Communication Between an Early Childhood Program and the Families It Serves
Mendoza, Jean A.
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/79845
Description
Title
Communication Between an Early Childhood Program and the Families It Serves
Author(s)
Mendoza, Jean A.
Issue Date
2005
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Katz, Lilian G.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Sociology of
Language
eng
Abstract
"The exchange of information and other resources through communication activity is a key component of the relationships between families with young children and the staff of programs that serve them. The communication practices of staff members and family members are seldom the focus of research, although the substantial body of professional literature on communicating effectively with families suggests that interest in such practices may be high. This study of program-family communication at one Midwestern school district's ""model"" early childhood employed qualitative methods to: (a) discern trends related to official and informal communication practices at the site, (b) examine consistency between those practices and the program's stated vision and goals, and (c) investigate the possible impact of global, national, state, local, and program-level contexts on the interactions among families and staff in the program. Research methods used in this study included observation at the program site and in the community, interviews with staff and family members, surveys of program personnel and family members, and analysis of documents generated by the staff. Several trends in communication activity were identified regarding the methods of communication, the content of communication, the uses and complementary nature of official and ""person-to-person"" communication, and the types of challenges staff and families encountered in their efforts to communicate with each other. Consistency was noted between the communication policies and practices of the staff and some aspects of the program's vision statement and school improvement plan related to program-family interactions. Contemporary patterns of migration into the U.S. were among the contextual conditions found to influence communication activity in the program; a relatively high percentage of the program's target population had home languages other than English. Another contextual factor was local school district support for early childhood programming. Recommendations for the program include continuing those communication activities that personnel and family members seem to consider favorably. Recommendations for policy-makers include critical re-examination of assumptions underlying Title 1 policies regarding ""parent involvement"" in children's education. Suggestions for further research include creation of interdisciplinary research agendas regarding communication between families with young children and the programs that serve them."
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
