Hard-to-Reach Schools? Discrimination Experienced by Parents with a Migrant Background. A Participatory Research Approach
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| Title: | Hard-to-Reach Schools? Discrimination Experienced by Parents with a Migrant Background. A Participatory Research Approach |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sabine Weiss, Jessica Lindner, Ewald Kiel |
| Source: | Pedagogy, Culture and Society. 2025 33(4):1353-1371. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Immigrants, Social Discrimination, Educational Discrimination, Parent Attitudes, Stereotypes, Expectation, Access to Information, Barriers, Family Characteristics, Parent School Relationship |
| Geographic Terms: | Germany |
| DOI: | 10.1080/14681366.2024.2361853 |
| ISSN: | 1468-1366 1747-5104 |
| Abstract: | This study investigated the discrimination experienced by parents with a migrant background in German schools. For this, we shifted the perspective from speaking about to speaking with parents using the critical incident technique as a participatory research approach. The sample included 40 parents from 20 countries of origin, with different languages of origin who had lived in Germany for between two and ten years. The most frequently reported experiences were of low expectations of competence, stereotypical attributions and the deliberate withholding of information. Parents described the pathologising of behaviours due to their family backgrounds that was equated with problem behaviour and the need for treatment. Additionally, school staff alleged that parents were unable or unwilling to support their children in academic matters, giving their 'migrant status' as justification. Schools did not offer opportunities for clarification or made it a requirement to seek expert opinion on a child's mental health before providing opportunities for clarification. Further discriminatory effects, such as the outcomes of self-fulfilling prophecies; feelings of humiliation, helplessness and exclusion; and the fear of being disadvantaged, became evident, which exhausted families mentally and physically. The discussed implications aim at establishing concepts that raise awareness of discrimination and the consequences. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494018 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | This study investigated the discrimination experienced by parents with a migrant background in German schools. For this, we shifted the perspective from speaking about to speaking with parents using the critical incident technique as a participatory research approach. The sample included 40 parents from 20 countries of origin, with different languages of origin who had lived in Germany for between two and ten years. The most frequently reported experiences were of low expectations of competence, stereotypical attributions and the deliberate withholding of information. Parents described the pathologising of behaviours due to their family backgrounds that was equated with problem behaviour and the need for treatment. Additionally, school staff alleged that parents were unable or unwilling to support their children in academic matters, giving their 'migrant status' as justification. Schools did not offer opportunities for clarification or made it a requirement to seek expert opinion on a child's mental health before providing opportunities for clarification. Further discriminatory effects, such as the outcomes of self-fulfilling prophecies; feelings of humiliation, helplessness and exclusion; and the fear of being disadvantaged, became evident, which exhausted families mentally and physically. The discussed implications aim at establishing concepts that raise awareness of discrimination and the consequences. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1468-1366 1747-5104 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/14681366.2024.2361853 |
