How parents engaged and inspired their young children to learn science in the later years: A story of 11 immigrant parents in Australia Sarika Kewalramania*, Sivanes Phillipsonb, Nish Belforda aMonash University, Melbourne, Australia, bSwinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia 6. Conclusions 1. Research Question How can immigrant parents influence their young children to learn science in the later years?
4. Research Context and Multiple Case study Methodology
2. Visualizing the ‘gap’
• Three public secondary schools in Western Metro Region (WMR) of Melbourne, Victoria • Of similar Index of Community SocioEducational Advantage (ICSEA) value • Parental cultural background– Mostly populated ethnic groups in WMR such as Indians, Vietnamese (Asian) and Italians, Serbians, Spanish (Mediterranean)
• Parents are critical components of their child’s environment and mediate their participation and engagement in science-related academic endeavors. • Parents’ contribution to children’s science engagement and learning is not only directly through their beliefs, values and high aspirations which they pass on, but also indirectly through their own prior to migration schooling experiences. These experiences influence how parents engage their children in learning science. • We call this engagement as ‘science nurture’ and provide a sociocultural framework for understanding the nexus between parental beliefs, values and practices and the influence it has in nurturing young children’s science engagement
• First and second generation immigrant families • Semi structured interviews with 11 parents
Figure 1. Visualizing the Gap in literature
5. Findings Thematic data analysis of the semi-structured interviews with eleven immigrant parents, revealed the following themes: Themes
3. Theoretical framework • In drawing upon Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory, parents being the more knowledgeable other, are considered as mediators in developing young children’s engagement with science concepts. • Everyday parent–child interactions that contributes to young children’s engagement in learning science and future educational choices. • Children’s mental abilities could emerge during childhood from parents’ influence, and can be shaped by norms, educational values and related practices that children share within their home environment
Parental beliefs and values motivates children to engage in learning science
Parents’ past educational experiences shapes children’s science-related endeavours
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Familial everyday practices develops children’s science learning aptitude
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Parental Perspectives
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Science literacy dominates the culture very much. So Nick was always part of all of those types of scientific excursions, nature and sustainability Our family values studying science at school.
Just study computers and the emerging technology is on computers. So maybe Zani should study science at school for a better future and for employability prospects. My parents wanted and told me you can become a doctor. Science is a subject where you keep many doors open for you to do whatever you want in future.
Meher likes science fiction, about the planets, stars, cars, we bring those kind of books from the library when he was in grade 3. I think he will be interested in studying medical or mechanical engineering.
Figure 2. Sociocultural framework for understanding young children’s ‘science nurture’
7. Recommendations • This study argues to consider the significant role of parents as mediators towards shaping and henceforth nurturing young children’s academic rigour in participating into science tasks at school. • Equally, schools and teachers should be encouraged to value students’ background, familial contexts, home learning experiences right from the start of pre-school. • Such information can provide an important source of evidence for school improvement and development planning to improve the chances of students’ participation in science activities and tasks.
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