Parental efficacy in supporting children with special educational needs in kindergarten-primary school transition: experiences of using real-time broadcast in kindergarten-primary school transition programme

Existing studies emphasize school readiness and parental involvement during school transitions; however, the experiences and needs of parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) remain underexplored. This paper adopts a narrative inquiry approach to explore the lived experiences of these parents and their role in supporting their children during this transition. The study investigates (1) the experiences and needs of parents of children with SEN in facilitating the kindergarten-primary school transition, (2) the impacts of real-time broadcast applications that capture classroom learning on enhancing parental efficacy and (3) effective measures to promote parental efficacy during this process. Findings reveal that misalignment between parental priorities, such as socio-emotional well-being, and the academic focus of mainstream schools can hinder successful transitions. Furthermore, the hierarchical nature of parent-school relationships in Asian contexts intensifies this misalignment, as parents are often expected to conform to the school's expectations. The study also revealed that while real-time feedback technology can enhance parental engagement, they often fail to leverage the benefits of physical learning communities in fostering social support networks. This study contributes to the literature on inclusive education and underscores the importance of narrative approaches in understanding the needs of marginalized groups in educational transitions.