South Asian parents’ experiences of cultural responsiveness when working with professionals: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Chibbra, Preeya (2023). South Asian parents’ experiences of cultural responsiveness when working with professionals: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. University of Birmingham. Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

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Abstract

Volume 1:

Professionals working across education, health and care in the United Kingdom, including educational psychologists, are providing services to an increasingly multicultural population. It is important to gain insight into the views of these populations concerning the cultural responsiveness of professionals in their lived experiences. This study used a qualitative semi-structured interview research design to explore the perceptions of parental experiences of cultural responsiveness when working with professionals. Transcriptions of the interview data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith et al., 2022). The results of this research study included Personal Experiential Themes (PETs) for each of the four participants, related to their experiences and how they understood these. The PETs emphasised the significance of understanding how individual lived experience and background influences the meaning made of cultural responsiveness. Patterns were also identified across the four participants which gave rise to four overall Group Experiential Themes (GETs), summarising their experiences in terms of the importance of their own identity, communication between professionals and parents and the use of stereotyping or assumptions. The GETs also illuminated how participants made meaning of their experiences with professionals through their perceptions of power differentials, professional understanding of issues specific to South Asian cultures, and their individual context and identity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the study’s strengths, limitations and implications for professionals, including educational psychologists. Recommendations for practice centre around the importance of responsive communication, including the use of person-centred approaches to understand individual contexts and taking the time to ensure parents have understood information conveyed. Drawing on existing resources in order to learn more about cultural differences is also highlighted, including fellow professionals and parents from diverse backgrounds.

Volume 2:

As a trainee educational psychologist at the University of Birmingham, partial fulfilment of my doctoral degree comes from completing four Professional Practice Reports (PPRs) which comprise to make Volume Two of my thesis. These reports document four different experiences throughout my second and third year of training, whilst on placement at a local authority educational psychology service (EPS) located in the West Midlands.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Supervisor(s):