Parents’ Views About How Language and Culture Promote Dominican and Salvadoran Preschool Children’s School Readiness

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Parent Impact and Decisions on Early Care and Education (Table 3)

Abstract

The study aim was to investigate what beliefs Dominican and Salvadoran immigrant parents hold about how their home culture and language promotes their children’s school readiness skills. Forty-three Dominican (49%) and El Salvadoran (51%) immigrant parents of preschool children participated in the study. Parents participated in a semi-structured interview and completed an acculturation measure. Findings reveal five themes. Four of the five themes focused on how children’s cultural background support their functioning in the classroom. One theme about the contribution of language is more broadly focused on children’s functioning within families and society, rather than school alone. Some variation between Dominican and Salvadoran parents’ beliefs was found. Future analysis will examine how beliefs vary based on parents’ acculturation and enculturation.

Authors

• Brook Sawyer, Lehigh University

• Susan Sonnenschein, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Diane Placide, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Kaitlyn Chemidlin, Lehigh University

• Aniyah Davis-Hilton, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Ciomara Matamoros, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Peggy A. Kong, University of Utah