Honoring their voices: A refugee family, an early childhood education program, and the spaces in between - A case study through a Bourdieusian lens

Olguin, Ana Aracelly

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Description

Title

Honoring their voices: A refugee family, an early childhood education program, and the spaces in between - A case study through a Bourdieusian lens

Author(s)

Olguin, Ana Aracelly

Issue Date

2021-09-02

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Sanders-Smith, Stephanie C

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Sanders-Smith, Stephanie C

Committee Member(s)

• Bresler, Liora
• Ostrosky, Michaelene
• Thorstensson Dávila, Liv
• Smith-Bonahue, Tina

Department of Study

Curriculum and Instruction

Discipline

Curriculum and Instruction

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Early childhood education
• refugee families in education
• refugee education in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to learn about the interactions between a refugee family and the teachers and staff from an early childhood program in the United States. Using Bourdieusian (Bourdieu, 1986, 2005; Noble, 2013; Reay, 1995) thinking tools of capital, habitus, field, and doxa, I investigated the family’s interactions and experiences with the early childhood education (ECE) program serving their two young twin daughters. In-depth interviews, document analysis, and fieldnotes served as data collection tools. Through this study, the researcher looked at how this family used, transformed, and adapted their habitus and capital to a) learn the tacit rules of an ECE program to maneuver in it better, and b) form meaningful home-school relationships with teachers and staff. The researcher also identified beliefs and assumptions held by teachers and staff about a) the education of young children, b) diversity, c) families, and d) refugee education. Also, any perceived assumptions of staff by the family that might have contributed to the creation of institutional barriers or the creation of family capital. This study’s broader impact was to honor and give a platform to the voices of ECE teachers and staff who might work with refugee populations and most importantly to honor a refugee family whose voice is often not heard in policy discussions.

Graduation Semester

2021-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

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Copyright 2021 Ana Olguin

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