Poster #41 - "I didn't want her feeling ashamed." The messages parents tell their preschoolers after being expelled.

• In Event: Poster Session 18

Abstract

Thousands of children are excluded annually from early childhood programs in the United States (Zeng et al., 2019). The rate of expelled preschoolers is estimated to be 3.2% higher than the expulsion rate in K-12 settings (Gillian, 2005). It means that more than 300,000 children may be expelled each year (Schachner et al., 2016), and there is a family affected by the event for each expelled child. Since 2005 the volume of reports about the negative consequences of school expulsion on the child has increased significantly. However, families' experiences have received limited attention. Addressing the gaps in the literature, this study examines the conversations that occur (if any) between the parent(s) and child and the messages children receive regarding their expulsion.
The qualitative study was informed by an interpretative approach that explored the meaning-making processes and lived experiences of parents whose child was expelled from preschool (Creswell, 2007). A total of 20 families who lived in Illinois were recruited to participate in a semi-structured interview (see Table 1). Phone interviews lasted between 90 - 120 minutes and were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analyses were performed on all transcripts. Coding began by developing a priori codes, which were complemented with new or emergent codes derived from the data (Patton, 1990). Data displays were used to aid in data reduction, facilitate interpretation and identify patterns (Miles & Huberman, 1994).
Preliminary findings revealed that families experienced a wide range of emotions as they processed and tried to understand their preschooler's expulsion. Out of the 20 families, 18 families mentioned the expulsion to their preschoolers, and two families mentioned not conversing with their child about it. For example, Maria told her son Luis about how the language barrier at the school did not meet their needs: "We told him that we didn't like that he couldn't communicate properly because they didn't speak Spanish." In justifying their decisions to communicate, families also considered children's age. Some parents felt that the younger-aged preschoolers did not need much explanation, but with older preschoolers, parents wanted to protect children's feelings. Patrick said that he wanted to ensure Daniel understood this was not his fault "because he internalizes everything." Similarly, Jessica decided to protect Vasha's feelings: "I didn't want her to feel ashamed or to think it was her fault." For similar reasons, Sadie took the blame for changing schools: "I never told him it was because of him. I made more like it was really expensive." Our study is the first of its kind to focus on the messages and conversations families have with their young children and the tough decisions parents must make.

Authors

• Jolanta Dohrmann, UIC
  Presenting Author

• Sarai Coba-Rodriguez, The University of Illinois Chicago