Parents' Investment in English Language Schooling: A Study at SMP Alam Lubuklinggau
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i3.20287Keywords:
English education, junior-high school, language, natural school, parental investmentAbstract
This qualitative study investigates the motivations of parents choosing English language education for their children at SMP Alam Lubuklinggau, a school increasingly integrating English into its curriculum. Focusing on 34 independent parents, who enrolled their children without expecting tangible incentives such as tuition fee reductions or housing provisions, the study explores the rationale behind these educational choices. Data were gathered through a combination of observations and one-to-one semi-standardized interviews, offering in-depth insights into parental perspectives. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret the findings, highlighting the parents’ emphasis on language acquisition, particularly in enhancing their children's English proficiency. The results demonstrate that parents predominantly view the enrollment at SMP Alam Lubuklinggau as an investment in their children's future language skills. This investment decision was found to be significantly influenced by the parents' unique characteristics, social roles, affiliations, and financial standing. The study concludes that the primary driving force behind these educational decisions is the desire to equip children with essential language skills in an increasingly globalized world, rather than short-term benefits or financial incentivesReferences
Agusniati, A. (2023). The effect of education finance on the quality of education in indonesia. Devotion Journal of Research and Community Service, 4(1), 104–109. https://doi.org/10.36418/dev.v4i1.354
Andersson, B., & Öhlén, J. (2005). Being a hospice volunteer. Palliative Medicine, 19(8), 602–609. https://doi.org/10.1191/0269216305pm1083oa
Azizah, D. (2018). Upaya tenaga pendidik dalam meningkatkan mutu pendidikan di MTs Ma’arif NU 01 Ajibarang kabupaten Banyumas [Bachelor thesis]. IAIN Purwokerto.
Babino, A., & Stewart, M. A. (2016). “I Like English Better”: Latino Dual language students’ investment in Spanish, English, and bilingualism. Journal of Latinos and Education, 16(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2016.1179186
Ballinger, S. (2017). Examining peer language use and investment in a distinct North American immersion context. International Multilingual Research Journal, 11(3), 184–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2017.1330066
Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory. General Learning Press.
Bearse, C. I., & De Jong, E. J. (2008). Cultural and Linguistic Investment: Adolescents in a Secondary Two-Way Immersion Program. Equity & Excellence in Education, 41(3), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680802174817
Berg, B.L. (2009) Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Allyn and Bacon.
Bialystok, E., Peets, K. F., & Moreno, S. (2014). Producing bilinguals through immersion education: Development of metalinguistic awareness. Applied Psycholinguistics, 35(1), 177–191. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716412000288
Bianchi, S.M., Cohen, P.N., Raley, S. & Nomaguchi, K. (2004). Inequality in Parental Investment in Child-Rearing: Expenditures, Time, and Health.In Neckerman, Kathryn, M. (Ed.) (pp. 189-219). Russell Sage Foundation.
Block, N., & Vidaurre, L. (2019). Comparing attitudes of first-grade dual language immersion versus mainstream English students. Bilingual Research Journal, 42(2), 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2019.1604452
Bradley, R. H. & Corwyn, R. F. (2004). Family Process Investments that Matter for Child Well-Being. In Kalil, A. & DeLeire, T. (Ed.), Monographs in parenting. Family investments in children's potential: Resources and parenting behaviors that promote success (pp. 1–32). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Choi, J. Y., Lee, J. S., & Oh, J. S. (2018). Examining the oral language competency of children from Korean immigrant families in English-only and dual language immersion schools. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 16(1), 32-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X15610597
Collett, J. (2019). The Linguistic Garden: A case study of an emergent bilingual’s participation, positioning and identity development in a dual language program. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 18(4), 236–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2019.1623034
Cornwell, B., Gershuny, J., & Sullivan, O. (2019). The social Structure of time: emerging trends and new directions. Annual Review of Sociology, 45(1), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073018-022416
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed). MA Pearson.
Curdt‐Christiansen, X. L., & Lanza, E. (2018). Language management in multilingual families: Efforts, measures and challenges. Multilingua, 37(2), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2017-0132
Curdt‐Christiansen, X. L., & Wang, W. (2018). Parents as agents of multilingual education: family language planning in China. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 31(3), 235–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2018.1504394
Dagenais, D. (2003). Accessing imagined communities through multilingualism and immersion education. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2(4), 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327701jlie0204_3
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2015). Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 36–56. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190514000191
Ee, J. (2016). Exploring Korean dual language immersion programs in the United States: parents’ reasons for enrolling their children. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(6), 690–709. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1208144
Fránquiz, M. E., Leija, M. G., & Salinas, C. (2019). Challenging damaging ideologies: Are dual language education practices addressing learners’ linguistic rights? Theory Into Practice, 58(2), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2019.1569379
Freire, J. A., Valdez, V. E., & Delavan, M. G. (2016). The (Dis)inclusion of Latina/o Interests from Utah’s Dual Language Education Boom. Journal of Latinos and Education, 16(4), 276–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2016.1229617
Gauthier, A.H. (2015). Social Class and Parental Investment in Children. In Scott, R. A. & Kosslyn, S. M. (Ed.), Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Wiley Press.
Hoff, E. (2006). How social contexts support and shape language development. Developmental Review, 26(1), 55–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2005.11.002
Jonassen, D.H. & Duffy, T.M. (1992). Constructivist and the technology of instruction: A conversation. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kanno, Y., & Norton, B. (2003). Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language Identity and Education, 2(4), 241–249. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327701jlie0204_1
Lao, C. (2004). Parents’ attitudes toward Chinese–English bilingual education and Chinese-Language use. Bilingual Research Journal, 28(1), 99–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2004.10162614
Olivos, E. M., & Lucero, A. (2018). Latino parents in dual language immersion programs: why are they so satisfied? International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(10), 1211–1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1436520
Pailhé, A., Solaz, A., & Tanturri, M. L. (2019). The Time Cost of Raising Children in Different Fertility Contexts: Evidence from France and Italy. European Journal of Population, 35(2), 223–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-018-9470-8
Peterson, J. S. (2019). Presenting a Qualitative Study: A Reviewer’s perspective. Gifted Child Quarterly, 63(3), 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986219844789
Purkarthofer, J. (2017). Building expectations: Imagining family language policy and heteroglossic social spaces. International Journal of Bilingualism, 23(3), 724–739. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006916684921
Ryan, S., Kaufman, J. H., Greenhouse, J. B., She, R., & Shi, J. (2015). The effectiveness of blended online learning courses at the community college level. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(4), 285–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2015.1044584
Ryan, È. (2020). Parents’ investment in a French-English dual language immersion program in the United States. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 22(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2020.1832497
Siregar, I. G. & Quimbo, M. A. T. (2016). Promoting early environment education: the case of a nature school in Indonesia. Journal of Nature Studies. 15 (1): 70-86
Slavkov, N. (2016). Family language policy and school language choice: pathways to bilingualism and multilingualism in a Canadian context. International Journal of Multilingualism, 14(4), 378–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2016.1229319
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with the VELES Journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
VELES Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
