Involvement of immigrant parents in their children's schooling in a bilingual educational context: The Basque case (Spain)

The aim of this research was to learn about the involvement of immigrant parents in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain) pertaining to the education of their children who study at the Primary Education level. A questionnaire was created based upon the preliminary qualitative research for its subsequent application to a broad population. The results highlight that these families are more involved in the home than at school. These families encourage their children's academic learning, and they instil values. In the bilingual context of this country, the variation amongst families as it pertains to academic support in the home, in terms of the family language and of the school instruction language, is worth noting.

► Involvement of immigrant parents in a new bilingual context is described.
► Parents conceive involvement from a wider perspective of educational support.
► Language is an important element for the educational involvement of immigrant parents.
► The prestige of Spanish language might create different situations amongst immigrants.
► Guidelines for educational intervention in situations of bilingualism are highlighted.