The perspectives of EL parents on the family-school partnership during remote learning

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 impacted the entire world, including the partnership between English learners' (EL) families and schools. The purpose of the study was to analyze and evaluate the impact of remote learning on EL families and how family-school partnerships were enabled or disabled in the remote learning environment. In this study a questionnaire was distributed to EL parents via social-media, 80 of which met the criteria and completed the survey. An embedded, mixed method, research design was used. SPSS was used to evaluate the quantitative data using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVAs, and t-tests. Blending, including deductive and inductive coding, was used to evaluate the qualitative data. Findings indicated communication and helping students learn at home had the highest average of means, followed by Parenting, Volunteering, and Decision-Making. The findings also indicated that there was no significant statistical difference in the survey responses for parent's education, employment status, years living in the United States, English language level, and EL parent meeting attendance in relation to family-school partnerships during remote learning. Additional findings revealed technology assistance, non-technical supports, the role of parents, and teaching children responsibility helped EL parents feel supported in their efforts to be engaged. Furthermore, technology issues, instructional issues, culture and language barriers, socioemotional issues, and parental challenges were identified as perceived challenges reported by EL families in supporting their children to learn at home while engaged in remote learning. Finally, findings indicated schools' provision of basic needs, technical and instructional support, communication, and planning assistance were ways parents felt most supported in their partnership with their children's school amidst COVID-19. These findings provide valuable insight to policy-makers, administrators, Department of Education and educators, as they can use the information to understand the resources EL families need to effectively partner with their children's school during times of remote learning. This information can provide additional insight so that curriculum developers in higher education and continuing education can review and refine curriculum to address any areas in which additional support may be needed to ensure that home school partnerships with EL families maximize learning opportunities for EL students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)