ERIC Number: EJ1462472
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2159-2020
EISSN: EISSN-2161-1505
Available Date: 2024-03-14
Linguistically Diverse Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers and Facilitators of School Attendance and Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Contemporary School Psychology, v29 n1 p94-112 2025
School attendance and engagement were crucial to students' academic success and well-being before the pandemic but were severely disrupted when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study examines the research question: What do linguistically diverse caregivers perceive as multilevel facilitators and barriers to school attendance and engagement among students across grade levels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic? Caregivers (N = 1575) at a Pacific Northwest school district completed a survey about their child's attendance in May 2020. Quantitative data were analyzed using multilevel models adjusting for school nesting. Open-ended responses were coded using conventional content analysis. Findings report on the many external non-school-related factors (e.g., caregivers' work schedule, new caregiver expectations, etc.) and factors within the schools' and teachers' control (e.g., school-family communication, student-teacher relationships, etc.) impact student attendance. Significant differences were found whereby Spanish-speaking caregivers reported different reasons for attendance problems before and after the pandemic and different factors that would promote school participation compared to English-speaking caregivers. Vietnamese speaking caregivers reported different factors that would promote attendance, and Vietnamese and Chinese speaking caregivers reported that making the school safer would promote attendance.
Descriptors: Barriers, Affordances, Attendance, Learner Engagement, COVID-19, Pandemics, Caregiver Attitudes, Spanish Speaking, Language Usage, Vietnamese, Chinese, English
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Colorado State University School of Social Work, Fort Collins, USA; 2Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, USA; 3University of Washington School of Social Welfare, Seattle, USA; 4Rutgers University School of Social Work, New Brunswick, USA