Strangers in the School: Facilitators and Barriers Regarding Refugee Parental Involvement

Parental involvement has been deemed one of today’s most important topics in educational spheres. Refugee parents face many challenges upon resettling in the US, impacting their engagement in the US educational system. This study explores Muslim refugee parents’ experiences with schools and the faci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Urban review 2020-12, Vol.52 (5), p.924-949
Main Author: Cureton, Ashley E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Barriers
Children & youth
Community and Environmental Psychology
Discrimination
Education
Educational Resources
English language
Families & family life
Foreign Countries
Inclusion
Language Proficiency
Limited English Speaking
Mental health
Migration
Muslims
Parent Participation
Parent School Relationship
Parents & parenting
Refugees
Relocation
School dropouts
School environment
Social Bias
Sociology
Specialists
Stranger Reactions
Students
Teachers
Urban schools
Xenophobia
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Summary:Parental involvement has been deemed one of today’s most important topics in educational spheres. Refugee parents face many challenges upon resettling in the US, impacting their engagement in the US educational system. This study explores Muslim refugee parents’ experiences with schools and the facilitators and barriers for their engagement. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 Muslim refugee parents from Syria and Iraq who resettled to the US. Facilitators of parental involvement included a welcoming and inclusive environment cultivated by educators who shared racial and ethnic similarities to refugee families. Barriers to their involvement included a lack of English language proficiency and discrimination and xenophobia instigated against their children, which caused parents to develop a level of distrust in the school staff. A major resource for educators, mental health specialists, and other stakeholders, this research augments understanding of the experiences of Muslim refugee parents and sheds light on the challenges, needs, and vulnerabilities of this understudied population.
ISSN:0042-0972
1573-1960
DOI:10.1007/s11256-020-00580-0