatinske županije odabranih slučajnim

izborom Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola

svojim sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s roditeljima te

postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja i da ne postoji statistički značajna

razlika u sadržajima među dvjema županijama

Ključne riječi suradnja s roditeljima načini suradnje

roditelja i škole suvremeni oblici suradnje sadržaji

školskih web stranica

1 Suradnja roditelja i škole

Suradnja roditelja sa školom iznimno je važna i donosi

višestruke koristi svim sudionicima odgojno ndash obrazovnog

procesa Partnerstvom roditelja i učitelja stvaraju se dobri

odnosi jer svaki partner unosi svoju kompetenciju u

obrazovanje djeteta Za dobra postignuća nužno je da

suradnja roditelja i učitelja odnosno škole bude što

bolja Berger (1991) smatra kako se danas modelima

obiteljskog uključivanja pristupa aktivnije nego 60-ih

godina 20 st kada se smatralo da obitelj i škola imaju

različite odgovornosti Danas se suradnja s roditeljima

tretira kao jedna od bitnih odrednica opće pedagoški

djelotvorne škole a istraživanja pokazuju da 22 učitelja

nedostatak roditeljske uključenosti smatra ozbiljnim

problemom (Ryan i Cooper 2010) Ta suradnja tek je dijelom

usmjerena na prevenciju odnosno na rješavanje disciplinskih

problema jer su dobiti takve suradnje za dijete višestruke

a očituju se u boljim ocjenama redovitijem polasku u školu

većom voljom za radom kod kuće te razvijanju pozitivnijih

stavova i ponašanja Roditeljska uključenost u školski život

pozitivno utječe na postignuća učenika i njihovu motivaciju

a roditelji su partnerskim odnosom sa školom bolje

informirani o događajima u školi postižu pozitivniju sliku

u očima učitelja daju doprinos kvalitetnijem radu škole

jačaju svoje samopouzdanje i sigurnost u pružanju pomoći

djetetu kod kuće i postaju sudionici a ne pasivni

promatrači školskoga života svoga djeteta Učitelji također

imaju koristi od partnerskog odnosa s roditeljima jer u

roditeljima dobivaju saveznike u rješavanju problema

postaju motiviraniji i zadovoljniji poslom postižu veće

povjerenje roditelja i imaju bolji ugled u društvenoj

zajednici

Ove a i ostale dobrobiti za sve sudionike odgojno-

obrazovnoga procesa rezultat su sve veće želje i potreba

uključenosti roditelja u školski život Prema Walsh (2002)

jedan od načina kojima se postiže uspješna veza između

roditelja i škole jest dosljedna i jasna dvosmjerna

komunikacija

Epstein (1995) navodi tri konteksta u kojima učenici

uče u obitelji školi i zajednici te ističe šest vrsta

roditeljskoga uključivanja To su roditeljstvo

komuniciranje volontiranje učenje kod kuće odlučivanje i

suradnja sa zajednicom Međutim svi ovi načini suradnje

roditelja sa školom pretpostavljaju izravnu komunikaciju

koja ponekad ni uz najbolju volju roditelja nije moguća

Mnogi roditelji rade u vrijeme planiranih školskih

aktivnosti ili sastanaka i nisu u mogućnosti biti nazočni

pogotovo u školama koje rade u jednoj smjeni Današnji način

života i zaposlenost oba roditelja onemogućuju komunikaciju

licem u lice i aktivnije sudjelovanje roditelja sa školom

2 Suvremeni oblici suradnje roditelja i škole

Jedna od ključnih značajki ljudskoga roda je sposobnost

komuniciranja Iznimna sposobnost pohranjivanja podataka te

brza informacijska razmjena ogromnih razmjera

revolucionalizirali su poslovanje i svakodnevni život

čovjeka Pristup informacijama postaje neograničen

razmjena ideja i misli slobodna transformira se svjetsko

gospodarstvo i ekonomija Značajne su promjene i u pristupu

obrazovanju Brze komunikacije postaju trend u oblikovanju

budućnosti pa su sve zastupljeniji revolucionarni modeli

učenja (primjerice korištenje interaktivne kompjutorske

tehnologije ubrzano učenje) Učenik preuzima

odgovornost za život u svijetu u kojem bdquooni koji prekinu

školovanje nemaju budućnostldquo (Dryden i Vos 2001 str 39)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

problemom (Ryan i Cooper 2010) Ta suradnja tek je dijelom

usmjerena na prevenciju odnosno na rješavanje disciplinskih

problema jer su dobiti takve suradnje za dijete višestruke

a očituju se u boljim ocjenama redovitijem polasku u školu

većom voljom za radom kod kuće te razvijanju pozitivnijih

stavova i ponašanja Roditeljska uključenost u školski život

pozitivno utječe na postignuća učenika i njihovu motivaciju

a roditelji su partnerskim odnosom sa školom bolje

informirani o događajima u školi postižu pozitivniju sliku

u očima učitelja daju doprinos kvalitetnijem radu škole

jačaju svoje samopouzdanje i sigurnost u pružanju pomoći

djetetu kod kuće i postaju sudionici a ne pasivni

promatrači školskoga života svoga djeteta Učitelji također

imaju koristi od partnerskog odnosa s roditeljima jer u

roditeljima dobivaju saveznike u rješavanju problema

postaju motiviraniji i zadovoljniji poslom postižu veće

povjerenje roditelja i imaju bolji ugled u društvenoj

zajednici

Ove a i ostale dobrobiti za sve sudionike odgojno-

obrazovnoga procesa rezultat su sve veće želje i potreba

uključenosti roditelja u školski život Prema Walsh (2002)

jedan od načina kojima se postiže uspješna veza između

roditelja i škole jest dosljedna i jasna dvosmjerna

komunikacija

Epstein (1995) navodi tri konteksta u kojima učenici

uče u obitelji školi i zajednici te ističe šest vrsta

roditeljskoga uključivanja To su roditeljstvo

komuniciranje volontiranje učenje kod kuće odlučivanje i

suradnja sa zajednicom Međutim svi ovi načini suradnje

roditelja sa školom pretpostavljaju izravnu komunikaciju

koja ponekad ni uz najbolju volju roditelja nije moguća

Mnogi roditelji rade u vrijeme planiranih školskih

aktivnosti ili sastanaka i nisu u mogućnosti biti nazočni

pogotovo u školama koje rade u jednoj smjeni Današnji način

života i zaposlenost oba roditelja onemogućuju komunikaciju

licem u lice i aktivnije sudjelovanje roditelja sa školom

2 Suvremeni oblici suradnje roditelja i škole

Jedna od ključnih značajki ljudskoga roda je sposobnost

komuniciranja Iznimna sposobnost pohranjivanja podataka te

brza informacijska razmjena ogromnih razmjera

revolucionalizirali su poslovanje i svakodnevni život

čovjeka Pristup informacijama postaje neograničen

razmjena ideja i misli slobodna transformira se svjetsko

gospodarstvo i ekonomija Značajne su promjene i u pristupu

obrazovanju Brze komunikacije postaju trend u oblikovanju

budućnosti pa su sve zastupljeniji revolucionarni modeli

učenja (primjerice korištenje interaktivne kompjutorske

tehnologije ubrzano učenje) Učenik preuzima

odgovornost za život u svijetu u kojem bdquooni koji prekinu

školovanje nemaju budućnostldquo (Dryden i Vos 2001 str 39)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

roditeljskoga uključivanja To su roditeljstvo

komuniciranje volontiranje učenje kod kuće odlučivanje i

suradnja sa zajednicom Međutim svi ovi načini suradnje

roditelja sa školom pretpostavljaju izravnu komunikaciju

koja ponekad ni uz najbolju volju roditelja nije moguća

Mnogi roditelji rade u vrijeme planiranih školskih

aktivnosti ili sastanaka i nisu u mogućnosti biti nazočni

pogotovo u školama koje rade u jednoj smjeni Današnji način

života i zaposlenost oba roditelja onemogućuju komunikaciju

licem u lice i aktivnije sudjelovanje roditelja sa školom

2 Suvremeni oblici suradnje roditelja i škole

Jedna od ključnih značajki ljudskoga roda je sposobnost

komuniciranja Iznimna sposobnost pohranjivanja podataka te

brza informacijska razmjena ogromnih razmjera

revolucionalizirali su poslovanje i svakodnevni život

čovjeka Pristup informacijama postaje neograničen

razmjena ideja i misli slobodna transformira se svjetsko

gospodarstvo i ekonomija Značajne su promjene i u pristupu

obrazovanju Brze komunikacije postaju trend u oblikovanju

budućnosti pa su sve zastupljeniji revolucionarni modeli

učenja (primjerice korištenje interaktivne kompjutorske

tehnologije ubrzano učenje) Učenik preuzima

odgovornost za život u svijetu u kojem bdquooni koji prekinu

školovanje nemaju budućnostldquo (Dryden i Vos 2001 str 39)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Snažnije je i kritiziranje obrazovnog sustava kao tromog

sustava u procesu promjena a pozitivne inicijative osnažene

znanstvenim istraživanjima postaju poveznica za

osuvremenjivanje i unaprjeđivanje škole 21 stoljeća

Tehnologija je postala kritična komponenta svakodnevnog

života i posljednjih nekoliko godina vidljiv je porast u

razvoju i korištenju školskih web stranica (Hartshorne i

sur 2008) Istraživanja (Aronson 1995 Cameron i Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Clevenson 1999 Ramirez 2001)

pokazuju da mnogi učitelji eksperimentiraju s raznim

tehnologijama pri komuniciranju s roditeljima (telefoni u

učionicama glasovna pošta video tehnologije radio najave

i sl) a sve kako bi unaprijedili suradnju Školske web

stranice pružaju korisne sadržaje za roditelje kao što su

odgojni savjeti domaće zadaće elektronsku poštu ili

jelovnik školske kuhinje te šire granice komunikacije i

omogućuju komunikaciju između doma i škole dvadeset i četiri

sata dnevno sedam dana u tjednu To omogućuje roditeljima

kojima dnevni rasporedi ne pružaju mogućnost za redovne

posjete školi i interakciju licem u lice sa svojim djetetom

ili učiteljem da budu informiraniji o tome što se događa u

školi Internet postaje izvrsno sredstvo za povezivanje doma

i škole

Swan (2006) smatra da škole imaju puno informacija a

roditelji žele znati više o akademskih postignućima

izvannastavnim aktivnostima terminima informacija

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

sadržajima poput autobusnog prijevoza ili ručka te da je

važno da školske web stranice sadrže točne i korisne

informacije a ne uzbudljiv dizajn i najnovije tehnološke

bdquoukraserdquo

Online istraživanje (Unal 2008) pokazuje da roditelji

i učitelji prepoznaju važnost web stranica škola iako se ne

slažu u potpunosti oko njihova sadržaja Dok su učitelji

sugerirali kako bi poveznice (linkovi) unutar škole

razredna pravila nastavni program i standardi spisak

(obveznog) školskog pribora statistika posjetitelja web

stranice i knjiga gostiju bili esencijalni za školske web

stranice u značajnom odstupanju (plt05) se pokazalo kako se

roditelji nisu složili s učiteljima u vezi tih elemenata S

druge strane roditelji izjavljuju kako bi rado vidjeli

online praktične testove akademske savjetodavne

informacije vijesti u vezi administrativnih pitanja i

školske uprave te životopise učitelja Naposljetku i

učitelji i roditelji složni su kako rezultati školskih

športskih natjecanja i aktivnosti prosvjetna filozofija

plan nastavnih lekcija poveznice izvan institucije online

članci ili letci s vijestima razredni foto album razredne

vijesti ili blog učitelja meniji primjerci didaktičkih

kartica osobne poveznice (linkovi) i informacije o obitelji

učitelja nisu esencijalni elementi školskih web stranica

Može se zaključiti da bez obzira što mnoge škole sada imaju

web stranice nisu sve značajne za komunikaciju roditelja i

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

učitelja Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da struktura i

sadržaj školske web stranice trebaju biti pažljivo planirane

i osmišljene

Prema McKenzie J (1997) najbolja školska web mjesta

imaju četiri svrhe 1 upoznati posjetitelje sa svojom

misijom karakterom ponudama za učenike i stajalištem o

novim tehnologijama 2 pružiti mogućnost objave učeničkih

radova i edukacije roditelja 3 djelovati kao posrednik

većem dijelu informacija i 4 pružiti bogatu zbirku

podataka lokalno prikupljenih uz nastavni plan i program

(kao što je lokalna povijest) Neke školske stranice

sadržavaju sva četiri elementa ali većina se koncentrira na

pružanje kvalitetne usluge za dva ili tri od ovih elemenata

21 Suradnja roditelja i škole u Republici Hrvatskoj

U osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju u Republici Hrvatskoj

propisani su (najčešće školskim Statutom) sljedeći oblici

suradnje s roditeljima roditeljski sastanci individualni

razgovori s učiteljima i stručnim suradnicima i pismene

poruke roditeljima Prema Zakonu o osnovnoškolskom i

srednjem obrazovanju (MZOŠ 2008) propisuje se osnivanje

Vijeća roditelja koje sačinjava po jedan roditelj iz svakoga

razreda a predsjednik Vijeća roditelja postaje i član

Školskoga odbora Praksa pokazuje da ovi propisani načini

suradnje ne zadovoljavaju ni učitelje a ni roditelje

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Roditeljsko sudjelovanje je tek formalno bez stvarne

mogućnosti utjecaja na donošenje bitnih odluka

Centraliziranost i normiranost kurikuluma ne ostavlja

dovoljno prostora školama da svoj program prilagođavaju

potrebama lokalne sredine roditeljski sastanci se svode na

prenošenje informacija pri čemu su roditelji najčešće

pasivni primatelji informacija a vrlo rijetki roditelji su

pozvani na sudjelovanje u nekim aktivnostima škole

Istraživanje provedeno među roditeljima učenika deset

osnovnih škola četvrtoga i sedmoga razreda iz svih hrvatskih

regija te njihovih učitelja (Marušić 2007) pokazuje da

dvije trećine roditelja smatra da imaju premalo mogućnosti

sudjelovati u donošenju odluka u školi više od 90

roditelja nije nikada sudjelovalo u aktivnostima vezanima uz

suradnju obitelji i škole tri četvrtine roditelja navode da

se u školi ne organiziraju predavanja i radionice a trećina

roditelja ne zna organiziraju li se takve radionice Znatan

broj roditelja je iskazao zainteresiranost za sudjelovanje u

različitim aktivnostima škole ali inicijativu čekaju od

strane učitelja

Ipak praksa u hrvatskim školama posljednjih godina

pokazuje poduzimanje dodatnih strategija u suradnji s

roditeljima Održavaju se brojne radionice uključuju se kao

suradnici u projektu a u zajedničkoj komunikaciji na

relaciji obitelj - škola unaprjeđuje se praćenje i

procjenjivanje učeničkog napretka te ostvaruje kvalitetnija

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

povratna informacija o napretku djeteta (sve su

zastupljenije učeničke mape kao primjer sustavne autentične

i razvojne procjene napretka učenika)

Što se elektroničkih oblika suradnje tiče Hrvatska je

korak unatrag Projekt Net u školi započeo je 2003godine

i u sve hrvatske škole uveden je ISDN priključak s ciljem

unaprjeđenja procesa učenja korištenjem interneta u nastavi

i istraživanju učenika iz vlastitog doma te postavljanju

temelja novoj kulturi učenja koja se bazira na otvorenosti k

novim spoznajama novim medijima i tehnologijama Danas sve

hrvatske škole imaju mogućnost postavljanja svoje web

stranice a učitelji otvaranje elektronske adrese

U Hrvatskoj su web mjesta pojedinoga učitelja rijetka

pojava ali su pokrenuti projekti Školski infocentar i SMS

informativka kojima je omogućeno informiranje roditelja o

uspjehu izostancima i ostalim školskim zbivanjima

jednostavnim i većini roditelja dostupnim načinima

komunikacije (SMS e-mail internet i govorne poruke) Mali

broj škola uveo je i web imenike gdje razrednici jednom

mjesečno ažuriraju podatke pa ih roditelji pomoću posebne

lozinke mogu pogledati u svako doba dana Iako nije

najvažnije ne treba zanemariti ni podatak da prema Zavodu

za državnu statistiku u Hrvatskoj tek oko 38 kućanstava ima

Internet (2009) što otežava komunikaciju putem web

stranica a ni svi učitelji nisu informatički pismeni Takva

suradnja ima svoje prednosti i nedostatke

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Tablica 1 ndash prednosti i nedostatci suradnje putem

elektroničkih medija

PREDNOSTI NEDOSTATCISvakodnevno primanje obavijesti o

djetetu

Brzina slanja informacija

Neograničenost vremenom i mjestom

Ušteda vremena za roditelje

Ušteda vremena za učitelja pri

slanju općih obavijesti

Roditelj u školu dolazi

pripremljen teme za razgovor su s

područja odgoja i obrazovanja

I roditelji i učitelji moraju biti

informatički pismeni

Svi sudionici (roditelji učitelji)

moraju imati internet

Dodatni posao za učitelje (redovito

ažuriranje podataka)

Rjeđi susreti roditelja i učitelja

Izostanak komunikacije bdquolicem u

licerdquo

Financijski trošak za roditelje pri

slanju SMS poruka

Mogućnost zlouporabe (lozinka)

3 Metodologija istraživanja

31 Cilj istraživanja

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati imaju li web stranice

hrvatskih osnovnih škola sadržaje koji će potaknuti

roditelje na česte posjete i omogućiti učenicima stjecanje

novih znanja Dugoročni je cilj potaknuti škole na redovito

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

postavljanje novih sadržaja koji će rezultirati kvalitetnom

suradnjom doma i škole te poticati učenike na istraživački

rad iz svojih domova i time unaprjeđivati kvalitetu učenja

32 Problem

Problem ovoga rada jest utvrditi trenutnu svrhu

hrvatskih osnovnoškolskih web stranica (objaviti postignuća

učenika omogućiti roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne

aktivnosti informirati roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice)

33 Hipoteze

H-1 Web stranice hrvatskih osnovnih škola svojim

sadržajima nisu model za intenziviranje suradnje s

roditeljima te postavljanje temelja novoj kulturi učenja

H-2 Ne postoji statistički značajna razlika u

sadržajima među dvjema županijama ni u jednoj od jedanaest

kategorija

34 Ispitanici i postupak

Školske web stranice javne su isprave i dobrodošlica

vanjskome svijetu u školu kao i poveznica učenika i

učitelja s vanjskim izvorima informacija te mogućnost

kvalitetnije suradnje s roditeljima Svrha školskih web

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

stranica je objaviti postignuća učenika omogućiti

roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti informirati

roditelje i širu zajednicu o budućim aktivnostima i jačanje

suradnje između škole doma i lokalne zajednice Svrha

školskih web stranica ne bi trebala biti elektronička

verzija oglasne ploče i slika škole koja rijetko mijenja

svoj izgled

Istraživanje je provedeno metodom analize sadržaja

slučajnim odabirom na 50 web stranica osnovnih škola u

Istarskoj i Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji (25 škola po

županiji) Korišten je internetski popis škola Portal za

škole Budući da u Hrvatskoj nije provedeno istraživanje s

roditeljima u kojemu bi se ispitalo koje sadržaje oni

smatraju bitnima i relevantnima autorice su se vodile

istraživanjem provedenim online studijom u Americi (Unal

2008) i elementima koje su u toj studiji izabrali učitelji

i roditelji Analizirani su sljedeći sadržaji web stranica

plan i program o školi (povijest škole) brojač posjeta

kućni red (razredna pravila) raspored sati i informacija za

roditelje rezultati športskih natjecanja foto albumi

online testovi (materijali za učenje) životopisi učitelja

savjeti za roditelje i forum Analiza je obavljena početkom

mjeseca prosinca 2010 pred kraj prvoga polugodišta što je

školama dalo dovoljno vremena za ažuriranje i popunjavanje

stranica U ovom istraživanju nije analiziran dizajn web

stranica jer su u većini slučajeva stranice postavljene

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

koristeći Carnet hosting uslugu i nude slične poveznice S

obzirom da većina škola ima isti preglednik smatrano je da

škola ima sadržaj ako je unesen vlastiti dokument ili

poveznica

4 Rezultati i rasprava

Tablica 2 - ukupni analizirani sadržaji u postotcima

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Iz tablice 2 vidljivo je da sve škole na svojim

stranicama imaju podatke o školi odnosno njezinoj povijesti

(100) a najveći dio škola foto albume (86) te plan i

program (82) Više od polovice škola (56) imaju raspored

informacija a nešto manje od polovice (46) športske

uspjehe svojih učenika Najmanji broj škola na svojim

stranicama objavljuju životopise učitelja (4) i brojač

posjeta (16) Materijale za učenje i savjete za roditelje

ima tek nešto više od trećine stranica (34 36)

Grafikon 1 - sadržaji prema županijama

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Iz grafikona 1 vidljivo je da se rezultati među županijama

ne razlikuju mnogo Najviše razlika je u sadržaju športskih

uspjeha (Istarska županija 72 Splitsko- dalmatinska 20)

a razlika od 20 pojavila se u kategorijama foto albuma i

materijala za učenje Sve ostale razlike su manje od 20

Hipoteza 2 testirana je hi ndash kvadrat testom Hipoteza se

smatra prihvaćenom u slučaju da je vjerojatnost pogreške

pri tvrdnji da postoji statistički značajna povezanost

analiziranog para varijabli manja od 5

Tablica 3 Relacije među županijama

PLAN

I

PROGR

AM

BRO

JAČ

POSJE

TA

KUĆNI

RED

RASPO

RED

INFOR

MACI

JA

ŠPORT

SKI

USPJE

SI

FOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTOVI

ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA

SAVJETI

ZA

RODI

TELJE FORUM

10486462 00240148

80125 0081

1159

4

2657

81471 05208 07812 01096

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

Nije teško uočiti da se statistički značajna razlika

javlja samo u sadržaju športskih uspjeha a u ostalim

elementima ne postoji što potvrđuje postavljenu hipotezu

Može se dakle zaključiti da nema razlika u sadržajima među

dvjema županijama

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Sadržaji web stranica mogu se podijeliti u dvije

kategorije sadržaji namijenjeni roditeljima i učenicima

(plan i program raspored informacija životopis učitelja

savjeti za roditelje forum testovi ili materijali za

učenje kućni red) i sadržaji namijenjeni promociji školskih

aktivnosti i uspjeha (športski uspjesi foto albumi o

školi brojač posjeta)

Tablica 4 - analiza sadržaja prema svrsi

SADRŽAJ OBJE

ŽUPANIJE NAMIJENJENI

RODITELJIMA

I UČENICIMADA

POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

TESTOVI

ONLINE

(MATERIJALI

ZA UČENJE)

17 34 33 66

PLAN I

PROGRAM41 82 9 18

SAVJETI ZA

RODITELJE18 36 32 64

KUĆNI RED 10 20 40 80 RASPORED

INFORMACIJA28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ŽIVOTOPIS

UČITELJA2 4 48 96

PROMOCIJA

ŠKOLSKIH

AKTIVNOSTI

DA POSTOTAK NE POSTOTAK

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

I USPJEHA

ŠPORTSKI

USPJESI23 46 27 54

FOTO ALBUMI 43 86 7 14 BROJAČ

POSJETA8 16 42 84

O ŠKOLI

(POVIJEST)50 100 0 0

Od sadržaja koji su namijenjeni roditeljima i

učenicima a koji bi učenicima omogućili stjecanje novih

znanja i roditelje potaknuli na česte posjete škole u

visokom postotku (82) nude plan i program što je i

zakonska obveza škole (javna objava) a tek nešto više od

polovice škola (56) objavljuje raspored informacija za

roditelje Nešto više od trećine škola (34 36) na svojim

web stranicama ima materijale za učenje i savjete za

roditelje a tek 24 škola ima aktivan forum za razmjenu

mišljenja iako je i na tim forumima bio zanemariv broj

otvorenih tema od kojih niti jednu nije otvorio roditelj

Materijali za učenje najčešće su online testovi za što

postoji poveznica sa školske web stranice a savjeti za

roditelje tekstovi koje su sastavili stručni suradnici S

obzirom na manjak stručnih suradnika u našim školama moguće

je da je to razlog relativno malog postotka tih sadržaja U

nekim školama u rubrici savjeta za roditelje nalaze se

poveznice sa zanimljivim člancima na internetu

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Kategorije koje služe za promociju školskih uspjeha i

aktivnosti imaju više sadržaja svaka škola ima uređenu

stranicu o povijesti škole 86 škola ažurira stranicu s

foto albumima a nešto manje od polovice škola (46) na

svoje stranice stavlja športske uspjehe svojih učenika U

navedenim foto albumima škole nude fotografije s izleta

izvanučioničke nastave priredbi i sl O opravdanosti

velikoga broja fotografija učenika moglo bi se raspravljati

s obzirom da niti jedan objavljeni sadržaj nije zaštićen

lozinkom već je dostupan svima pa se postavlja pitanje

imaju li škole suglasnost roditelja za to Tek 16 škola

vodi računa o posjećenosti svojih stranica a to bi mogao

biti značajan podatak o tome koliko ih učenici i roditelji

posjećuju

Iz navedenih podataka može se zaključiti da je školama

veoma važna promocija aktivnosti i uspjeha škole povijest

ustanove i raspored individualnih informacija a savjeti za

roditelje i materijali za učenike te razmjena mišljenja

nisu prioritetni sadržaji Škole smatraju da je roditeljima

potpuno nevažan stručni životopis učitelja najave

roditeljskih sastanaka ili jelovnici školskih kuhinja Iz

toga proizlazi da su web stranice škola u Hrvatskoj

elektroničke oglasne ploče a ne mogućnost komunikacije

5 Zaključak

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Zadnjih desetak godina suradnja s roditeljima i kod nas

se mijenja na bolje ali u našim školama još uvijek

prevladavaju tradicionalni oblici suradnje s roditeljima

Iako u svijetu postoje roditeljski radio i Tv kanali

časopisi i internet stranice za razmjenu iskustava (Mendel

1998) kod nas takva praksa nije zaživjela no posljednjih

godina započela je suradnja putem web stranica e mail i sms

poruka Sumirajući prednosti i nedostatke a s obzirom na

današnji način života i ovaj način suradnje treba

intenzivirati u našim školama Suvremeni načini

komuniciranja mogu dodatno poboljšati komunikaciju između

roditelja i škole ali samo kao još jedan od načina uz sve

ostale navedene načine suradnje Iz toga proizlazi da iako

suvremeno doba pretpostavlja korištenje suvremenih

tehnologija nikakva tehnologija ne bi smjela zamijeniti

komunikaciju bdquolicem u licerdquo roditelja i učitelja a

odgovornost za dobru suradnju s roditeljima i dalje ostaje

na školi

Istraživanje pokazuje mogućnosti komuniciranja obitelji

i škole suvremenom tehnologijom Prikazani su elementi

školskih web stranica te način planiranja sadržaja web

stranice Ovo istraživanje smatramo važnim za informiranje

učitelja i rukovodstva škola o mogućnostima suvremenog

komuniciranja obitelji i škole Školska web stranica otvara

mogućnosti za uspostavljanje brze informacije no samim

postojanjem ne jamči učenicima stjecanje novih znanja i

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

kvalitetnije povezivanje obitelji i škole Može biti dobar

primjer vodstvu škole u stvaranju školskog kurikuluma kao

segmenta kojim će se omogućavati brza razmjena informacija s

roditeljima Nažalost obrazovni sustav u Hrvatskoj

tradicionalan je i trom neprimjeren vremenu i suvremenim

zanimanjima Ne zadovoljava individualne potrebe pojedinca

a tradicionalnim poučavanjem uz tehnologijski i

informacijski minimum potpuno je nemotivirajući kako za

učenika tako i za obitelj Rezultati ovoga istraživanja

pokazuju da školske web stranice u Hrvatskoj ne ostvaruju

sasvim svoju svrhu objavljivanje postignuća učenika

omogućavanje roditeljima uvid u svakodnevne aktivnosti

informiranje roditelja i šire zajednice o budućim

aktivnostima i jačanje suradnje između škole doma i

lokalne zajednice Iako svrha školskih web stranica ne bi

trebala biti elektronička verzija oglasne ploče i slika

škole koja rijetko mijenja svoj izgled trenutno stanje

hrvatskih web stranica u analiziranim županijama pokazuje

upravo to što potvrđuje početnu hipotezu

U narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi ispitati stavove

roditelja u Hrvatskoj o tome koje sadržaje oni smatraju

važnima te bi se tada dobili relevantni podatci koje bi

učitelji mogli upotrijebiti za kreiranje svojih web

stranica

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Literatura

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

Deana Tavas graduate teacher

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Vladimir Nazor Elementary School Rovinj

dtavasyahoocom

Sanja Bilač graduate teacher

Spinut Elementary School Split

sanja9stgmailcom

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

SCHOOL WEBSITES ndash POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH PARENTS

Abstract In the last fifteen years in Croatia as well as around the world

much research has been done dealing with the importance of cooperation

between parents and school and the obtained results show its importance for all

the parties and that partnership relation between school and parents produces

numerous benefits Besides customary ways of communication like individual

talk and parent meetings written messages informal meetings educational

workshops the involvement of parents in the educational process in the role of

accessory etc the most modern way of communicating with parents is via school

websites teacherrsquos websites e-mails and SMS messages The goal of the

research was to examine if Croatian schoolsrsquo websites had the content which

would prompt the parents for frequent visits and enable pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal was to persuade schools to a regular update of new

materials which would result in quality cooperation between home and school

and persuade pupils to do research from their home and therefore increase the

quality of learning The research has randomly selected 25 elementary school

websites from the county of Istra and 25 websites from the county Split ndash

Dalmatia Collected data show that Croatiarsquos elementary school websites are not

a model neither for increasing the cooperation with parents nor laying the

foundation towards a new culture of learning and that there is no statistically

significant variation in content between the two counties

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Key words cooperation with parents Internet school websites website

content

1 Parents and school cooperation

The cooperation between parents and schools is

extremely important and offers manifold benefits for all the

participants in the education process A partnership between

parents and teachers establishes good relations since every

partner introduces their competences in the childrsquos

education The cooperation between parents and teachers

ie school should be the best possible to achieve

outstanding goals Berger (1991) considers that models of

parent involvement are approached more actively nowadays

then it was in the 1960s when the responsibilities of

parents and schools were considered distinct Cooperation

with parents is today considered on of the essential

determinants of an efficient school in terms of general

pedagogy and research has shown that 22 of teachers

consider the lack of parent involvement a serious problem

(Ryan and Cooper 2010) Such cooperation is only partially

directed at prevention ie solution of disciplinary

problems since its benefits are manifold and are

manifested in better grades increased regular attendance

more willingness to work at home and development of more

positive attitudes and behavior Parental involvement in

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

school life has a positive effect on pupilrsquos achievements

and their motivation and the partnership relation between

parents and schools makes the parents more informed of

school affairs gives them a more positive image in the eyes

of the teachers they contribute to a better functioning of

the school strengthen their self-confidence and assurance

in helping their child at home and they become

participants not mere observers of the education of their

child Teachers have also to gain from a partnership

relation with parents since the parents become allies in

solving problems they become more motivated and satisfied

with their job receive more confidence from parents and

have a better reputation in society

These and other benefits for all the participants in

the education process are the result of growing willingness

and need of parent involvement in the school life According

to Walsh (2002) one way of achieving a successful bond

between parents and school is a consistent and clear two-way

communication

Epstein (1995) lists three learning contexts for

pupils in the family in school and in the community and

lists 6 ways of parent involvement These are parenting

communication volunteering learning at home decision

making and collaborating with the community However all of

these ways of cooperation between parents and school presume

direct communication which at times regardless of the

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

parentsrsquo willingness is impossible Many parents work

during planned school activities or meetings and have not

the possibility to participate especially in schools which

work in a single shift Todayrsquos way of life and both parents

working prevents personal communication and a more active

involvement of parents with schools

2 Contemporary ways of cooperation between parents and

school

One of the key features of humans is the ability to

communicate The exceptional ability of storing data and

fast sharing of enormous amounts of information have

revolutionized business as well as the everyday life of

mankind The access to information is unlimited the sharing

of ideas and thoughts free the worldrsquos business and economy

are being transformed Significant are the changes in the

approach to education Fast communication is becoming a

trend in shaping the future and therefore revolutionary

models of learning are more and more inherent (eg using

interactive computer technology fast learning) Pupils

are assuming responsibility for their life in a world in

which ldquothose who end their education have no futurerdquo (Dryden

and Vos 2001 p 39) Stronger is the criticism of the

educational system for its inertness in the process of

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

change and positive initiatives empowered by scientific

research become the link for modernization and improvement

of the school in the 21st century

Technology has become a critical component of everyday

life and an increase in the development and use of school

websites over the last few years is evident (Hartshorne and

ass 2008) Research (Aronson 1995 Cameron and Lee 1997

Clemens-Brower 1997 Cleverson 1999 Ramirez 2001) show that

many teachers experiment with various technologies when

communicating with parents (telephones in classrooms voice

mail video technology radio announcements etc) to

improve cooperation School websites provide parents with

useful content such as educational tips homework e-mails

or the school cafeteria menu and expand the borders of

communication between home and school to a 24 hours a day 7

days a week contact That allows parents whose daily

timetable doesnrsquot permit regular visits to the school and

face-to-face interaction with their child or teacher to be

more informed of what is happening at school Internet

becomes an excellent means of connecting home and school

Swan (2008) believes that schools have a lot of

information and parents want to know more about academic

achievements extracurricular activities parentsrsquo meeting

schedule information such as bus transport or lunch and

that it is important that school websites include accurate

and useful information not an exciting design or newest

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

technological ldquoornamentsrdquo

Online research (Unal 2008) shows that parents and

teachers recognize the importance of school websites

although they do not agree completely on their content

While teachers suggest that links inside the school

classroom rules teaching curriculum and standards list of

obligatory accessories statistics of websites visitors and

guest book should be essential to a school website

significant divergence (plt05) was seen in parents

disagreeing on these elements On the other hand parents

declare they would like to see online practical tests

academic advisory information information about

administrative issues and school direction as well as

teachers CVs Eventually teachers and parents agree that

results of school sport competition and activities

educational philosophy lesson plans links outside the

institution online articles and newsletters class photo

albums and news teachersrsquo blogs menus examples of

didactic cards personal links and teachersrsquo family

information are not essential elements of schoolsrsquo websites

It can be concluded that regardless of many schools today

having their own website not all are important for the

communication of parents and teachers Past research shows

that the structure and content of school websites should be

carefully planned and developed

According to McKenzie J (1997) the best websites have

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

four purposes 1 introduce visitors to its mission its

character its offerings to children its stance on new

technologies 2 offer an opportunity for the publishing of

student works and parents education 3 act as a mediator to

a larger share of information and 4 provide rich data

locally collected on curriculum related topics (such as

local history) Some school websites contain all four of

these elements but the majority is concentrated upon

providing a quality service in two or three of these

elements

21 Cooperation between parents and school in Croatia

In the elementary education in Croatia prescribed are

(most often by School statute) the following ways of

cooperation with parents parent meeting individual talks

with teachers and school assistants and written messages to

parents According to Law on Primary and Secondary

Education (Ministry of Education Science and Technology

2008) prescribed is the formation a Parentsrsquo Council which

comprises one parent from every class and the president of

the Parentrsquos Council is appointed a member of the School

Committee Practice shows that these prescribed ways of

cooperation do not satisfy the teachers or the parents

Parent participation is merely formal without real

possibility of influencing important decisions

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Centralization and standardization of the curriculum do not

allow schools enough space for adapting to the needs of the

local community parent meeting come down to mere

information sharing where parents are usually passive

recipients of information and parents asked to participate

in some kind of school activity are rare A research

conducted among parents of pupil of the 4th and 7th grade

from all Croatian regions and their teachers (Marušić 2007)

shows that two thirds of parents believes that they have too

little possibility of participating in decision making in

schools more than 90 of parents have never taken part in

activities related to cooperation between family and school

three quarters of parents state that there are no lectures

or workshops organized in schools and a third of parents

does not know if such workshops are organized A substantial

number of parents have shown interest in participating in

various school activities but the initiative is expected to

come from teachers

However the practice in Croatian schools in recent

years has shown undertaking additional strategies for

cooperation with parents Many workshops are being held

parents are involved as assistants on projects and in the

communication between parents and school improvement has

been made in following and assessing the pupilsrsquo progress as

well as in the feedback information on the pupilsrsquo progress

(increasingly common are the pupilsrsquo maps as an example of

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

systematic authentic and development assessment of pupilsrsquo

progress)

As far as electronic cooperation is concerned Croatia

is one step back The project ldquoNet u školirdquo ndash ldquoNet in the

schoolrdquo was initiated in 2003 and all schools in Croatia

have been equipped with ISDN terminals with the aim to

improve the process of learning by using Internet in

teaching and pupilsrsquo research from home and by laying the

foundation for a new culture of learning based on openness

to new knowledge new media and technology Today all

schools in Croatia have the possibility to set up a website

and the teachers to open e-mail accounts

In Croatia websites of teachers are a rare appearance

but the projects ldquoŠkolski infocentarrdquo and ldquoSMS informativkardquo

have been initiated through which informing parents on

success absence and other school activities via simple and

to the majority accessible way of communication (SMS e-

mail Internet and voicemail) has been enabled A small

number of schools have incorporated a web directory updated

monthly by class masters which parents with a special

password can check at any time Although not the most

important fact it should not be ignored that according to

the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 only 38 of

households in Croatia had access to the Internet which

complicates communication via websites and not all teachers

are computer literate Such cooperation has its advantages

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

and disadvantages

Table 1 ndash advantages and disadvantages of cooperation

via electronic media

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGESInformation on child received daily

Fast information transmission

Not limited by time or place

Time saving for parents

Time saving for teachers when

sending general information

Parents come to school prepared

themes for conversation are

educational

Both parents and teachers must be

computer literate

All participants (parents

teachers) must have Internet access

Additional work for teachers

(regular updating of data)

Rarer encounters among parents and

teachers

Lack of face-to-face communication

Financial expense for parents when

sending SMS messages

Possible abuse (password)

3 Research methodology

31 Aim of research

The aim of the research was to examine whether the

content of Croatian elementary schools websites encourages

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

frequent parentsrsquo visits and allows pupils to acquire new

knowledge A long term goal is to encourage schools to post

new materials regularly which would result in high-quality

cooperation between home and school along with encouraging

students to research work from their homes and therefore

advancing the quality of learning

32 Problem

The problem of this work is to determine the current

purpose of Croatian elementary schools websites

33 Hypothesis

H-1 Websites of Croatian elementary schools with its

contents do not pose a model for a more intensive

cooperation with parents or lay the foundations for a new

culture of learning

H-2 There is no statistically significant difference in

content between the two counties in neither of the eleven

categories

34 Participants and procedure

School websites are public documents and welcome the

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

outer world into the school as well as a link between

pupils and teachers with outer sources of information and a

possibility of better cooperation with parents The function

of school websites is to make public the achievements of

pupils to allow parents insight into daily activities and

to inform parents and the larger community of future

activities as well as strengthening cooperation between

school home and the local community The function of the

schoolsrsquo websites should not be a mere electronic version of

a notice board or a picture of a school that seldom changes

its appearance

The research was conducted by content analysis method

on a random selection of 50 elementary school websites in

the counties of Istria and Split ndash Dalmatia (25 schools per

county) The Internet school directory of ldquoPortal za školerdquo

was used Since in Croatia a research has not been conducted

on parents and the content the parents believed to be

important and relevant the authors were led by a research

done by an online study in USA (Unal 2008) and the elements

selected by teachers and parents in that study The

following website content was analysed curriculum about

the school (school history) web counters house rules

(classroom rules) timetable and information for parents

results of school competition photo albums online tests

(study materials) teachersrsquo CV tips for parents and forum

The analysis was done at the beginning of December 2010 by

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

the end of the first term giving the schools enough time to

update and enrich the websites This research did not take

into consideration the design of websites since in the

majority of cases it has been done using Carnet hosting

services and offered similar links Regarding the fact that

most schools have the same browser a school is considered

to have a website if a private document or link has been

updated

4 Results and discussion

Table 2 ndash Overall analysed content in percentage

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIES

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCETAGECURRICULUM 41 82 9 18 WEBSITE

COUNTER8 16 42 84

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTSrsquo

INFORMATION28 56 22 44

RESULTS OF

SCHOOL

COMPETITION

23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 ONLINE

TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

TEACHERSrsquo 2 4 48 96

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

CV

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

FORUM 12 24 38 76 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL

(SCHOOL

HISTORY)

50 100 0 0

For table 2 it is evident that all schools have information

about the school on the website ie about its history

(100) the majority has school photo alums (86) and the

curriculum (82) More than half the schools (56) have the

timetable for parentsrsquo information and less then half (46)

have sport achievements of their pupils The fewest schools

publish teachersrsquo CVs (4) and website counters Study

materials and tips for parents are present on just above a

third the websites (34 36)

Chart 1 ndash content according to county

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

It is visible from Chart 1 that results do not vary much

between counties The most discrepancy is shown in sportsrsquo

achievements (Istria 72 Split ndash Dalmatia 20) and a 20

discrepancy is present in categories photo album and study

material Other discrepancies are smaller than 20 The 2nd

hypothesis was tested with the chi-square test The

hypothesis is considered valid in case that the probability

of error is less than 5 considering that there is a

statistically significant link between the analysed pair of

variables

Table 3 ndash Relations between counties

CURRI

CULUM

WEB

COUNT

ERS

HOUSE

RULES

INFOR

MATIO

N

TIMET

ABLE

SPORT

S

ACHIE

VEMEN

TS

PHOTO

ALBUM

ONLINE

TESTS

TEACHERS

CVs

TIPS

FOR

PARENTS FORUM

10486462 0024 0148 0125 0081 1159 2657 1471 05208 07812 01096

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

8 4 8

df 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

p 0876

88491

0

0479

50012

0527

0892

0705

31663

0006

71374

0

044

5920

62

02251

8798

0157299

21

03457

4844

05638

979

It is not difficult to notice that a significant

discrepancy is present only in sportsrsquo achievement whereas

in other elements it does not exist which confirms the

stated hypothesis It can be concluded that there are no

differences between the content in the two counties

The website content can be divided into two categories

content intended for parents and pupils (curriculum

timetable for parentsrsquo information teachersrsquo CVs tips for

parents forum online tests and study material house

rules) and content for promoting school activities and

achievements (sportsrsquo achievements photo albums about the

school web counters)

Table 4 ndash analysis according to purpose

CONTENT BOTH COUNTIESINTENDEED FOR

PARENTS AND

PUPILSYES

PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

ONLINE TESTS

(STUDY

MATERIAL)

17 34 33 66

CURRICULUM 41 82 9 18

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

TIPS FOR

PARENTS18 36 32 64

HOUSE RULES 10 20 40 80 PARENTS

INFORMATION

TIMETABLE

28 56 22 44

FORUM 12 24 38 76 TEACHERSrsquo CV 2 4 48 96 PROMOTION OF

SCHOOL

ACTIVITIES

AND

ACVIEVEMENTS

YES PERCENTAGE NO PERCENTAGE

SPORTS

ACHIEVEMENTS23 46 27 54

PHOTO ALBUM 43 86 7 14 WEB COUNTERS 8 16 42 84 ABOUT THE

SCHOOL50 100 0 0

Among the content intended for parents and pupils

which would allow pupils to acquire new knowledge and

encourage parents to visit regularly schools offer in high

percentage (82) the curriculum which is a legal obligation

(public notice) and just over half the schools (56) offer

the timetable for parentsrsquo information About one third of

schools (34 36) publish on its websites study materials

and tips for parents and only 24 have an active forum for

exchanging opinions although these forums have an

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

insignificant number of open themes none of which were

opened by parents Study materials are most often online

tests with a link from the website and tips for parents are

texts compiled by schools assistants Considering the lack

of assistants in schools this may be the cause for a small

percentage of these materials Some schools under the

section tips for parents have links to interesting Internet

articles

Categories intended for the promotion of school

achievements and activities have more contents every school

has a page dedicated to school history 86 updates the

photo album section and less then half the schools (46)

publish sportsrsquo achievements of the pupils The photo albums

offer pictures from school trips out-of-classroom teaching

school events etc Justifying such a large number of

pictures is debatable since none of the published materials

are protected by password but available to everybody the

question arises if the schools have the parentsrsquo permission

Only 16 of schools pay attention to visits which could be

a significant information showing the number of parents and

pupils visiting the website

The mentioned data show that schools consider relevant

the promotion of school activities and success the history

of the school and the timetable for parentsrsquo information

but tips for parents and school materials along with

exchanging opinions are not a priority Schools consider the

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

teachersrsquo CVs parentsrsquo meeting announcements or the school

cafeteria menu of no relevance to parents These facts point

to the fact that school websites in Croatia are more online

notice-boards than a real possibility for communication

5 Conclusion

Over the last decade cooperation with parents in

Croatia has been improving however in our schools

traditional forms of cooperation with parents are still

prevailing Although in the world there are specialized

radio and TV channels magazines and Internet sites for

exchanging experiences (Mendel 1998) such practice has not

flung into being in Croatia However over the last couple

of years cooperation via websites e-mails and SMS messages

Summarising its advantages and disadvantages and

considering todayrsquos lifestyle this way of cooperation

should be intensified in our schools Contemporary ways of

communication can additionally improve the communication

between parents and school but just as one more way

alongside other ways Consequently although the modern age

presupposes the use of modern technologies no technology

should replace face-to-face communication between parents

and teachers and the responsibility for a good cooperation

still lies on the school

The research demonstrates the possibilities of

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

communication between family and school by using modern

technology Elements of school websites are shown as well

as ways of planning the content of a website We consider

this research important for informing teachers and school

management of the possibilities of modern communication

between families and school A school website allows for the

possibility of establishing fast communication however its

mere existence does not guarantee the pupils acquiring new

knowledge and a quality relation between the family and

school It can be a good example for the school management

in creating the school curriculum as a segment allowing for

a fast exchange of information with parents Unfortunately

the educational system in Croatia is traditional and inert

unsuitable for the times and contemporary professions It

does not satisfy the need of the individual and traditional

teaching by using a minimum of technology and information is

utterly un-motivational for the student as well as for the

family The results of this research show that school

websites in Croatia donrsquot fulfil their purpose presenting

pupilsrsquo achievements allowing the parents insight into

everyday activities informing the parents and the wider

community on future activities and strengthening the

cooperation between school home and the local community

Although the purpose of school websites should not be merely

an electronic version of the notice board and an image of

the school that rarely changes its appearance the current

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

condition of the Croatian school websites in the analysed

counties shows just that therefore confirming the initial

hypothesis

Future research should inquire into the stance of

parents in Croatia on which content they consider important

therefore receiving relevant data which could later be used

by teachers for creating their websites

References

Berger E H (1991) Parent Involvement Yesterday and

Today The Elementary School Journal 91 (3) 209-219

Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb

Educa

Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships

Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76

httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20Articles

ParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

Epstein JL i Sheldon S B (2006) Moving Forward Ideas

for Research on School Family and Community Partnerships

httpwwwcsosjhuedup2000pdfLiterature20Review

2020Epstein20and20Sheldon2006pdf (15112010)

Graham- Clay S (2005) Communicating with Parents

Strategies for Teachers School Community Journal 16 (1)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

117-129

Hartshorne R Friedman A Algozzine B i Kaur D

(2008) Analysis of Elementary School Web Sites Educational

Technology amp Society 11 (1) 291-303

Hitrec G(ur) (2006) Škola otvorena roditeljima Zagreb

Udruga roditelja Korak po korak

Marušić I (2007) Škola otvorena roditeljima ndash rezultati

istraživanja Dijete Škola Obitelj 20 2-6

Mendel M (1998) lsquoParents at Schoolrsquo programme as a

perspective of partnershiprsquos orientation increase in Poland

httpwwwernapenetarticles1999mendel99pdf

(15112010)

Ryan K Cooper J M (2010) Those Who Can Teach

Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Bostonhttpbooksgooglehrbooks

id=rqmdR6Xrgq8Campprintsec=frontcoverampsource=gbs_ge_summary_ramp

cad=0v=onepageampqampf=false (15112010)

Swann P (2006) Got Web Investing in a District Website

[Electronic Version] The

School Administrator

httpwwwaasaorgpublicationssaarticledetailcfm

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

Vizek Vidović V i sur (2003) Psihologija obrazovanja

Zagreb IEP

Walsh KB (2002) Kurikulum za prvi razred osnovne škole

stvaranje razreda usmjerenog na dijete Zagreb Matica

doo

Zarevski P ur (2003) Učitelji za učitelje primjeri

provedbe načela Aktivneefikasne škole Zagreb IEP

Zakon o osnovnoškolskom i srednjem obrazovanju (2008) MZOŠ

httpwwwskolehrskolepopis (15112010)

  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE -
  • MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • ŠKOLSKE WEB STRANICE - MOGUĆNOST SURADNJE S RODITELJIMA
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)
  • Dryden G i Vos J (2001) Revolucija u učenju Zagreb Educa
  • Epstein JL (1995) Schoolfamilycommunity Partnerships Caring for the Children We Share Phi Delta Kappan 76 httpnhsneedhamk12mauspagesstressrDocsWebsite20ArticlesParentsEpstein20-20Parentsdoc (15112010)

ItemNumber=6068 (15112010)

Unal Z (2008) Going The Extra Step For Parental

Involvement Connecting Family And School With The Power Of

Teacher Websites Journal of College Teaching amp Learning 5

(6) 43-50

httpwwwcluteinstitute-onlinejournalscomPDFs996pdf

(15112010)

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