New ISOTIS paper: Effects of Migration on the Language and Literacy Practices of Turkish Parents in England

Pinar Kolancali and ISOTIS researcher Edward Melhuish publish paper Effects of Migration on the Language and Literacy Practices of Turkish Parents in England in the Journal of Family Issues.

The authors suggest that early childhood experiences that are important for the educational attainment of immigrant children may be affected by the family characteristics and the integration experiences of parents.

The findings of this study provide supporting evidence for the Family Investment Model. Parents from higher education backgrounds did better financially and demonstrated higher scores on social integration. These findings suggest that the educational capital of immigrant families can play a positive role in their social and economic integration in the country. Parent’s proficiency in a country’s national language is a further key factor of integration. Lastly, families’ social integration was confirmed to be an important aspect of the socioeconomic well-being of immigrant families. These findings, then, indicate that understanding the socioeconomic experiences of immigrant families requires consideration of their migration backgrounds and acculturation experiences, which in turn relates to parental engagement at home.