This report details the findings from a questionnaire that examined the extent to which parents and teachers had shared understandings about the importance of character, and what they perceived to be the barriers and enablers to them working collaboratively on character education. The findings presented form the initial phase of a three-year project which will explore how parents and teachers perceive their partnership on character education.
Previous UK and international research has emphasised the importance of parental involvement for effective character education. With some exceptions, empirical research on what practical interventions might promote parent-teacher collaboration on character education is limited. Whilst parental involvement in education more broadly is well-researched, much less is known about how parents and teachers might work together to cultivate character virtues in children and young people. An exploratory survey was therefore deemed a necessary starting point for this research.