Parental Perspectives on Waldorf Education in Hungary

Community Participation and Long-Term Educational Commitment

Bibliographic Data

ID22045548
AuthorsBálint Nagy (0000-0002-4865-8958, Obuda University, corresponding author), László Bognár (0000-0003-4623-8404, University of Dunaújváros)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue4
Pages648
Publication date2026-04-18
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci16040648
OpenAlexW7154983402
LanguageEN
References cited33

Parental involvement is widely recognized as a key component of effective schooling, particularly in educational environments that emphasize community, developmental continuity, and holistic pedagogy. Alternative education models such as Waldorf schools have expanded internationally, yet empirical evidence on how parents perceive and structure their experiences within these institutions remains limited. This study investigates parental perceptions of Waldorf education in Hungary through a nationwide questionnaire survey of 585 parents whose children attend Waldorf schools. To explore the latent structure of parental evaluations, Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis to test the stability of the resulting model. The analyses identified four coherent dimensions of parental experience: Trust and Pedagogy, Community and Engagement, Perceived Long-Term Educational Prosperity, and Information and Transparency. Additional analyses examined how these dimensions vary according to institutional characteristics, parental participation in school community activities, and intentions regarding long-term enrollment. The results indicate that pedagogical trust constitutes a relatively stable evaluative dimension across institutions, while perceptions related to community engagement, long-term educational prospects, and transparency are more strongly associated with institutional maturity. Parents who intend to remain in Waldorf education until the completion of upper secondary schooling report consistently higher evaluations across all dimensions. By empirically identifying the structure of parental experiences in a European alternative education context, the study contributes to research on parental engagement, school choice, and the institutional cultures of alternative schooling

Community education · Confirmatory factor analysis · Empirical research · Exploratory factor analysis · Exploratory research · Perception · Survey data collection · Education Methods and Practices · Parental Involvement in Education · Scientific and Historical Analyses

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access