Hearing the Unheard: Perspectives of Indian and Pakistani Immigrant Parents on Their Involvement in Their Children's Schools
[Thesis]
Siddiqui, Ghazala
Henning, Mary Beth
Northern Illinois University
2019
192 p.
Ed.D.
Northern Illinois University
2019
This study explored the perspectives of Indian and Pakistani first generation immigrant parents on how they are involved in their children's schools and the dynamics that influenced the involvement. It utilized the frameworks of both cultural-ecological theory and self-efficacy theory. The study has a qualitative design and data was collected through semi-structured interviews of 12 males and females parents who belonged to different age groups, socioeconomic levels, and diverse backgrounds from India and Pakistan followed by a second interview. Findings from this study demonstrated that the first-generation Indian and Pakistani immigrant parents are involved in schools in myriad ways. Their involvement is not limited to their physical presence in school but is present in consistently supporting their children in and out of school, attending school events, participating in the Parent-Teacher Association, teacher/parent conferences, and volunteering whenever they can. Parents' recommendations for encouraging their participation, significantly included organizing school events in the evening after work hours, sharing knowledge of resources and choices available in school, having an interpreter and cultural liaison available, providing parent classes for language development, and intercultural sensitivity and cultural coaching for teachers and other school staff. The study also provided valuable suggestions to bridge the gap between the school staff and parents for providing the best educational resources and opportunities for the students.