Culturally and linguistically diverse parental perceptions and evidence of parental input in IEP documents

Olszewski, Cynthia J (2023) Culturally and linguistically diverse parental perceptions and evidence of parental input in IEP documents. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

American public schools must allow parents the ability to be involved in the collaboration and planning aspects of their child’s individualized education program (IEP). However, many parents have reported feeling like an outsider in IEP meetings. Historically, families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds have reported barriers to participation in school-based meetings about their child. Although there is research that helps explain the barriers CLD parents face in IEP meetings, there has been insufficient qualitative research that addresses the experiences of CLD parents from southern Arizona. Further, there is a lack of research that identifies what parents remember from IEP meetings and examines the IEP document for evidence of parental input. This study explores how CLD parental input is evidenced in the IEP document. Using abstraction and content analysis, the researcher identified themes as they emerged from two data sets: parental interview transcripts and IEP documents. The study reveals how the CLD parental input was documented in the IEP paperwork. Future research questions are offered, and the researcher intends to use this study to inform stakeholders better.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	cultural and linguistic diversity; education; IEP; individualized education program; parent input; special education
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Specialities
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2025 23:06
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2025 23:06
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6180

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