Identifier	Thesis 1983
Author	Wielgoszinski, Stephanie Ann
Title	Parental involvement and attitudes in FLES education
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date of Publication	2008
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Abstract	Even though studies have shown numerous cognitive and social benefits from early foreign language education, Foreign Languages in Elementary School (FLES) is still a recurrent topic of debate. The key issues involved with FLES focus on inconsistent program designs, interference with core subjects, and varying attitudes toward early foreign language instruction. This research project examines parental involvement in and attitudes toward a district's newly added FLES program. The overall qualitative and quantitative results of a survey explain how parents of the district agree that early Foreign Language (FL) education is important, however, they are not positively-actively involved in their child's FL experience. A more profound look at qualitative data through several one-way ANOVAs (Analysis of Variance) illustrates that families speaking two languages at home have better attitudes toward and are more involved in FLES. This may be a result of heritage language preservation or prior knowledge of a FL. On a local level, the findings reveal that the FLES program was well received, and therefore should be maintained, yet must undergo structural changes to address the need for increased parental involvement. On a non-local scale, the findings reveal that although FLES in the USA has become a more widely accepted practice, there is social and cultural resistance to early foreign language learning related to parental involvement and administration. As we continue to see an increased number of FLES programs in our nation's schools, it is important to understand the role of parent perceptions and involvement in creating a locally supported language program and to integrate successful practices of FLES programs abroad into our own educational system.
Subject	Languages, Modern -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- United States Education, Elementary -- Parent participation -- United States
Department	Department of English
Advisor	Ciscel, Matthew H., 1968-
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	eng
OCLC number	713734403
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Parental involvement and attitudes in FLES education

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