ABSTRACT The current study focused on parent involvement of migrant farmworker families of Mexican origin with children enrolled in Migrant Head Start. Under investigation were parent and teacher beliefs and practices pertaining to involvement in the child's early schooling context. An ethnography approach and modified grounded theory approach was chosen which involved in-depth interviews, observations, and focus groups for member checking. Participants included 14 parents and 7 teachers at three sites in Northwestern Michigan. Findings from the study include the constructed roles of parents in the early education of their children. Extended family ties as additional message barers and use place of work as contrary to family educational goals were non-traditional ways in which parents constructed their role. Additionally, both Spanish speaking parents and English speaking teachers struggled with language and written forms of communication. Language and culture also influenced how parents developed confinanza with educators and experienced favorable views of Migrant Head Start staff. Some parents discussed cultural differences in child rearing practices that emphasize an understanding of respecto between adults and children from the lens of Latino culture. This study provided insight into a population in which little research has previously been conducted particularly around parent involvement. It furthers the understanding of diverse groups of Latinos within U.S. educational systems and specifically expands the knowledge of the migrant farmworker families of Mexican descent.
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