Role Perceptions and Responsibilities in Children's Early Childhood Education: A Case Study of Indian Migrants in Melbourne

Authors

  • Sweta Patel Research Scholar, Monash University, Victoria
  • Joseph Seyram Agbenyega Department of Early Childhood Education, Monash University, Victoria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52634/mier/2014/v4/i1/1479

Keywords:

Role Perception, Indian Migrants, Early Childhood Education.

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores Indian migrant parents' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in relation to their children's early year education (ECE) in Australia. The study involves face to face in-depth interviews with a small sample of six parents who had migrated to Australia not more than five years ago and had children attending an Australian ECE. We explored their participation in their children's education, the factors that prevented or facilitated their engagement, including how they perceived their parental roles and responsibilities. A framework analysis of the data points to limited participation of the parents in their children's education in spite of several opportunities for involvement as they felt that their children's teachers had more power than them. In addition, the parents were not quite happy with the schools regarding behaviour management strategies the teachers employed for reducing children's misbehaviour. Based on the findings we argue for early childhood teachers to build effective partnerships between migrant parents and promote effective education for all children.

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Published

2014-05-10

How to Cite

Patel, S., & Agbenyega, J. S. (2014). Role Perceptions and Responsibilities in Children’s Early Childhood Education: A Case Study of Indian Migrants in Melbourne. MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends and Practices, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.52634/mier/2014/v4/i1/1479

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