Effects of elementary school teachers’ psychological safety toward parents on creative educational practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the psychological safety of elementary school teachers toward parents would affect their creative educational practices. In this study, teachers at 22 public elementary school participated (N = 467 in Time 1, 405 in Time 2), and 351 teachers who could be used as longitudinal data and were still in charge of the classroom were analyzed. Results of factor analysis about creative educational practices revealed five factors: "promoting students' autonomy to overcome their difficulties," "challenges for new practices inside and outside the classroom," "realization of education based on one's beliefs," "disclosure to students as a person," and "practices to deepen exchange with students." Based on the Latent Difference Score Model, we examined the influence of the psychological safety toward parents and creative educational practices. As a result, psychological safety toward parents promoted creative educational practices and good relationship with students, in both Level and Delta factors.