Professionals' approach towards discipline in educational systems as perceived by immigrant parents: The case of immigrants from the former soviet union in Israel

In the process of acculturation to their new country, immigrants often encounter a common expectation that they will adjust their views to those common in the mainstream culture. However, since adjustment is a long-term process, differences in the perceptions of the appropriate disciplinary approach towards children may arise between immigrant parents and professionals in educational systems. When differences occur, they could possibly lead to conflicts and difficulties in collaboration between parents and professionals. The objective of this study has been to examine how the immigrant parents perceive professionals' responses to their children's misbehavior in educational settings and what their expectations are as to how these professionals should respond. The results of this study, conducted with 104 immigrant parents from the Former Soviet Union in Israel, indicate that conflicts which the immigrant parents experience in that setting could be characterized primarily as culturally-based disagreements about how professionals in educational systems should discipline children when they misbehave, in which situations intervention is needed, and how to respond to children's misbehaviors when immigration-related difficulties contribute to the misbehaviors. Suggestions to bridge the gaps between immigrant parents and professionals in schools and kindergartens are provided.