Impact of family dynamics on students’ learning and motivation

During my International Field Experience in Uruguay, my focus was on the effect of family dynamics on student learning and the factors that can improve students’ motivation. In Uruguay, family dynamics have a strong influence on overall learning, including the attitudes and behaviors of students. Parents’ different levels of involvement in their children's education were also observed to have an effect on student performance.

In some cases, I noticed that parents had high expectations for their children and wanted them to be successful academically. This resulted in positive reinforcement from the parents, which in turn encouraged the students to strive for better results. Furthermore, I found that student motivation was higher when parents were actively involved in their learning progress.

One of the schools we visited in Salto, Uruguay, had a unique program in which parents were offered the opportunity to take part in their children’s classroom activities. They could volunteer as guest speakers, help with projects, or even come in and read stories to the class. This type of parental involvement showed me that when families are included, students can benefit from both positive reinforcement and role models who understand them.

At the same time, I observed that in some cases, parents were either not supportive or had a negative attitude towards their children’s education. This could manifest in different forms, such as not providing sufficient resources or financial support for their education and a lack of communication between parents and students.

On our third day of International Field Experience, e we had the opportunity to visit three schools and witness the different dynamics that exist within them. As teachers, it was eye-opening and inspiring to see how education is approached in a country with a unique cultural and historical background. We visited a technical school in the Piedras Blancas neighborhood, characterized by a low socioeconomic level. It was an emotional visit for me. Being able to experience education in a slum neighborhood made me realize the importance of education and how lucky I am to have access to it. The school's mission is to provide industry-specific education to help students secure stable jobs in the future. They bring street children to the school and provide incentives to their families to send them to school. Families can only access government funds when they force their children to attend this school. During my visit, I was astonished to see how this school provides students with industry-specific education to help them secure jobs in the future instead of getting involved in drugs and crime. They have workshops for carpentry, mechanicals, and cooking. One of the highlights of our visit was the cooking workshop, where students prepared a delicious lunch for us. The students were eager to show off their skills and were excited to share their plates with us. The teachers at this school were entirely involved in ensuring that their students were equipped with hands-on skills.

Therefore, it is essential to understand the family dynamics that play a role in the student’s life in order to create an effective learning environment. This includes providing support structures that help the students whose parents are not involved or not supportive of their education. It is also important for teachers to be aware of any family dynamics that could cause the student to be distracted or have difficulty with schoolwork. A safe and supportive classroom environment can help students focus on their studies without any distractions. It also provides an opportunity for teachers to get to know each student better, which helps them build connections and trust.