PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT OF EASTERN EUROPEAN IMMIGRANT PARENTS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ONTARIO by Max Antony-Newman A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Max Antony-Newman, 2018 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT OF EASTERN EUROPEAN IMMIGRANT PARENTS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ONTARIO Max Antony-Newman Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This study focuses on the parental involvement among Eastern European immigrant parents of elementary school students in Ontario. Immigrant parents are shaped by their own educational experiences in home countries and face particular challenges to be involved in the education of their children who attend schools in the immigrant-receiving nations due to language barriers and low familiarity with the new school system. I collected my data through interviews with parents and the analysis of parental involvement documents in Ontario. The analysis was informed by the concepts of social and cultural capital developed by Pierre Bourdieu. I found that Eastern European immigrant parents see their role supporting children mainly in the home by emphasizing academic achievement and extracurricular activities. Interviewed parents grew up in countries with strict boundaries between school and family, as a result they often do not see volunteering and taking part in decision making in Ontario schools as meaningful for them. Although most parents possess high levels of cultural capital there was a variation in the amount of social capital available to immigrant parents. Those who managed to recreate rich social networks in the new country communicated with teachers more successfully and were satisfied with school. The critical analysis of policy documents showed that despite the shift towards acknowledging different types of involvement more value is still given to school-based activities, which makes the immigrant parental involvement less visible. The results of the study will enable educators and policy makers to pay more nuanced attention to the involvement ii among immigrant parents for better achievement and well-being of all children in Ontario classrooms. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Working on this research project was an enlightening and enjoyable experience and I would like to thank the people who helped me along the way. First, I am extremely grateful to my supervisor Diane Gérin-Lajoie for all her support and guidance over the last four years. Diane was instrumental in the development of my thesis, provided in-depth feedback on my analysis and writing, and always shared her insights, which allowed me to become a better researcher. Additionally, Diane helped me to navigate the graduate program at OISE by providing advice and encouragement. My very strong appreciation also goes to my committee members, Professors Jim Cummins and Joseph Flessa. Their vast experience in researching culturally and linguistically diverse communities helped me a lot with the research design and editing process. I would like to thank my 19 participants who found time to answer my questions. They were exceptionally interested in helping my research for the benefit of immigrant parents and their children by raising awareness about the unique experiences of immigrant parents and their involvement in children’s schooling. The success of my research would not have been possible without the unconditional support of my wife Marina and my two sons Mark and Martin. They had to put up with my long absences from home during the fieldwork, multiple evenings I spent transcribing interviews and writing the dissertation. Their generous nature and cheerful characters helped our family throughout this intense journey. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my parents and relatives for their understanding and all my OISE peers for stimulating conversations we had over the years. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 Research questions and description of empirical study ................................................................... 5 Eastern European immigrant parents in context .............................................................................. 7 Overview of the thesis ..................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2. Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 10 Parental involvement: Three scholarly approaches ....................................................................... 10 Parental involvement among immigrant parents: What does research say? .................................. 18 Immigrant status and parental involvement ................................................................................... 22 Eastern European immigrant parents and students in Canadian schools: post-socialist identity versus White privilege .............................................................................................................................. 29 Where do Eastern European immigrant parents fit? ...................................................................... 33 Theoretical framework: Parental involvement as capital .............................................................. 35 Chapter 3. Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 46 Policy document analysis .............................................................................................................. 48 Interviews ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Empirical study .............................................................................................................................. 54 Chapter 4. Portraits of participants .......................................................................................................... 62 Leo and Jarmila (Czech Republic) ................................................................................................ 63 Petra (Hungary) ............................................................................................................................. 65 Terezia (Slovakia) .......................................................................................................................... 66 Karina (Romania) .......................................................................................................................... 67 Yana and Stephan (Ukraine) .......................................................................................................... 68 Tina (Macedonia) ........................................................................................................................... 70 Andrea (Serbia) .............................................................................................................................. 71 Ioana (Romania) ............................................................................................................................ 72 Nevena (Bulgaria) .......................................................................................................................... 73 Victor (Serbia) ............................................................................................................................... 74 Eva (Bulgaria) ................................................................................................................................ 75 Maria (Russia) ............................................................................................................................... 76 Marina (Romania) .......................................................................................................................... 77 Roman and Kira (Ukraine) ............................................................................................................ 78 Oleksandr and Irina (Ukraine) ....................................................................................................... 79 Chapter 5. Ontario policies on parental involvement: Myth or reality for immigrant parents? .............. 81 Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 81 Description of policy documents ................................................................................................... 85 Conceptualizations of parental involvement in Ontario policy documents ................................... 99 How parents and parents’ involvement are represented in policy documents ............................. 107 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 113 Chapter 6. Parental involvement among Eastern