A collaborative parent-teacher model for religious moderation education in early childhood in Indonesia

Background: Effective collaboration between parents and teachers is a crucial component of early childhood education (ECE) institutions in Indonesia. Both parties hold a fundamental responsibility for imparting knowledge within the formal school setting and the informal home environment. Aim: The present study investigates the patterns of collaboration between parents and teachers, with the goal of enhancing the role of both parties. Setting: The study was conducted in Palopo City, South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The researcher selected three ECE institutions involving a total of 15 teachers and 15 parents. Methods: The study utilised the Discovering Cultural Themes model, which helped identify recurring patterns from prior analyses. The researchers examined themes, cultural focusses, values and symbols within each domain. Results: The findings show that teachers serve a structural role, while parents contribute through a cultural role in the collaboration. The values instilled in children include religious moderation, national commitment, non-violence, a love of local culture and tolerance. Conclusion: The collaboration between parents and teachers is reflected in the participatory activities initiated by parents in various school programmes, reinforcing the cultural responsibility of parents and the structural responsibilities of teachers. Contribution: This study contributes to the collaborative teacher-parent model by emphasising role division and parental involvement to strengthen religious moderation education at home. As a result, the values instilled at school can be reinforced at home and vice versa. Indonesian society places significant importance on the values of cooperation and mutual assistance as emotional bonds among citizens.