Immigrant parents' perceptions of schooling and literacy: A qualitative study of a Mexicano family
The school-related beliefs and practices of parents, particularly in the area of literacy (reading and writing), are critical to children's academic success in preschool and the primary grades. However, in a demographically diverse society such as the U.S., parents' educational experiences and perspectives may differ considerably. Thus, in the case of young children learning to read and write, it can neither be assumed that there is only one pathway to literacy nor that all parents will support their children's reading and writing development in the same way. Parental "ethnotheories" or "cultural models" of schooling and literacy must be examined across cultures and taken into account by educational planners in early childhood education and early literacy. The main purpose of this Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) project was to examine and describe the schooling and literacy perspectives of the parents of a Mexicano immigrant student, elicited via qualitative interviews during a three-year period, when the child was in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. A secondary purpose was to relate the parents' views to the child's academic progress for the focal period. The child and his family are part of the increasing Latino population in the Midwest that is matched by a growing Latino presence throughout the nation and its schools. The data were taken from a larger, longitudinal study in progress at a Midwestern university, that followed the literacy learning and progress for three years of a cohort of "at risk" students, including five Mexicano first- and second-generation students. In this qualitative case study, the findings were organized into three broad categories: family history, parental views of their own schooling and literacy, and parental views of their children's schooling and literacy. It was found that the parents reflected different views of self as learner, had attained different levels of schooling in Mexico, approached schooling opportunities in the U.S. differently, and held divergent views of how to support the focal child's psychosocial and literacy development. However, both parents viewed the focal child, and his older sister, as weak learners who were having difficulty in reading and writing, particularly at the end of the focal child's first grade year. They were critical of some aspects of U.S. schooling, in particular, the quantity and quality of homework. Overall, the parents' view of the focal child differed considerably from how the child was perceived at school, i.e., by his peers and teacher, especially during the prekindergarten year when the young boy, then four and five years old, grew significantly in language and literacy, demonstrating robust bilingual and biliteracy skills. A major conclusion was that the parents valued schooling and literacy but faced many difficulties (e.g., extensive work demands) in supporting their children at home in traditional school-sanctioned ways, e.g., through story reading, library trips, and so forth. However, they provided the focal child with opportunities to pursue his interests and talents, fostered his language development, and nurtured his sense of identity and cultural affiliation, elements that indirectly advanced the child's literacy growth in Spanish and English. One educational implication revolves around the need for schools and teachers to become better informed about the literate lives of young children and their families, perhaps with teachers of young children conducting home visits in an ethnographic mode.
School:
St. Edward's University
Department:
Spanish/Bilingual Education
Research Advisor:
Rosalinda B. Barrera
Department of Research Advisor:
Curriculum and Instruction
Year of Publication:
2003