Navigating emotion-informed tensions in school-family collaboration: A longitudinal triadic case study

This study explores how emotion-informed tensions emerged and evolved in school-family collaboration. Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), it follows a teacher-student-parent triad over three years, drawing on interviews, observations, and artifacts. Four key tensions were identified: student idealism vs. teacher authority, teacher discipline vs. family expectations, collective fairness vs. individualized care, and proactive communication vs. avoidant coping. These tensions reflected deeper contradictions in rules, roles, and emotional norms. Over time, the three-way relationship shifted from a focus on control to more emotionally aware and supportive approaches, facilitated by efforts to repair and rebuild trust. The study highlights the transformative potential of emotional trust and role negotiation in fostering more responsive and sustainable school-family partnerships beyond the classroom. These insights may apply to other educational contexts where emotion-informed tensions between teachers, students, and parents are prevalent.