Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Stephen Laws

Abstract

School choice details a range of programs which offer families alternatives that are available to educate their children. Language immersion is a school choice option that is available for parents seeking to provide their children an innovative environment conducive for learning. This modality of learning uses dual languages to immerse students completely within the subject being taught. This qualitative design study sought to investigate why parents choose to send their child to a dual language immersion school. This study examined parent motivations and decision-making processes for choosing dual language immersion programs. This study also investigated parents’ own school experiences and how parents perceive their role and responsibilities in their children’s educational development. This study included 19 parents of students attending CAF Elementary School, a Title I K-5 Spanish dual language immersion program located in the 10th largest school district in North Carolina’s south central piedmont region. Findings from this study revealed parents choose dual language immersion programs because they want their children to have an advantage academically, socially, and culturally. They believe it will lend to success with postsecondary academic and occupational opportunities. This study added to the existing body of language immersion research by illustrating participant’s views, expectations, and beliefs about the Spanish immersion program.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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