Parental Involvement on Education: Moroccan Muslim Migrant Parents’ Perspectives with Children Enrolled in Spanish Schools

Aim. This research aims to analyse Moroccan Muslim migrant parents’ perceptions on their involvement with the school. This involvement is examined considering several dimensions: communication, networking, participation, decision-making, cultural and religious recognition and educational support. Furthermore, it focuses on identifying the barriers to this involvement. Methods. The study follows a mixed-method design. In the first stage, a questionnaire was administered to a non-probabilistic sample of 162 Moroccan Muslim migrant parents. During the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 12 Moroccan Muslim migrant mothers. A descriptive statistical analysis and a deductive content analysis were carried out for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Results. There is high communication between Moroccan parents and the schools. However, their involvement in school activities, the Parent’s Association and parent-teacher meetings are hindered by linguistic deficiency, socio-economic barriers and working constraints. They tend to create more networks with other Moroccan parents, since they find local parents to be hard to approach. It is seen that parents are consulted on decision-making processes related to their children academic performance and development. However, their cultural and religious backgrounds are often overlooked, which subtly excludes them. Moreover, they still struggle to be supported with home education, especially helping with homework. Conclusions. Parents show willingness to be involved, but they struggle with several barriers. Specific measures and policies that minimise these obstacles are needed. This would be beneficial for fostering the inclusion of Moroccan Muslim migrant parents a their children, reality that has been little studied thus far.