engleski

Family empowerment in the context of challenges and changes in modern society

Previous studies of family functioning and mutual relationships have been focused on families’ problems, risks, or weaknesses, while fewer number of families has been studied through their advantages and strengths. Family strength is defined as a set of relationships and behaviours that help and protect families and its members, back up families during periods of stress and changes as well as support family members’ well-being and development, while simultaneously maintaining high level of family cohesion. The main goal of this study, whose results are being presented, was to examine how parents define the term “family strength” as well as to determine which family characteristics enhance the strength of their family. In total, 210 participants took part in the study (participants’ average age was 42, 6 years), with the target group being parents of children of different ages. In regard to age, the highest number of participants have children older than 18 (36, 2%) ; 31, 4% of participants are parents of pre-school children, whereas similar percentage of participants have children going into 1st - 4th grade (25, 7%) and 5th – 8th grade of elementary school (25, 2%). The fewest number of participants have children of high school age (19%). The data were gathered via questionnaire whose aim was to examine participants’ opinion on characteristics of family strength, potential influences that cause poor family functioning, coping mechanisms used to solve problems as well as their general thoughts regarding family functioning. Process of data gathering occurred online during COVID-19 pandemic period in 2021/2022. Results of both quantitative and qualitative analysis showed that vast majority of participants believe that they possess characteristics of a strong family (mutual respect, encouragement, togetherness, positive communication, time spent together, empathy). Despite the high frequency of contrasting attitudes regarding daily family functioning and mutual relationships, followed by those who believe that the significance of family strength is decaying, the results of our study are in favour of optimistic views as well as practicing values and activities that stem from family togetherness. Considering the lack of research on this issue, especially from the perspective of strong families’ characteristics, it is realistic to expect further extensive research in this field. Ultimately, modern pedagogy has earned its place in this process as a discipline aiming to anticipate educational challenges in the future as well as inevitable needs to modernize educational system that will respect the challenges arising during the creation of realistic conditions needed to achieve important aims required to establish expected partnership between parents and educational institutions on all levels.

family strength, family functioning, family togetherness, modern pedagogy

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