frederik smit, geert driessen, peter sleegers & paul hoop (2004) expectations and wishes of...

Expectations and wishes of ethnic minority parents regarding

education and schooling

Frederik Smit, Geert Driessen, Peter Sleegers & Paul Hoop

ITS, University of Nijmegen

Research funded by the City of Rotterdam

12th INET Roundtable, San Diego 2004

Background Tendencies in the Netherlands:

• schools have a clear role transferring norms and values to their students

• strengthen the notion of the school’s educational tasks • parents and teachers are increasingly expected to have

meaningful and efficient interactions • relations between parents and school are characterized

by cooperation and consultation • white middle-class parents are seen as cooperating

partners • education is becoming the task of school and family

combined


The city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands

hosts some 170 different nationalities more than 60% of the primary school

students are ethnic minorities traditional groups, such as the Turks,

Moroccans and Surinamese new migrant groups: from countries like

Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq


Policy of the city of Rotterdam

the city seeks to set up a high quality education system community-empowered schools

schools’ pedagogical task is supported

by other activities in the community


Goal of the research project

better understanding of the relationship between parents of ethnic minority children and schools better understanding of the parents’

points of view on education (a survey study was conducted)


Question 1: Is it important to preserve typical cultural identity and characteristics? no

Question 2: Is it important to maintain relations with other groups in the society?

yes

no

Integration Assimilation Separation Marginalization

Four strategies for acculturation

yes


norms and values original country

norms and values the Netherlands

• sex • age • years in the Netherlands • civil status • highest completed education • knowledge of Dutch language

Shift in norms and values of parents of ethnic minority with children in primairy education


Collaboration between families and school

Family School

Connect ing - Communication - Coordination - Coaching


Integrated planned participation strategy

creating supportfor

partnership relations

- inclusion minority parents- conceptual map:six types of Epstein

- planned activities- strategy development

participation

structure

partic

ipatio

n

skills

to be informed

integrated planned

participation strategy

support

particip

ation

culture

willingness to

participate

to be prepared


Sample & Design 1000 parents

• nine ethnic minority categories (900), Dutch (100) traditional migrant groups: e.g., Turkey, Morocco,

Suriname new migrant groups: e.g., Pakistan, Somalia, Russia 100 native Dutch parents included as a reference

category parents selected by the so-called snowball method interviews by bilingual interviewers


Questionnaire

parental participation communication schools – parents the importance of norms and values discrepancies between educational

goals at school and at home


Research questions, results and recommendations

neccessity puts in motion

vision points the way

success makes believe

structures provoke

capacities

systems

spirit gives strength

to create and to build partnerships with families of ethnic minorities and communities

enable

confirm

QUESTIONS RESULTS RECOMMENDATIONS

school choice communication to be prepared

participation support

eductional goals to be informed

awareness / inclusion

Integrated planned participation strategy

Conceptual map: six types of Epstein


Barriers: gaps to overcome

family-based barriers: • psychological, physical, lack of skills and

knowledge normative barriers:

• family-, school-, community-based school-based barriers:

• teacher as an autonomous professional, psychological, communicative skills and respect


Expectations and wishes ethnic minority parents regarding schools

two-way communication flows between

families and the school collaborative relationships about norms and

values to become more fully informed participate more equitably in the children’s

school experience more attention to discipline and structure good learning environment


Different points of view regarding the relations between parents and

schools welcoming school climate two-way communication professional preparation respect for parents as educators schools reach out to order involve all

families


Successful policies that support parents and schools how to involve parents how to organize more effective action

for partnership understanding of parents diversity awareness of own mind-map to share

information about parenting

frederik smit, geert driessen, peter sleegers & paul hoop (2004) expectations and wishes of...

Education