6
Family and school
Introduction
Research into the relations in the world of education between families and the educational system are one of the objectives covered by the Diagnosis. This research has been carried out through a survey of sixty four questions, aimed at the parents of students aged 14 and 16 in the relevant studies at those ages, in the system being implemented and that being phased out.
A sample of 17,500 students from 702 state and private schools was designed to administer the survey, distributed in a balanced manner throughout Spain, except for Andalusia, the educational authorities of which did not participate in the study. The number of questionnaires filled in amounted to 11,481, which is 65.60% of those distributed. This percentage is a considerably high response rate for such studies. However, one may presume some bias as to the profile of parents answering the survey compared with those who do not, and this must be taken into account to adjust the data the study provides.
In definition of the object of the research and in checking the results, classical reports by prestigious institutions have been taken as a reference, such as those by the Santillana, Encuentro and Santa Maria Foundations, the Centre for Sociological Research or FOESSA, for example. On the other hand, the Autonomous Regions have contributed specific documentation for their respective territorial areas.
The sociodemographic profile of the families consulted coincides in the main features, in variety, attributed to Spanish families in the sociological studies carried out for this purpose. Moreover, both parents have answered the questionnaire jointly in 56% of the cases. When only one of the parents answered, mothers did so in 31% of the cases and fathers in 11%. This circumstance confirms that there is a greater maternal dedication to matters related to children, among which education stands out. This is in spite of women recently joining the labour market.
In this research, the classical model of family, that is to say the classical nuclear family comprised of mother, father and children, form the immense majority (91%). Single parent homes amount to 8%: 1% of the single parent model "single father with children" and 7% the "single mother with children". The remaining 1% represents other kinds of situations. This distribution or set of models coincides, not without some differences, with the Spanish population: in Spain there is a total of 10,308,765 family units, 24% of which are couples without children, and 76% family units with children.
In the research sample universe, the majority of homes are formed by four members (46%) or five (25%); this is followed by homes formed by three members (12%) or six (10%); the smaller percentages are homes with six members (4%), eight or more (2%) or only two (1%). The data for the whole country represents 22% of homes comprised of two persons, 21% of three, 24% of four, 12% of five and 8% with six or more, although one must bear in mind that this data is prepared from all Spanish homes and those in the survey only counts families with children.
More than half the families surveyed have two children (51%); 24% have three; 11% one; 9% four and 3% five, while 2% have six or more. In Spain the number of children per family unit is 1.54.
In the universe studied - youths between ages 14 and 16 - 55% are girls and 45% boys. 31% attend private schools and 69% state schools. As to the social and cultural level of the parents surveyed, the level of studies by the mothers shows a social category with a low educational level: 59% of the mothers received primary education, whether completed or not; 24% studied secondary, while 14% are university graduates. In the case of the fathers, the difference lies fundamentally in the percentage of those who studied at university: 18%.