Generational status, social capital and family engagement in immigrant families

Abstract

This study highlighted the importance of social capital in understanding the disparity in family engagement across immigrant generations. Using the national representative data, the ELS:2002, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among generational status, social capital, and home- and school-based family engagement. The results suggested that social capital played an important role in immigrant home- and schoolbased family engagement. The findings of specific pathways through social capital in and outside the family to home- and school-based family engagement might make a tangible contribution to understanding of family engagement and immigrant generations. Further, the present research suggested that immigrant families were not only constrained from participating in their children's education, but also had their own strengths for family engagement such as positive expectations for and extensive communications with their children.