"Det er veldig forskjellig fra hjemlandet mitt". Migrantforeldres erfaringer med kommunikasjon og samhandling med barnehagepersonalet

The study explores how parents with a migration background experience communication and interaction with kindergarten staff. The main focus is on their experiences during the first year as kindergarten parents in Norway. The research questions are: How do parents with migration backgrounds experience communication and interaction with kindergarten staff, and how can we understand the relevance of these experiences in relation to kindergarten teachers’ and student kindergarten teachers’ professional learning?

The study shows that parents with a migration background often experience kindergarten as a foreign arena, and that they are unsure of what is expected in collaboration with staff. In order to include these parents, a targeted effort is necessary to make them feel secure and aware of their right to influence. Building trust and adapted information can help them communicate their needs more effectively. It is also important to strengthen kindergarten teacher education’s focus on multicultural understanding, as cultural differences can create distance. A mutual approach where parents feel like active participants can improve the quality of kindergarten provision and ensure smoother transitions for the children.

The researchers conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews focused on the informant’s communication and interaction with kindergarten staff. These interviews were audio recorded. The sample consisted of a total of seven parents with a migration background from the African continent, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. They had all had children in Norwegian kindergartens for at least one year, and their experience of collaboration with kindergarten staff was recent. The participants were recruited by the researchers contacting adult education programmes in various municipalities, who then referred them to relevant parents.

Tvinnereim, K. R., & Bergset, G. (2023). "Det er veldig forskjellig fra hjemlandet mitt". Migrantforeldres erfaringer med kommunikasjon og samhandling med barnehagepersonalet.