Involvement of Parents in the Classroom of English Language Learners:
Introduction
The United States is becoming a more diverse community of many different cultures due to the vast influx of immigrants. Notably, among these immigrants are children who will get enrolled in educational institutions. However, since most of them are native speakers of different languages apart from English, they become English-language learners in their schools, which should help them to enhance their communication skills in the latter language (Strauss).
Notably, effective English learning and subsequent academic success require the involvement of parents in the process. It is a fact that when parents are connected to the education of their children, the latter’s grades are expected to be better with time. Also, the learners experience a language barrier, social isolation, and living conditions eliminated naturally as they interact with other students (Avineri et al., 2015). Therefore, it should be the obligation of the educational institutions to ensure that parents to ELLs are involved in the learning process. Nonetheless, there have been increasing concerns about schools failing to take parental involvement seriously. Teachers have developed a culture where parents will be involved in very few issues, such as indiscipline limiting the potential of ELLs in terms of how far they can go in learning English. ELLs are a unique group of students that require all the help they can get within their educational environment that entails the collaboration of all stakeholders; the teachers, parents, and students.
This research paper sought to establish the significance of parental involvement in the classroom of ELLs. The respective research questions include:
1. What are the specific issues affecting the parent to child and parent to school interactions and communications leading to the lack of parental involvement in ELLs’ classroom?
2. What is the school administration and fraternity’s role in influencing ELL parents’ engagement and involvement within the classroom?
3. What can the school administration and the fraternity, in general, do within their jurisdictions to facilitate parental engagement and involvement within the ELL classroom?
The following sections will cover a review of the present literature in relation to the identified objective, the research methodology incorporated, the findings from the data analysis, and the conclusions.
Literature Review on The Involvement of Parents in the Classroom of English Language Learners (ELLs).
According to Niehaus and Adelson (2014), promoting academic and social-emotional wellness has been a primary concern for the educational fraternity made of teachers, administrators, and policymakers. However, a large group of students is still lagging concerning these aspects. The English language learners (ELLs) often experience challenges learning successfully within the English-only classroom considering that they grow speaking other native languages apart from English. These students require more language support programs to handle the academic and socio-economic challenges and achieve higher levels of success and well-being. Parental involvement is one of the critical factors connected to an ELL student’s achievement since they help ameliorate various concerns these children have, including establishing any intervention efforts to offer Helpance to the student (Niehaus & Adelson, 2014).
While the researchers have acknowledged that parental involvement in ELL education, it is prudent to understand parents’ perception towards the matter. According to Wati (2016), parental involvement in ELLs’ classrooms is an issue that has attracted a wide range of views. From their study, they found out that parents hold positive attitudes towards their students learning foreign languages. According to the parents, English is a pivotal subject as it is one of the requirements for pursuing further education, accessing employment, gaining knowledge and information for effective communication (Wati, 2016). This perspective creates a conducive environment for learning.
The second view is that regardless of one’s education level and income level, one will need to provide Helpance and encourage their children in their studies as a parent. Finally, the parent will avail diverse kinds of involvement, including helping the students to review the lessons, homework help, memorizing vocabulary, and enrolling them into an English course for learning engagements (Wati, 2016). While some parents cannot afford to pay for the services offered in foreign language learning facilities, they remain enthusiastic about encouraging their children to learn and involve others where Helpance is needed.
Kalayci and Oz (2018) outline what the parental involvement activities would entail so that ELLs benefit. The study emphasizes constructing a partnership with the teachers to reinforce the learner’s achievement and promote the equality of education. From the survey conducted by Kalayci and Oz (2018), parents’ and teachers’ relations are fundamental for the high level of information exchange between the two focusing on improving the learner’s educational environment when learning English. Its quantitative results also indicate that parents guide their children while studying instead of providing direct answers. This ensures the children develop their independence skills and cultivate responsible behaviors. The direct correlation of parental involvement to school support will reduce anxiety among the student, lead to better social, emotional, and academic outcomes fundamental to developing their English language.
Vera et al.’s (2012) study contribute to the knowledge base focused on understanding parents’ patterns to ELLs, specifically their educational involvement. Their research indicated that parental involvement was mainly at home, where they Helped in doing homework and asking how their day was at school. The use of community resources was the least common type of parental involvement due to the lack of resources and the ease of accessing these resources. Anecdotally, the study indicated that it is seldom for these resources to be unavailable. Instead, it is more likely that they are considered too expensive and issues such as language barriers limiting how the parents could use them.
Besides, Vera et al. (2012) indicated that it is essential that the reasons for the underutilization of resources are identified and whether they constitute the challenges that could be solved for effective language development programs. Notably, Vera et al. (2012) stated that the most common barriers were linguistic, the lack of familiarity with the educational systems, and the desire to not interfere with the teachers’ work. It is essential that parents are educated on the educational systems and how they could be more involved in English language learning.
Arias and Morillo-Campbell (2008) stated that parental involvement in ELLs classrooms is also faced with several challenges that limit the extent of benefits that can be attained. These barriers include school-based barriers such as the deficit perspective, a unidirectional approach to parental involvement, and a negative school environment. The deficit perspective entails educators viewing culturally and linguistically diverse students and families as a problem instead of looking into their deficiencies and solving them as they work with the diverse population (Arias & Morillo-Campbell, 2008). According to Arias and Morillo-Campbell, 2008), many educators have assumed that the lack of parental participation is proof of a lack of interest from the ELL families, which is wrong. The schools have also limited their approaches to parental involvement such that they focus on what parents can do to offer support to the school or the support for academic achievements instead of what the school could do to support the families, the non-traditional parental involvement approaches that focus on informal activities such as nurturing, teaching cultural values having talks with children and ensuring that they are neat and rested as they go to school (Arias & Morillo-Campbell, 2008). Notably, their research suggested several measures that could be taken for effective parental involvement, including developing a school environment that is welcoming and receptive to all parents, streamlined communication across all stakeholders, and streamlined logistics.
Critique on the Literature
The presented literature consistently indicated the positive perception that parents and even the school fraternity have towards their involvement in ELLs’ classrooms. Parents understand that their student’s academic achievements rely on their efforts towards supporting their children. It remains evident that parents to ELLs have greater aspirations for their children’s education success despite not having access to this opportunity. The current research also explored what parental involvement entails, the activities incorporated, any challenges faced, and the solutions recommended to reach high effectiveness levels. This provides a holistic picture of what the English learning experience is for the ELLs, thus forming a solid foundation for further research.
Notably, while this research provides a rich and fundamental knowledge base, there is still a lack of seriousness from schools to provide an environment that will foster parental involvement in ELLs’ classrooms. A research gap on what schools can implement that will see parental involvement increase to tremendous levels exists. In a bid to fill this research gap, I, Zihan, conduct a research process of data collection and analyze the information collected to inform the study’s findings and conclusions.
Research Methodology
Research Design
This research will primarily incorporate the correlational research design to determine the relationship between the variables using statistical data. The research will seek to identify any trends and patterns within the data (WSSU, 2021). The data, relationships, and the variables’ distribution are studied solely in their natural settings without any manipulation.
The meta-analysis research design is to be incorporated within this research where a systematic Assessment and summary of results from several individual studies is done. This design intends to increase the overall sample size and the researcher’s capacity to study their interest effects. Therefore, the researcher will not just be summarizing the knowledge but developing a new understanding of the research problem through synoptic reasoning (University of South Carolina, 2021). This meta-analysis’s primary objective is to analyze differences in the results presented in various studies and increase the precision in the estimated effects. Notably, for the researcher to have a well-designed meta-analysis, there will be strict adherence to criteria selected u identifying the studies and the available information within each study to analyze the findings appropriately.
Data Collection and Data Analysis
The internet provides several channels for the collection of data. In this case, online surveys will be explicitly conducted through the online research communities (Questionpr.com, 2019). These communities provide a considerable number of respondents in this research. The primary respondent to be considered is school representatives such as administrators and teachers, the ELL parents and ELL students. These participants are expected to answer a survey questionnaire with questions tailored to collect the relevant information. Additionally, the findings presented by the secondary sources selected for the meta-analysis will be identified concerning the research topic.
Descriptive analysis will be incorporated to analyze the survey information, which entails analyzing the complete data. It will mainly consider percentage and frequency since it will be handling categorical data. A systematic review of the identified secondary sources’ findings will also be incorporated to find the similarities and differences in relation to this research topic. The whole findings will inform this research and answer the research questions.
Findings
Summary
The research demonstrated the need for parent involvement in the English Language Learners’ classroom (ELL). The survey method was used as the primary data collection technique. The method mainly focused on the impact of parents’ involvement in the English classroom, especially in performance and productivity. The survey exercise was carried out by Zihan, an undergraduate student at Penn University with an in-depth understanding of the social sciences. The exercise took into account a sample of 24 males and 22 females. These individuals provided answers to the main research question on parents’ and teachers’ involvement in the English classroom and how parents and teachers play an essential role in coordination and cooperation in the English classroom.
The study consisted of 12 multiple choices and eight short response questions. The multiple-choice questions’ main advantage is that they give the users a chance to select more than one option on parents’ and teachers’ involvement in the English classroom. The research was very beneficial towards both parents and students, especially in promoting interaction and understanding in learning. The study further played an essential role in the Indian findings section. Zihan provided a consent form, which allowed participants to participate or withdraw from the study voluntarily. The most important aspect of the study is that the participants were also given a chance to participate and withdraw anytime they wished. The study was of great importance, especially in providing teachers and learners with participatory skills to improve their performance. The study also provided several strategies applied by teachers in collaborating with parents to improve learners’ performance and productivity. Finally, the research exercise was designed to help teachers deliver information wisely and in a more understandable way to prevent negative attitudes by learners towards different subjects.
Discussion
Research Methodology
The primary research method used in the research was the survey technique. It involved both genders, the male and the female. When the survey process was ongoing, the participants gave various responses on parents’ involvement in the English learning classroom. The questions, however, were about parent-teacher cooperation and how both can work on improving the performance, and productivity of the English learning students, especially when it comes to environment adaptability and social and psychological development. The questionnaire consisted of 12 multiple choice questions and eight response questions. The questions focused on the underlying factors related to parents’ and teachers’ coordination in the classroom. Some of the questions asked during the survey included those derived from the literature review conducted before the study, including:
1. What is the parents’ role when the child is at home for the holiday?
2. How can English learning students be evaluated compared to students whose English is the first language?
3. What is the role of teachers in English learning students?
4. How can a parent get information and use the information about an English learning student?
5. What should a parent do to improve the performance of the English learning student?
6. Can teachers and parents collaborate to Help the English learning students?
7. What are the psychological impacts of an English learning student to a new environment, and how can parents work towards environmental adaptability.
8. What are the barriers to parental involvement in ELL?
The survey questions’ main goal was to comprehend the significance of parent involvement in English language learners and how students respond to the learning process. The findings were based on evaluating whether parents’ involvement in English language learning plays any significant role in improving the quality of education. The participants took part in the “mock session,” which incorporated both parents’ and teachers’ English learning learners.
The study had several benefits, including the fact that the participants were allowed to withdraw or participate in the study and the right voluntarily. They also had the freedom to accept or decline taking part in the survey. The participants were also provided with constant information and were advised to contact Zahan for any inquiries, feedback, or need for information. Furthermore, the contact information Helps in contact concerning quitting or any changes made concerning participation in the study. Any concerns were to be relayed through an email address given to them at the beginning of the study. The survey results were analyzed through Survey Monkey. It was critical in calculating the survey results by considering the top research questions, cross-tabulating the results, crunch numbers, and conclusion. Furthermore, they were presented in tables.
Research Findings
The survey study’s primary purpose was to provide a vivid discussion on parents’ role in school management, especially in facilitating education and improvement of student performance. Teachers for ELLs were the most involved in the survey study since they were the most engaged with them and had more experience. Furthermore, the ELL teachers were better positioned to tell whether parental involvement with students and teachers plays an essential role in the student’s overall productivity and performance. The questionnaires provided critical information, which helped solve the central issue in which schools do not take parents’ role in students’ education and performance seriously. Over the years, parents have only been involved in other school matters such as discipline cases and academics. This is considered very wrong, especially now that parental involvement enhances faster student’s adaptability in schools. According to the study’s findings, the English learning students require parental support for high performance compared to how they need their teachers, which was a presumption before the study.
The study looks deeper into the importance of parent involvement, especially in Helping the ELL learner in adjusting to the learning environment as fast as possible, primarily due to the culture shock and being from different and low cultural backgrounds compared to students whose first language is English. The ELL students require parental help mainly because, according to psychology, their cognitive development is not fully developed. Parental help is essential, especially in Helping the student’s transition to the next phase or learning environment faster and easier without affecting their productivity and performance. However, the new ELL student should be given time to adjust and some particular time for training and being taught about everything concerning the new learning environment and the living conditions they need to get familiar with.
The study also provided that the ELL students go through culture shock. This affects their classroom performance and social lives and the relationships with the rest of the students, especially the English-dominant students. ELL students are dealing with freedom of self-expression in the classroom, which can be attributed to fear of victimization from teachers and other children. Examples include Hispanic children. Furthermore, teachers should practice equality, and avoid being discriminatory, when it comes to treating the ELL students, for instance, in offering discipline, rewarding students, and asking a question. The study helped the teachers understand their English language learners’ roles, including cultivating a good relationship, being culturally responsive to avoid discrimination, and altering sensitive words.
Emphasizing productive language and empowering ELL through blogs. Also, the ELL teachers can speak slowly for the students to understand, use multiple modalities, integrate technology, and offer educational counseling sessions and rewards. Parental involvement, however, supplements teachers’ involvement and Helps the student in adapting and learning the language fast, which improves the student’s performance and productivity. Furthermore, parental involvement reduces the level of emotional issues that the learner may face since parents offer social-emotional support, promoting their performance. The most common barriers of parental involvement in ELL are language barriers, not wanting to interfere with teachers’ jobs, lack of knowledge concerning the United States educational system, stress, and pressure from other responsibilities at home. The following table shows the mean, observed range of scores, and standard deviation of parents’ involvement in the English language learning classroom.
Table 1: Various measures of parents’ involvement in English language learning classroom
Conclusion
Parental involvement in English language learning is highly significant. It encourages the learner to develop a sense of belonging, confide in the parent concerning the new environment, and develop resilience, especially towards petty comments and bullying that may affect new recruiters learners. Importantly, parents should be trained on overcoming various barriers that lead to involvement in ELL students, such as being destroyed by other responsibilities or language barriers. Parent involvement in ELL is critical and requires being studied in-depth, especially on parental involvement barriers and psychological impacts.
Notably, this research acknowledges the need for further research to handle the troubled landscape of literary achievement and cast light on the fundamental need to expand access to evidence-based instructions and interventions. Parents come from different backgrounds and live completely different lives. Therefore, parents must understand how they could individually be involved in the ELL classroom for better achievement.
References
Avineri, Netta, Eric Johnson, Shirley Brice‐Heath, Teresa McCarty, Elinor Ochs, Tamar Kremer‐Sadik, Susan Blum et al. (2015). “Invited forum: Bridging the “language gap”.” Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 25, no. : 66-86.
Arias, M. B., & Morillo-Campbell, M. (2008). Promoting ELL Parental Involvement: Challenges in Contested Times. Online Submission.
Kalaycı, G., & Öz, H. (2018). Parental involvement in English language education: Understanding parents’ perception.
Niehaus, K., & Adelson, J. L. (2014). School support, parental involvement, and academic and social-emotional outcomes for English language learners. American Educational Research Journal, 51(4), 810-844.
Vera, E. M., Israel, M. S., Coyle, L., Cross, J., Knight-Lynn, L., Moallem, I., … & Goldberger, N. (2012). Exploring the educational involvement of parents of English learners. School Community Journal, 22(2), 183-202.
Wati, S. (2016, January). Parental Involvement and English Language Teaching to Young Learners: Parents’ Experience in Aceh. In Proceeding of International Conference on Teacher Training and Education (Vol. 1, No. 1).
Strauss, Valerie. “Is Parent Involvement In School Really Useful?.” The Washington Post. N.p., 2013. Web. 11 February 2021. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/06/is-parent-involvement-in-school-really-useful/?utm_term=.4382ed5d3d36
