Author’s argument
From the article ‘How African American parents understand their teachers role in children’s schooling and what this means for pre-service teachers,’ the author tries to illustrate the importance of parent involvement in the transition of their children into early childhood education. This means that the education of the child does not depend entirely on the teachers. This article proofs that there is a need for the educators of the pre-service teachers to actively integrate the parents within the education system (Fabienne, 2009, p.123).
Theoretical influences
In demonstrating the role of parents’ involvement in the education of their children’s, two main theories are used. These include the theory of phenomenology and ethnography (Fabienne, 2009, p.123).
Ethnography is a branch of anthropology. It refers to a study involved in the description of a particular human society. The individual involved in the study lives amongst the people who are the subject of his study but he is detached from them. A close relationship is developed with the informants enabling the researcher to obtain more information related to his area of study. In this article, aspects of ethnography are utilized in conducting the research on African American parent involvement in early childhood education.
On the other hand, phenomenology refers to the method of inquiry that is based on the concept that reality is composed of various events as they are perceived through human conscious. This implies that anything that is outside human consciousness is disregarded.
Implications of the research
Solutions for change
The research implies that in the early childhood education, a bottom-up approach should be considered. For its effectiveness, two main concepts should be considered in relation to the role of teachers and parents involvement. These include multiculturalism and collectivism.
Collectivism implies that the teachers and the school system should understand the contribution of the parents and other care givers in the learning of the children. Though this may not be directly observable, they play a paramount role. This means that the school system should not discriminate the contribution of parents within the school system basing on their race or social class. Collectivism also implies that there are various parties that should be considered in the development of the child. This includes the divergent parties within the village (Fabienne, 2009, p. 125).
Through the teacher and Parent involvement in early childhood education amongst the African American should be aimed at ensuring the promotion of multiculturalism. This would enable in entrenching a sense of worth and high self esteem amongst the children resulting into effective performance. On the other hand, parents should be objective in engaging their children in various activities. This would enable the children to face the real world more positively (Fabienne, 2009, 128).
Reflection
The transition of children during their early childhood is paramount to their educational development. According to this research, the bottom-up approach should be enhanced with active involvement of the various parties within the society.
Despite the fact that parents play significant role in the educational development of the child, there little understanding of their actual contribution. This means that there is need for more research on the things that the parents and the caregivers do with the children resulting into their development. This means that the education system should not describe a specific method of parent involvement in early childhood education. This is due to the diversity in the methods of involvement.
Reference list
Fabienne, D. (2009). How African American parents understand their and teachers role in children’s schooling and what this means for preparing pre-service teachers. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher education, vol. 28, issue 2, pp. 108-139. New York University: New York.