Por los Niños: Latine Caregivers' Reflections on Parenting in the Context of Immigration.

Immigrant families face unique challenges, most notably the active negotiation of two cultures not only at the individual level, but also in the context of family relationships. There is limited research exploring how immigrant caregivers of young children, in particular, experience this cultural negotiation in the context of parenting decisions and practices as these relate to their children's development and schooling. The current study sought to understand immigrant parenting from a phenomenological, emic ("inside-out") perspective (Hall et al., 2016) and used grounded theory analysis of focus group data conducted with 74 Spanish-speaking caregivers of preschool-aged children. Results showed three main overarching focal themes: (1) impetus for immigration, (2) individual-level negotiations, and (3) parenting-level negotiations. These themes depicted immigrant parenting as both agentic and resilient in the face of limited financial resources, language barriers, cross-national and cultural differences, and family separation. Caregivers reframed their immigration experiences and overcame struggles por los niños.

"Talk to me": Parent-teacher background similarity, communication quality, and barriers to school-based engagement among ethnoculturally diverse Head Start families.

OBJECTIVE: Primary caregivers (e.g., parents, grandparents, other family members) from low-income and ethnically minoritized families tend to face a host of barriers when participating in their children's school activities. Research suggests that demographic match and quality communication between caregivers and teachers could support minoritized families' school-based engagement. This study examined the associations among caregiver-teacher demographic match, caregivers' perceived communication quality with the teacher and caregivers' perceived barriers to school-based engagement. METHOD: Caregivers (n = 565) from 49 Head Start classrooms completed the parent-report versions of the surveys: Barriers to Family Engagement, reporting resource, cultural/relational, and program/context barriers to school-based engagement; and Family-Teacher Communication, reporting communication quality with their children's lead and assistant teachers (n = 102). Caregivers and teachers also completed demographic surveys to provide information about their family background, such as race/ethnicity, primary language, and education level. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling results showed that among the three demographic match variables (i.e., race/ethnicity, primary language, formal education), only language match was associated with caregivers' perception of fewer cultural/relational barriers. Latine and Black non-Latine caregivers reported more cultural/relational and program/context carriers than White, non-Latine caregivers. Finally, caregivers who perceived better communication with their children's teachers reported fewer cultural/relational and program/context barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Primary language match and high-quality communication between families and teachers appear essential in creating a welcoming preschool environment that could alleviate some of the barriers to engagement typically faced by ethnically minoritized and low-income families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Examination of Chinese immigrant parents' beliefs about children's social development through play: A mixed methods explanatory sequential study.

Currently, despite the rapid growth of the population of Chinese immigrant families and children in the United States, preschool-aged Chinese-heritage children are an underrepresented group in research. The overarching purpose of this project was to provide a deeper understanding of Head Start Chinese immigrant parents' beliefs about children's social-emotional development, the value of play during the preschool period, and the potential role of cultural orientation. The study followed the steps of a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. First, using quantitative data collected from 213 primary caregivers, the study employed a person-centered lens to explore profiles of parents' cultural orientations and beliefs about play and academics in preschool to better understand the association of these profiles to children's social competencies. Next, 34 primary caregivers from the quantitative study participated in in-depth, focus group discussions to further explore parents' perceptions of children's social behaviors, cultural adjustment experiences, and their perceptions about U.S. preschools. Four reliable profiles were resolved quantitatively and showed within-group variations in patterns of Chinese immigrant parents' beliefs and cultural orientations that related differentially to children's social-emotional competencies as evidenced within peer play at home. Qualitative findings corroborated and elaborated the quantitative findings. These results underscored the importance of engaging with Chinese immigrant parents to inform research and program practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Profiles of culturally salient positive parenting practices among urban-residing Black Head Start families.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand within-group variability in positive parenting practices among low-income Black families, the present study, grounded in a multidimensional comparative framework, examined (a) patterns of positive parenting practices among U.S.-born African American parents and Black Caribbean immigrant parents and (b) the extent to which these patterns related to parents' daily family social support, parents' social sensitivities, and children's social-emotional outcomes. METHOD: A person-oriented approach was employed with data from 524 African American and Black Caribbean immigrant parents (mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts/uncles) of preschool-aged children in Head Start. RESULTS: Multistage hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that although the best solution for both ethnic groups was a 5-profile solution, the particular profiles that emerged across the 2 groups were distinct. Further, different parenting practices were salient among the 'high positive parenting' profiles and 'low positive parenting' for African Americans and Caribbean immigrants. In addition, demographic factors (education, gender, and marital status) differentially related to patterns of positive parenting across the 2 ethnic groups, and these patterns of parenting were associated with children's social emotional development and parenting resources in meaningful ways. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the importance of conducting within-group studies that examine variability across ethnocultural groups identified as belonging to the same racial group. Indeed, there was variation in the manifestations of positive parenting within and across the ethnic groups included in this study (i.e., African Americans and Caribbean immigrants) that can inform future research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record

An Emic, Mixed Methods Approach to Defining and Measuring Positive Parenting Among Low-Income, Black Families.

Research Findings: This within-group exploratory sequential mixed methods investigation sought to identify how ethnically diverse, urban-residing, low-income Black families conceptualize positive parenting. During the item development phase 119 primary caregivers from Head Start programs participated in focus groups and interviews. These qualitative data were content analyzed using a three-stage iterative process that resulted in the development of a final set of 72 items for a paper-and-pencil measure. In the measure validation phase of the study initial construct validity of the 72-item measure was assessed with an independent sample of 665 respondents. Common factor analyses revealed five dimensions of positive parenting on the Black Parenting Strengths in Context (BPSC) scale that related in expected ways with other parent self-report measures. Practice and Policy: BPSC dimensions provide initial support for a more nuanced operationalization of positive parenting than currently exists in any single scale for use with this group, and hold promise for better honoring the culture- and context-specific parenting goals and practices that low-income, Black parents subjectively view as important for producing healthy developmental outcomes for their children.

Ecocultural patterns of family engagement among low-income Latino families of preschool children.

For the 5 million low-income Latino children in the United States who are disproportionately impacted by the numerous risk factors associated with poverty, it is essential to identify proximal protective factors that mitigate these risks and bolster the academic and social skills that are foundational to a successful transition into formal schooling. Using ecocultural theory as a lens to guide this work, the present study: (a) described patterns of culture-contextualized family engagement among a low-income, Latino sample, and (b) examined relations between these patterns, family demographic factors, and children's language and social skills in preschool. Across Spanish and English language subsamples, we found evidence that there is heterogeneity in patterns of family engagement within and across language groups, such that different forms of family engagement defined the high engagement profiles in particular. We also found that demographic factors (such as child gender, family structure, and parental education and employment) predicted these patterns differentially across language groups, and that these patterns related to children's social and language skills in meaningful ways. Findings provide directions for future research, theory, and practice with this heterogeneous cultural group. (PsycINFO Database Record

Validation of a culture-contextualized measure of family engagement in the early learning of low-income Latino children.

Given the increased numbers of Latino children entering the U.S. educational system, there is a need to develop culturally contextualized models to understand the ways Latino parents participate in and support their children's school experiences. Current tools used to measure family engagement have been developed primarily with monolingual English-speaking European American families and thus might not accurately capture the engagement behaviors unique to other ethnic and linguistic groups. The present study builds upon prior mixed-methods research, involving a total of 763 Latino parents, which employed an emic approach to understand family engagement conceptualizations for a pan-Latino population and to develop a new measure for use with this heterogeneous group. In this follow-up study, we examined, with an additional 463 Latino caregivers, the construct validity of a revised 43-item measure across 2 language versions: Parental Engagement of Families from Latino Backgrounds (PEFL-English) and Participación Educativa de Familias Latinas (PEFL-Spanish). The 4 dimensions of family engagement empirically identified in the prior development study were confirmed with this multicity, independent sample of low-income Latino families. Family engagement dimensions demonstrated relations with recency of immigration, home language, employment, education, and caregiver age, as well as caregiver-reported levels of social support. Findings are discussed with respect to future directions for early childhood research and practice.

A call for scientifically-rigorous, community-based "actionable intelligence" to promote the academic achievement of African American boys: an introduction to Fantuzzo, LeBoeuf, Rouse, and Chen (2012) and commentaries.

This introduction briefly summarizes the featured article and commentaries making up this commissioned set of papers on the topic of the Black-White achievement gap and, more specifically, risk and protective factors for young African American boys' school success. Each paper highlights important considerations for advancing scholarship, practice, and policy aimed at promoting equity in education. A case is made that in order to advance scientific knowledge of this issue and its application, dialogue across disciplines, methodological traditions, and contexts is needed.

Methodological considerations in using complex survey data: an applied example with the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey.

Complex survey data are collected by means other than simple random samples. This creates two analytical issues: nonindependence and unequal selection probability. Failing to address these issues results in underestimated standard errors and biased parameter estimates. Using data from the nationally representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES; 1997 and 2000 cohorts), three diverse multilevel models are presented that illustrate differences in results depending on addressing or ignoring the complex sampling issues. Limitations of using complex survey data are reported, along with recommendations for reporting complex sample results.

Complex sample data recommendations and troubleshooting.

Complex survey data, as highlighted in this issue of Evaluation Review, provide a wealth of opportunities for answering methodological and/or applied research questions. However, the analytic issues of nonindependence and unequal selection probability must be addressed when analyzing this type of data. Thus, to ensure that research questions are accurately answered when using complex survey data, researchers must take extra precautions to ensure complex survey data are correctly analyzed. The purpose of this article is to provide software recommendations for analysis of and tips on troubleshooting when analyzing complex sample data.

A multidimensional, multilevel examination of mother and father involvement among culturally diverse Head Start families.

In this study we examined the relationships between family demographics and level of satisfaction with school contact as possible determinants of multiple dimensions of family involvement in early childhood education. Participants included 171 urban, Head Start parents (108 mothers and 63 fathers). Results revealed that for mothers, having less than a high school education was negatively associated with levels of home-school conferencing. For fathers, primary language spoken in the home was associated with both levels of home-school conferencing and school-based involvement, with Polish- and Spanish-speaking fathers participating less compared with their English-speaking counterparts. In addition, fathers of boys reported higher levels of home-school conferencing. Involvement at school was significantly associated with level of satisfaction with school contact for both mothers and fathers. Multilevel analyses revealed parent gender and satisfaction as the most salient predictors of involvement at the level of the family. Implications for future research, as well as family involvement practice and policy, are discussed.

Employing community data to investigate social and structural dimensions of urban neighborhoods: an early childhood education example.

The present study sought to define neighborhood context by examining relationships among data from city-level administrative databases at the level of the census block group. The present neighborhood investigation included 1,801 block groups comprising a large, northeastern metropolitan area. Common factor analyses and multistage, hierarchical cluster analyses yielded two dimensions (i.e., Social Stress, Structural Danger) and two typologies (i.e., Racial Composition, Property Structure Composition) of neighborhood context. Simultaneous multiple regression analyses revealed small but statistically significant associations between neighborhood variables and academic outcomes for public school kindergarten children.

Preschool competency in context: an investigation of the unique contribution of child competencies to early academic success.

The present concurrent study combined developmental and ecological considerations to examine the unique contribution of multiple preschool competencies to an indicator of early academic success. Participants included 195 Head Start children from 32 classrooms representative of a large, urban Head Start program. Dimensional (variable-centered) analyses revealed 3 distinct classroom competency dimensions (i.e., General Classroom Competencies, Specific Approaches to Learning, and Interpersonal Classroom Behavioral Problems). The first 2 of these dimensions were found to be uniquely associated with early academic success. Findings from typological (person-centered) analyses supported the dimensional findings. Typological analyses revealed 7 profiles of classroom competency distinguished by high scores on the dimensions of General Competencies and Approaches to Learning, and these profiles were found to relate differentially to the indicator of early academic success.