The Role of Heritage Language and Culture in Fostering Immigrant Parent-Teacher Relationships in Ontario

• In Event: Home, School, and Communities: Promoting Language and Literacy Development

Abstract

Immigrant families in Canada face challenges engaging with their children’s schooling, essential for academic success and social integration, due to their unfamiliarity with the host country's educational practices. The predominant school-centric view of parental engagement often neglects home-based practices valued by immigrant families, hindering efforts to foster parental involvement. Connecting home-based language and cultural practices with school lessons, this study explores how one Bengali mother strengthened her bond with her teenage son and his science teacher through a STEM project integrating the Bangla language and culture at home, then shared in a classroom setting. It offers insights into leveraging home-based practices to enhance parental engagement and familiarity with the educational system, potentially supporting better integration of immigrant families in schools.

Author

• Sudhashree Girmohanta, University of Toronto - OISE