Beyond Tolerance: International Parents' Perceptions of Their Children's Schools' Understanding of Multiculturalism

• In Event: 28.019 - Understanding Engagement From the Perspective of Parents, Families, and Communities

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the perceptions of highly-educated international parents, a subgroup seldom addressed in extant parental involvement literature, whose children attend a local public school known for enrolling international students. This study’s purpose is to help advance the understanding of multiculturalism in a parental involvement context. Preliminary findings indicate that parents engaged their own educational capital in order navigate and adapt to the new school system, but some parents were better equipped than others to help themselves. Interviews and observations indicated that the school’s approaches, while welcoming, did not intentionally incorporate families’ cultures or home languages as vehicles for learning, leading to the conclusion that the school fell along low levels of multicultural education support (Nieto, 1994) for families.

Authors

• Elizabeth Gil, St. John's University

• Serafettin Gedik, Michigan State University

• Dion Ginanto, Michigan State University