Family support strategies in preschool education during the Mexican context of the pandemic

Abstract

Families are the first socializing agents and promoters of learning in early childhood, so it is essential to generate empirical evidence on the impact that family educational support has on cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development in the first years of life. Hence, the objective of this study was to know the family support strategies that favored the teaching-learning processes at the preschool level, during the context of the new normal by the pandemic. The research was carried out between the months of May and July 2023. 28 families participated who had a daughter or son enrolled in the preschool level of a private school located in Mexico City during the 2021-2022 school year. The research was qualitative with a phenomenological approach from which a thematic analysis of the families' discourse was carried out using the focus group technique and a questionnaire. The results obtained allowed the construction of a system of categories linked to family support, which included the following subcategories: (1) didactic strategies and (2) emotional support strategies. The family support system was analyzed from an ecological approach from which the following themes were identified: (1) barriers to family support, (2) family concerns regarding the development of their daughter or son, and (3) family learnings about the new normal. The research results corroborate the importance that family support had in the academic trajectory of the student body in the context of the pandemic; Likewise, it highlights the educational strategies implemented at home and the capacity of family agency to face socio-emotional and school adjustment problems during the health emergency.