Exploring the experiences of multilingual parents of their children's education in England.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: As the proportion of students who are multilingual has been consistently increasing in recent year, it is important that the voices of multilingual parents are gathered in order to continue to shape inclusive policy and practice in education. This study adds to the limited body of literature that has explored the experiences of multilingual parents regarding their children's education in England and aims to gather a deeper understanding of the support schools provide to multilingual students and families. Nine participants with children attending a schools within one Local Authority with the Northwest of England took part in the study. Parents were from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds all with varied lengths of time within the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with the proactive use of interpreters to promote equitable inclusion. The data was analysed with reflexive thematic analysis, and four themes were identified. Specific focus to reflexive practice was given throughout the research process in order to accurately represent participants' voices. The findings suggest the prioritisation of English in academic learning and communications parents can create unintentional difficulties for the engagement of multilingual parents in their children's schools. By foregrounding the voices of multilingual parents across diverse backgrounds, this study reinforces the need for policy and practice to move beyond English proficiency alone, towards recognising multilingualism as a resource for learning, identity, and wellbeing
Author: Dermody, Helen
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7165648179
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