Browsing by Subject "Parental involvement"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Parental involvement in study abroad: a case study from the University of Minnesota.
    (2010-05) Parcells, Christine
    Parents have become key stakeholders in the study abroad experience. This study constructively examined how parents shape their role through relationships with the institution and their student. Specifically, this study focused on the case of the Learning Abroad Center on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. Using multiple methods, the researcher gathered perspectives from both the institution and parents of study abroad students to analyze how the office conveys a role to parents and how parents shape their own role. Additionally, this study examined whether the Learning Abroad Center‟s and parents‟ expectations align. Findings show that maintaining a relationship with the Parent Program Office, keeping communication open and establishing a parent role has been critical to the Learning Abroad Center‟s success with parent relations. Parents recognize the importance of study abroad and students‟ independence, but still appear uncertain as to what their role should be and where to access parent-specific resources. Keywords: Study abroad, parental involvement, higher education, international experience Abstracto: Los padres se han vuelto participantes claves en la experiencia de programas de estudio al extranjero. Este estudio examinó de manera constructiva como los padres forman su papel conforme a las relaciones con la institución educativa y sus estudiantes. Específicamente, este estudio se centró en el caso del Learning Abroad Center de la universidad de Minnesota, Twin Cities. Usando varios métodos, la investigadora obtuvo perspectivas de la institución educativa como también de los padres para analizar como el Learning Abroad Center transmite un papel a los padres y los padres cómo forman su propio rol. Además, este estudio examinó si las expectativas de ambos lados se alinean. Las conclusiones demuestran que mantener una relación con el Parent Program Office, mantener comunicación abierta con los padres, y establecer un papel para los padres ha sido crítico para el éxito del Learning Abroad Center con las interacciones con los padres. Estos reconocen la importancia de los estudios al extranjero y la independencia de los estudiantes, pero todavía parece que no están seguros de lo que debe ser su papel y donde se pueden obtener los recursos específicos para los padres. Palabras claves: Estudios al extranjero, participación de los padres, educación superior, experiencia internacional
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    Shadow education in the southeast of South Korea: Mothers' experiences and perspectives of shadow education
    (2014-08) Lee, Soo Kyoung
    This study examines mothers' experiences and perspectives of shadow education in the southeast regions of South Korea, Daegu and Changwon, in the multiple layered sociocultural and historical context of its society. When I was immersed in the mothers' world in those selected regions of South Korea in 2011 and 2012, expenditures on shadow education decreased for the first time. While there was still high demand for shadow education in order to secure "the foothold for better life opportunity", mothers I came across in the selected regions showed ambivalence about the prevalent pervasive shadow education. To fill the gap of literature on Korean shadow education, this study looked at mothers' motives for their children's shadow education and perceptions of social changes including education and family involvement. Their lived experiences and ambivalent feelings toward shadow education were scrutinized in order to understand the Korean shadow education phenomenon from the mothers' viewpoint. The study found that mothers' perspectives on shadow education practices were extremely complex. It is argued that mothers' pursuit of shadow education has been their way to adapt to the rapidly changing education and society. The mother participants perceived their role in their children's education as being most critical and their ways to be involved in their children's education were ever changing. The gendered practice of providing shadow education to children was changed from the image of `mothers watching from behind' to the image of `mothers suggesting ways in front'. What remains the same is, however, the strong connection between prestigious universities and desired occupations. Academic learning was still foundation of all endeavors for school aged children. The complexity of mothers' experiences of shadow education is also found in their ambivalence towards this prevalent phenomenon. Knowing the mothers' ambivalence and concern about educational migration, mothers wished to live in a society where true learning can take place for their children. Unique contributions of this study are to understand mothers' experiences and perceptions of Korean shadow education outside of the capital, Seoul, and mothers' perceptions of the different genres of shadow education. Mothers in the selected regions in the southeast of Korea, Daegu and Changwon, viewed mothers in Seoul as more demanding and motivated to provide shadow education and they legitimized some of their actions of providing extraordinary amounts of shadow education. Their viewpoints of educational environment in different places also went beyond the national border. Seeking a different educational environment abroad was, however, found only in several upper-middle class families who could afford such education. Stratified shadow education also suggests the role of shadow education in reproducing social class through education. Lastly, this study calls for further studies of transnational shadow education through educational migration and other family members' experiences and perspectives of the shadow education phenomenon.
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    Somali parental involvement in education: case studies of two urban public schools in the United States of America
    (2015-03) Farah, Leila A.
    Parental involvement in the education of their children is recognized as a critical issue in education in many countries. The purpose of these case studies is to determine the views of Somali parents and teachers regarding effective parental involvement in the education of Somali-American school children. In addition, two Somali-speaking administrators were interviewed about their personal approach to promoting successful school-family partnerships at their respective schools. Epstein's Overlapping Spheres of Influence Framework (2002) provides the conceptual grounding and starting point to answer this study's guiding question, which is: "What are the factors that shape how school personnel and Somali families view effective parental involvement in the education of Somali children?" Further sub-questions seek to determine the range of opportunities and barriers that the study respondents consider as they reconcile the schools' formal expectations with their own personal expectations and experience.Data collection was driven by case study methodology. Furthermore, the data were triangulated from: (1) face-to-face interviews in English and Somali with 26 respondents (fourteen Somali parents, ten teachers and two school administrators); (2) document analysis, and (3) observation of the interactions of the school administrative staff with parents as well as attendance of a Parent Night event. In this study, three factors that shape how parents and school personnel view effective Somali parental involvement in the education of Somali-American children have emerged. Those factors constitute: active conversations; positive attitude; and student motivation. The former two factors facilitate the third--that is, active conversations and positive attitude promote the student motivation necessary to excel in education and behave appropriately at school. To elaborate, active conversations are verbal dialogues that favor flexibility and problem solving on the part of parents and teachers as they interact to help students take responsibility for their own learning and behavior. However, such conversations are perceived to be driven by preexisting credibility and trust between students, parents, and school personnel that foster reinforcement of the instructional, pedagogical and behavioral goals across the school-home settings.Furthermore, from an organizational perspective, Somali parents, at the two schools under study, engage in a range of activities that map onto four of Epstein's six types of parental involvement (i.e., Parenting, Communicating, Learning at Home, and Collaborating with the Community). In addition, from the perspective of teachers, Somali family participation and presence in the school life of their children falls along a continuum of four levels of parental involvement behaviors: (a) "Invisibility"(failure to participate in school-based activities), (b) "Shallow Involvement" (attend only parent-teacher conferences),(c) "Adequate Involvement" (attend parent-teacher conferences and also maintain contact with school personnel), and (d) "Deep Involvement" (parental involvement that is both school-based and home-based activities that are augmented with parental endorsement of the school and staunch advocacy on behalf of the school).Finally, compared to teachers, Somali parents believe that their children are learning well when they bring home their schoolwork, and when teachers and other school personnel offer school-based solutions that address barriers blocking effective parental support for students. This parental belief is strongest in relation to homework and discipline, without which student interest in school and attentiveness in class are weaker.