If the educational agenda No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is to be successful, teachers, parents and children from all cultural backgrounds have to be involved in the implementation process. This idea of NCLB Act clearly identified with the purpose of this study, which was focused on the evaluation of the parenting practices of Nigerian immigrant parenting practices in preparing their children for college. Five basic parenting theoretical approaches were employed by the researcher to gather, collect and analyze the data. The researcher interviewed and observed the environment of sixteen Nigerian immigrant parents on how they prepare their children for college. One school administrator and one school teacher were interviewed to evaluate their own perception of how Nigerian immigrant parents prepare their children for college. The major results of the findings were proactive parenting strategies. These included Cultural Orientation; Immigrant Experience; Surviving in the United States; Strong Parental Background; Early Childhood Education; Early Emphasis on Education; Close Interest in Children; Regular Supervision of Children; Preservation of Indigenous Culture; Supportive Family Collaboration; Strong Involvement in School Activities; Involvement in Community Organizations; Comparing of the Cultural Values in the United States and Nigeria; and Early Emphasis on Education. The study provided specific recommendations to assist teachers and school administrators in providing support to Nigerian immigrant parents as they prepare their children for college. Suggestions for additional research were provided. The concluding statement hinged on the idea that there are several factors that Nigerian immigrant parents consider beyond the conventional levels in preparing their children for college. Ultimately, proactive parenting is an innovative strategy that demonstrated that all children benefited maximally from the motivation of parents, expertise of teachers and the resources in the environment.

The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore the program “Bredsands Brobyggare,” which aims to increase immigrant parents’ involvement and participation in their children’s schooling. This was achieved by studying how the “bridge builders” experience relationship building with the parents and what strategies they use while working with the target group, as well as how these strategies are considered to affect the parents’ involvement in school. In the thesis, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with service providers working in the investigated program. The results were analyzed from a hermeneutic abductive approach through a thematic analysis. Dempsey and Sandler’s theoretical model of motivational sources for parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling is the theoretical framework underlying the analysis. The results showed that the bridge builders used their cultural-understanding ability to build a relationship with the parents and increased other professionals’ awareness and understanding of their difficulties and needs. Furthermore, after establishing a relationship with the parents, the bridge builders used other approaches, such as a strength-based approach and the implementation of individualized support according to the parents’ needs, aiming to create a stable line of communication between school and home, which in turn can potentially develop parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling. / Det övergripande syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska programmet "Bredsands Brobyggare" vars syfte är att öka utrikesfödda föräldrars engagemang och delaktighet i sina barns skolgång. Detta genom att studera hur yrkesutövarna, de så kallade "brobyggarna", upplever relationsbyggandet med föräldrarna och vilka strategier de använder i arbetet med målgruppen, samt hur dessa strategier anses påverka föräldrarnas delaktighet i skolan. I uppsatsen genomförs fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesutövare som arbetar inom den undersökta verksamheten. Resultatet analyserades utifrån en hermeneutisk abduktiv ansats, genom en tematisk innehållsanalys. Den teoretiska ramen som ligger till grund för analysen är Dempsey and Sandlers teoretiska modell om motivationskällor för föräldrars delaktighet i barnets skolgång. Resultatet visar att yrkesutövarna använder sig av relationsskapande och andra förhållningssätt vid arbete med föräldrar som har en invandrarbakgrund. Specifikt indikerar resultatet att brobyggarna använder sig av sin kulturell-förståelse förmåga, både för att bygga en relation med föräldrarna samt för att öka övrig personals medvetenhet och förståelse av föräldrarnas svårigheter och behov. Efter etablering av relation med föräldrarna, använder brobyggarna andra förhållningssätt till exempel som ett styrkebaserat förhållningssätt samt implementering av individualiserat stöd enligt föräldrars behov, detta i syfte att skapa en stabil linje av kommunikation mellan skolan och hemmet som i sin tur kan tänkas utveckla föräldrars delaktighet i sina barns skolgång.

No description available.

The study examines how the family, peers, and sociocultural environment at school in primary schools in South Africa perpetuated divergent gendered experiences among immigrant learners. A qualitative narrative inquiry was used during the study. Snowball sampling was used to select the participants for the study. The study drew on a narrative account of 27 participants, 18 immigrant children (9 girls and 9 boys) and nine teachers (6 women and 3 men) from three primary schools in the Johannesburg East District. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and observations were used as instruments to collect data from the participants. Collected data from the semi-structured, in-depth interviews and observations was analysed using thematic content analysis and was presented by using illustrative quotes. The study revealed that the school is a highly gendered place and serves to propagate gendered experiences among immigrant children in school between girls and boys. The findings of the study have significant implications for stake holders at all levels in education. It is recommended that school principals should ensure that teachers and administrators are familiar with both the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the school’s policies and regulations that address gender, sexual harassment, immigration issues, school violence, and bullying. Improved perception of immigrant children and gender quality in schools will contribute to a positive school environment which may lead to increased positive wellbeing and academic performance to all learners regardless of gender and country of origin. / Educational Studies / D. Phil. (Socio-Education)