A Narrative Inquiry Into Thai Families’ Lived Experiences in Canadian Early Childhood Settings

• Author / Creator

  Oveson, Jennifer S.

• This narrative inquiry explores the educational experiences of two
  immigrated Thai families in Alberta. For these families, their children’s early
  childhood classrooms are their first encounter with schooling in Canada. My
  teaching position at a multicultural school led to wonderings surrounding
  immigrant families’ experiences, which shaped my research puzzle: What are
  Thai immigrant parents’ lived experiences with their children’s early childhood
  educational programs in Alberta? How do these experiences bump up against
  their stories of school?
  Dewey’s (1981) notion of experience informed my understanding of how
  early school experiences impact current expectations for children’s schooling.
  This inquiry included the use of participants’ photographs, school artifacts, annals
  (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), and field notes based on conversations as field
  texts. As my participants and I co-composed their narrative accounts, we became
  aware of tensions between lived experiences and their expectations. This study highlights the necessity of viewing children in the context of their familial stories.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Early Childhood
  • Immigrants
  • Narrative Inquiry
  • Thai
  • Canadian

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3633W

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.