Multicultural parentschool collaboration: Perspectives of pedagogical leaders in preschools on communicating with nonnative parents who do not speak Icelandic

Abstract

The 2011 curriculum for Icelandic preschools stresses the importance of parentschool collaboration as well as equal rights. In a rapidly changing multicultural society, Icelandic preschool teachers face new challenges, for increased immigration has meant that more parents do not speak Icelandic. This article addresses Icelandic preschool division or group leaders’ experiences communicating with those parents. The article stems from a quantitative study conducted in 2012 and an M.Ed. thesis based on its findings. A questionnaire was sent to 91 preschools in Iceland (with a total of 381 age groups or divisions) to establish professional experience of pedagogical leaders in this area. Many factors shape the guidelines of preschool education and the work of teachers, such as education laws, the national and school curricula, operation management and teacher unions – which provide job descriptions for preschool teachers who lead a division within their school. Parentschool collaboration and the teacher’s responsibility in that collaboration are also vital ingredients. Collaboration and good communication with nonnative parents who do not speak the native language are crucial for these children´s education. Several studies show that sometimes teachers need to show initiative and use different means to reach out to parents. Professional selfesteem and selfknowledge is also essential to communicate efficiently in a multicultural school environment. Studies also stress the importance of respect for nonnative families, their culture, religion, values and expectations. The value of a common language is also significant since nonnative parents of preschool children can find the language the biggest obstacle in parentschool collaboration. In fact, their capacity to understand and express themselves in Icelandic is often lower than their children’s. These parents’ low Icelandic proficiency can also affect their knowledge and understanding of school activities as relayed by their children. This can create insecurity amongst parents and therefore a gap that head teachers should attempt to bridge. Parents’ insecurity should not be translated as lack of interest in their children’s education. For successful communication with nonnative parents who do not speak Icelandic, teachers need both the means and support. In this article several aspects are investigated, highlighting professional support of coworkers, directors and school authorities. Accessibility of means includes the assistance of interpreters as well as head teachers’ knowledge of what support is available in their community. How school authorities perform in introducing means and support to both parents and teachers is also important. The study’s main finding is that the experience of pedagogical leaders in Icelandic preschools in communicating with immigrant parents is positive. Most have used an interpreter and are quite resourceful in finding ways to communicate with parents. The support of coworkers and directors seems adequate as well. However, a small percentage feel that this communication is not going well, and this seems to relate to insufficient support and personal insecurity. However, most leaders do find themselves to be rather secure in communicating with these parents, although some believe that the parents are less secure. The findings also suggest that the local school authorities are not succeeding in giving enough information to the teachers regarding the means of support and materials available to them. This research sheds light on multicultural aspects of homeschool collaboration in connection with equality and democracy in the new curriculum.