Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Education

Supervisor

Heydon, Rachel

Abstract

This exploratory multiple case study explored Muslim mothers' perspectives and experiences in relation to their young children's education in Ontario, Canada. The study included seven cases, each being one Muslim mother of a child/children aged between 4 and 8. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with each participant mother and analyzed through a deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The five main deductive patterns discussed are home-school partnerships, sense of belonging, mothers’ conceptualization of education, the influence of media, and Islamophobia. The six inductive patterns discussed are fear as an emergent feeling, mothers as ambassadors, celebrations as a barrier, secular education, health education, and decolonizing the curriculum. Looking through the lens of anti-racist pedagogies and pedagogies of walking alongside parents, key findings include: from the mothers’ perspectives, educators’ biases and misconceptions about Islam contribute to feelings of fear and being judged; classroom curricula are lacking the necessary resources (including programmatic curricula) to include Muslim students’ funds of knowledge resulting in critical inclusions of Muslims and Islam in public schools being the null curriculum (Eisner, 1994); schools are not secular spaces due to the celebration of Eurocentric, Christian holidays and occasionally other holidays that coincide with Christian holidays (e.g., Hanukah during the Christmas season); classroom curricula privilege one religion over another; there are no equitable mechanisms for dealing with tensions in curricula. In large sum, weaving some of the inductive themes that emerged from the data, it was evident that the perpetuation of Eurocentric ideologies is part of the hidden curriculum. Hence, this study offers recommendations in three areas: 1) recommendations that can inform the early childhood classroom curriculum; 2) recommendations for early childhood educators directed towards anti-islamophobia; and 3) recommendations for intentional anti-racist family engagement in early childhood education. Future research may include exploring anti-racist pedagogies and pedagogies of walking alongside families in the early years’ classroom, examining the position of the educators and their conceptualization of the aforementioned pedagogies, and interrogating the lived curriculum in teacher preparation programs.

Summary for Lay Audience

This exploratory multiple case study explored Muslim mothers' perspectives and experiences in relation to their young children's education in Ontario, Canada. The study included seven cases, each being one Muslim mother of a child/children aged between 4 and 8. Looking through the lens of anti-racist pedagogies and pedagogies of walking alongside parents, key findings include: from the mothers’ perspectives, educators’ biases and misconceptions about Islam contribute to feelings of fear and being judged; classrooms curricula are lacking the necessary resources (including programmatic curricula) to include Muslim students’ worldviews resulting in critical inclusions of Muslims and Islam in public schools; schools are not secular spaces due to the celebration of Eurocentric, Christian holidays and occasionally other holidays that coincide with Christian holiday (e.g., Hanukah during the Christmas season); classroom curricula privilege of one religion over another; there are no equitable mechanisms for dealing with tensions in curricula. This study offers recommendations in three areas: 1) recommendations that can inform the early childhood classroom curriculum, 2) recommendations for early childhood educators directed towards anti-islamophobia; 3) recommendations for intentional anti-racist family engagement in early childhood education. Future research may look into exploring anti-racist pedagogies and pedagogies of walking alongside families in early years classrooms, examining the position of the educators and their understanding of the aforementioned pedagogies, and reflecting on the lived curriculum in teacher preparation programs.

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