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Voices of the Minority: Japanese Immigrant Mothers’ Perceptions of Preschools in the United States

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Abstract

Japanese immigrants have been living in the United States for nearly 150 years. Yet, despite the continued presence of this population, there is not a lot of research to suggest why Japanese families have not become more active participants in preschools across the United States (US). In an attempt to understand this phenomenon, this paper examined the voices of nine Japanese immigrant mothers living in the US and articulates their major concerns and ideas; it also provides suggestions to early childhood professionals regarding these insights. Fundamental to this study is the belief that both Japanese parents and preschool teachers need to make a sincere effort to learn and employ communicative strategies and to acquire fundamental knowledge for building effective relationships. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews and conducted over 12 months of fieldwork. Implications for early childhood professionals are explicated and briefly discussed.

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Correspondence to Christian Winterbottom.

Appendix: In-Depth Interview Questions

Appendix: In-Depth Interview Questions

  1. 1.

    What is your earliest memory of your childhood?

  2. 2.

    What were your first experiences with education when you were a child in Japan?

  3. 3.

    Tell me more about the early childhood education system in Japan.

  4. 4.

    Tell me about your experiences with the education system in Florida.

  5. 5.

    What is your role in your child’s education?

  6. 6.

    In your family, what forms of support do you provide for your child’s education? Can you describe the support to me?

  7. 7.

    From your past experience, what kind of difficulties do you think your child will experience in an American school?

  8. 8.

    Please describe his/her current preschool.

  9. 9.

    Was s/he enrolled in a different school prior to this school?

  10. 10.

    How do you describe his/her relationship with teacher(s)?

  11. 11.

    How do you describe his/her relationship with classmate(s)?

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Winterbottom, C. Voices of the Minority: Japanese Immigrant Mothers’ Perceptions of Preschools in the United States. Early Childhood Educ J 41, 219–225 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0542-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0542-9

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