Abstract:

The present research has been developed by a fenomenological study with qualitative metodology. Its objetive was to develop strategies to promote parents participation in the learning process of their childrens with educational special needs. It was necessary to know the educational expectatives about the children, the support behaviors in the scholar activities and the situations that facilitated or hindered their involvement. The participants of the study were seven parents, five women and two men, of a public school in the morning shift, located in the west of Merida city in Yucatan, México.

In a diagnostic stage, it was found that mothers and fathers had an imprecise concept about the educational special needs, their caracteristics. About the expectatives, they were centered in the development of independence and hapiness in their children. Likewise only some of the families helped their children with homework, due to both parents work.

The most important dificulties, reported by the parents, to help their children were: the lack of comprehension of some academic contents, lack of tolerance and the little information about the correct ways to support children in homework.

It was designed a 15 hours workshop, to promote parents participation in the learning process of their children, in this workshop they worked in a experiential way in a support group, sharing theoric information as well personal experiences. As a result of the workshop the parents improved their comprehension about the education special needs, and their involvement in the homework, giving children accompaniment and creating the necessary conditions to do homework, explaining how they could do it and checking it when it was over, this behaviors improved the fulfillment of the children.

In the other hand, it was found that their participation, according to the Epstein, Sander, Simon, Clark, Rodriguez and Van (2002) model, was limited to the nurturing and supervisión of the learning process in home, leaving aside the participation in school. The parents showed interest in receive and search support in the nurture of their children, they helped their children according to their abilities, and take care that they had the necessary things for learning in home, they motivated education and recognize that the communication with the teacher is important but limited.

Keywords:

Parents, educational especial needs, learning.