Preservice Teachers Explore College Day With First-Generation Middle Schoolers and Parents

• In Event: Teachers and Teacher Educators Using Action Research to Inform Practice

Abstract

In this action research project, both elementary and secondary preservice teachers (PTs) participated and led workshops with students and parents from a local middle school. The majority of the families were first generation Latino/as and came from low-income homes. Over 200 students and parents came to the University campus for the day in order to explore the feasibility of going to college, and what steps they need to take between now and high school graduation in order to make that a reality.

The purpose of this project was to help PTs answer the following questions:
1) Are middle schoolers interested in planning their futures, and can they be engaged in doing so in a single day on campus?
2) How can we assist students from first-generation families, many of whom have not gone to college, in planning a future where college might be a consideration?
3) Can participating in a day like this translate to classroom practice for future teachers in becoming more aware of working with families to helping them make long term plans for their children?

Data consisted of PTs’ reflections and notes taken from a debriefing discussion of the day, and plans for classroom practices that can apply lessons learned based on their experiences. Parents filled out surveys that were used to determine their responses to the event.

Current findings show that PTs were surprised by the responses of the middle school students. Many PTs claimed to prefer to teach high school, and were leery about working with middle schoolers. However, after spending a day with them, PTs felt that these students did have ideas for their futures, were interested and engaged, and had significant questions about the college application process and student life. Parents also responded in positive ways, stating that they gained a better understanding about the college and financial aid application processes, and learned more about the steps their children need to take in order to be eligible to attend college (e.g. courses to take in high school, the importance of participation in extra-curriculars). As a result of the responses from both parents and children, PTs discovered that it could be beneficial to engage with parents of the children in their classes. Ideas for doing so included holding Parent Nights (regarding curriculum) or College Nights, or inviting parents to come to their classes to make presentations on topics for which they are experts (e.g. a job or profession, life in another country, immigration experiences). Overall, we determined that College Day was successful for all concerned, and PTs could definitely benefit from having some kind of engagement with parents as part of their preservice training.

Author

• Marga Madhuri, University of La Verne