Importance of Community Network Services: Sojourning Experiences of Japanese Mothers in the U.S. Midwest

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Parent, School, Community, and University Partnerships

Abstract

Parental involvement plays a crucial role in the U.S. in terms of children’s educational success. Many Japanese sojourner (temporary resident) mothers, especially those whose children are in higher grades, often face challenges concerning school involvement due to various demanded duties and linguistic complexity. I interviewed four Japanese sojourner mothers residing in areas with a small Japanese population to answer the following question: how does the sojourning lifestyle in the Midwest influence Japanese mothers and their parental school involvement? Findings indicate that community support, age of children, and sojourner mothers’ English proficiency are the prominent elements affecting parental school involvement.

Author

• Reiko Akiyama, Purdue University