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Trust in Education Professionals: Perspectives of Mothers of Children With Disabilities
Maureen E. Angell*,
Julia B. Stoner,
and
Debra L. Shelden
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: meangel{at}ilstu.edu.
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Abstract |
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This study extends the research on issues of trust in family–professional relationships by more fully examining, within a qualitative research design, the nature of trust between parents of children with disabilities and school personnel. The authors examined the trust-related perspectives of 16 mothers of children with various disabilities at all levels of the P–12 educational system. Analysis of the mothers’ responses to face-to-face interview questions yielded three primary categories that seem to influence trust: family characteristics, teacher characteristics, and school characteristics. Discussion focuses on the mothers’ difficulty in defining their levels of trust and on the roles of authentic caring, child-focused orientation, communication, knowledge about child characteristics, and school climate and teaming factors that appear to facilitate or inhibit trust. Discussion also addresses implications of these findings for school leadership and the establishment of healthy family–professional relationships, especially as they affect the lives of students and families in need of special education support.
First published on June 10, 2008, doi:10.1177/0741932508315648
Remedial and Special Education 2009;30:160.
A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2009
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