Ideals and realities in the involvement of Filipino immigrant mothers in their children’s education in South Korea

Abstract

Parental involvement in children’s education plays a crucial role in a child’s life. However, meaningful parental involvement is often a difficult task for immigrant parents because of multiple challenges such as limited resources and information, language barriers, and cultural differences. This article presents findings from qualitative research interviews on the involvement of Filipino immigrant mothers in their children’s education in South Korea. The results indicate that the immigrant parents take their children’s education seriously. They want to raise their children to be happy and successful, knowing that performing well in school is the key to a successful life as an adult, especially in a nation with a fervor for education. Like other parents, they are willing to devote themselves to their children above all else. Compared with previous studies, not many barriers to involvement were revealed in this study. Only two, language barriers and financial concerns, were expressed by all participants as obstacles to involvement in their children’s education. Yet, the true, hidden barrier is how the immigrant parents view their Korean proficiency. They over-emphasize the language barrier, which causes them to avoid conversations with others.