Transition from Early Years to Primary Education: Increasing Successful Immigrant and Minority Family Engagement with their Children’s Learning in Hong Kong

Hong Kong QEF Project (2016/0047) Transition from Early Years to Primary Education: Increasing Successful Immigrant and Minority Family Engagement with Children’s Learning in Hong Kong

Introducing the Project

Background

1) Diverse students’ learning needs

Recent demographic changes in early years education provided the stimulus for the focus of this study. Ethnic minority South Asian (SA) students, known as non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students, Chinese immigrant students (CIS) and Cross-boundary students (CBS) from Mainland China are some of the fastest growing groups in Hong Kong schools. Intercultural schooling is a complex process that involves many challenges. Immigrant children are vulnerable and sensitive in the new school environment as they are separated from their familiar peers and/or caregivers (Kirova & Wu, 2002). These students are commonly associated with multiple challenges in school engagement (Yuen, 2013; 2015; Oxfam Hong Kong, 2014). Dealing with Cantonese is one issue and adjusting to day-to-day interactions with school personnel and peers is another that requires psychological, social and academic capacities in order to meet educational standards and expectations (Oxfam Hong Kong, 2014). Although some NCS parents are professionals, many NCS are from low income families and do not get enough financial and/or educational support from their parents (Yuen, 2015).

2) Diverse families’ problems

Research has shown that the positive engagement of parents in their children’s educational process leads to improved school attendance, outcomes and high returns (Yuen & Cheung; 2014; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005). Previous studies affirm that the early school transition period is critical for later school success (Jeynes, 2014; Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000). Family support can buffer the stress that accompanies the educational transition. In Hong Kong, many immigrant and minority families struggle with making both ends meet (The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 2013). Many parents cannot afford the time and expense to participate in the school learning process of their children. Furthermore, because of their limited knowledge of the education system, such parents rely heavily on the recommendations of their co-ethnic friends and relatives in choosing schools for their children. Hence they tend to place their children in the same school as those of their friends. In other cases, due to language barriers, children are rejected by the admission policy of some kindergartens (Equal Opportunities Commission, 2016). Primary schooling has a significant impact on their children’s secondary education and future development. Regarding the transition from kindergarten to primary, parents rely heavily on the recommendations of teachers and co-ethnic friends, as they have little understanding of the education system. Most kindergarten parents find it hard to make a decision regarding which primary school to send their child to. Indeed, Home-school-community collaboration has been a critical issue that needs to be addressed (Sing Tao Daily, 2015 September 6; Yuen, 2015). To assist them to make a more informed choice, increased support from schools, community and the government are needed. All things considered, there is a pressing need to examine the challenges of the transition from kindergarten to primary school, especially for immigrant and minority children in Hong Kong. It would seem worthwhile to identify the positive factors of family involvement that have advantageous effects on children’s experiences and that contribute to their period of school transition.

3) Diverse teaching challenges

Teachers in a multicultural educational setting often have to face the tensions generated between the demands of the classroom and a lack of intercultural competency (McAllister & Irvine, 2000). In Hong Kong, additional funds were made available through school-based support for schools with 10 or more NCS for Chinese learning and a Professional Enhancement Grant Scheme was also launched to equip teachers for teaching Chinese as a second language for NCS students. However, schools commonly use the grant to outsource the service to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or to hire additional teaching assistants to share the workload. In reality, teachers seldom work as a professional team to provide adequate and relevant pedagogical support to these students. The learning support becomes piece meal and fails to cater to the real needs. For example, as reported by Sharma (2012), a Pakistani parent in Hong Kong comments that schools generally fail to address cultural issues in parenting and the readiness of SA parents to collaborate with schools. Owing to the language barrier, a lack of knowledge of the education system and the subtle stereotyping by teachers of culturally diverse families, such difficulties impede effective home-school partnerships (Jones, 2012).
Diverse student populations are now a school reality. Prior studies have noted that Hong Kong teachers face challenges in meeting the needs of students from diverse cultures (Yuen, 2013; 2015). They require the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to be effective in multicultural classrooms. A collaborative approach to offer professional support to provide culturally relevant pedagogical strategies to create a conducive learning environment for diverse students is imperative. Questions arise concerning what can be done to facilitate systemic change in engaging immigrant and minority parents with their children’s schooling, especially at the early stage, to promote success, to combat intergenerational poverty and to ensure a smooth transition from early years to primary.

The Project

The purpose of the Project is to provide (1) professional development (PD) for teachers of culturally diverse students, and (2) to inform and educate parents of the same in the necessary life skills to facilitate positive student engagement with learning in kindergartens and primary schools in Hong Kong. With the implementation of 15-year free education policy in Hong Kong, this project is a timely response to a pressing need in early childhood teacher education. The findings of the needs analysis study conducted between April and July 2016 revealed that the serving teachers lacked the confidence and pedagogical strategies to facilitate the school engagement of students from diverse backgrounds in kindergartens. Specifically, they lacked the intercultural sensitivity necessary to promote the effective learning of South Asian students. They were also hesitant in communicating with the parents from diverse backgrounds.
This project employs an ecological approach to address the perceived needs of diverse learners in kindergartens and primary schools. It aims to promote positive school engagement of preschoolers and to facilitate smooth educational transition from kindergarten to primary schooling in Hong Kong through a series of PD activities. The transition from home to early years' and then to primary schooling is a critical process needing careful and holistic support from teachers, parents and the community. Due to recent rapid changes in student demographics and family backgrounds in early years' education, the personnel of kindergartens often find it challenging to offer responsive and effective pedagogical support to the students, especially Chinese immigrant and ethnic minority students. Teacher education focuses on essential foundation elements to prepare pre-service teachers and consequently their programmes tend to be generic. However, each educational setting has its own unique characteristics with regard to student demographics, school policies and support measures, which require more customized professional teacher education programmes. In early years education it is imperative for teachers to understand the family backgrounds of each child and to collaborate with parents in order to facilitate the positive school engagement of preschoolers. Because kindergartens and schools are interconnected with home and communities in an ecological system, this proposed project aims to provide a series of holistic and site-based teacher PD programmes linking school personnel with parents and professionals from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).