PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Nguyen Jacqueline, Bala Cynwyd PA

Investigators

Abstract

Asian and Hispanic families comprise the fastest growing populations in the U.S., yet continue to experience low enrollment in early education programs such as daycare and nursery school due to cultural preferences and socioeconomic barriers. Early childhood care and education are instrumental in providing a basis for positive academic, social, cognitive, and physical outcomes later in life. Due to their lack of enrollment in early education, Asian and Hispanic immigrant children are arguably entering school with a deficit compared to their U.S.-born counterparts of all ethnic group backgrounds. In lieu of formal programming, community organizations have developed family and parent education programs to address the gap in early childhood education, in hopes that culturally-rooted, parent-directed services will help parents provide the supplemental education required to enhance outcomes for their children. In a time of economic crisis, increasing numbers of immigrant families are turning to community organizations for assistance and it is essential to provide these organizations with best-practice models in order that they can generate the best possible outcomes for children from immigrant families. Intellectual merit. The use of applied methodology in developmental research has long been discussed in academic circles, yet remains underutilized due to the gaps between theory-based research and practice (Winkle-Wagner et al., 2009). This study is rooted in applied methodology in which theory and practice are used to generate gains in both scientific knowledge and practical applications. Parental ethnotheories motivate the extent to which parents will seek early education opportunities for their children and will mediate the effectiveness of those opportunities. It is essential to gain an understanding of Asian and Latino immigrant parents' beliefs and goals about child development, including how the ethnotheories are adapted to new cultural environments, in order to design effective programs with the ultimate goal of increasing positive outcomes for their children. Current studies have documented deficits in engagement in early childhood education and related negative outcomes. This study expands upon that body of research to define culturally-embedded intervention models to minimize those deficits and help immigrant parents and children defy the barriers which would otherwise lead to negative outcomes for the families. Findings from this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals as well as among providers of early childhood education programs. Broader impacts. This project utilizes theory of change methodology to provide evaluation of two model programs in the Philadelphia/Southeastern Pennsylvania area. Evaluation of these programs increases the effectiveness of their service delivery to immigrant families and lead to development of best practice models to be used in advocacy efforts for other community organizations and immigrant children in the region. Impacts of the postdoctoral training opportunity include the development of a scholar who is experienced in applied methodology and will use this expertise to advocate for 1) cultural psychological and applied research approaches to human development; in particular, incorporating the development of immigrant and ethnic minority families into existing narratives about child and adolescent development, 2) research-based public/social policy change that will increase the ability of community organizations to serve immigrant families, thereby enriching the developmental environment of immigrant children, and 3) increased engagement of students from immigrant backgrounds in higher education STEM fields and in particular, increased participation of immigrant students and students who study immigrant families in the social sciences.