Korean Mothers’ Perspectives of Schooling in the United States

Korean Mothers’ Perspectives of Schooling in the United States

  The purpose of this emic study is to understand the perspectives of Korean mothers of elementary students on the schooling of their children in the United States. Six Korean mothers who have first grade children in a small Northwest town served as a purposeful sample for in-depth qualitative interviews. Data revealed three major themes: mothers’perspectives of (1) the teacher and the classroom environment, (2) their roles as parents in the education of their children, and (3) the relationship and communication between home and school. The findings revealed that most of the Korean mothers expected the school teachers to be aware of their language and culture. In addition, the mothers used home literacy activities to help their children develop a positive self-identity as well as sustain Korean culture. In terms of the relationship between home and school, the mothers were concerned about the difficulty of communication and cultural gaps with the teachers and schools. This study is a call for schools and teachers to be more responsive, as it provides key insights into the interplay of culture, language, and schooling that must be understood by educators, parents, as well as researchers.