Perceptions of Arab-American parents concerning multicultural education

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Arab American parents in a Michigan high school on multicultural education in the Detroit Metropolitan area. Arab American parents were both foreign-born and born in the United States with students in 9th, 10 th, 11th, and 12th grades. Foreign-born parents came from several Arab backgrounds.;A total of 115 parents participated in the study. The survey used for this study was adapted from Washburn's (1995) study. The survey also included selected questions from Youssef & Simpkins (1985) survey concerning ethnicity, discrimination, and assimilation.;Findings showed that Arab American parents were generally supportive of the use of a multicultural curriculum in their children's school. They perceived that it had positive effects on the affective domain of their children.;Differences were found among parents in the degree of their support towards multicultural education. Arab American parents born in the United states were more positive about multicultural education than foreign-born parents. Findings also supported longer periods of residence in the United States were associated with a decrease in negative attitudes. Arab American parents who identified themselves as "Arab" had significantly higher scores for negative attitudes than those who considered themselves Arab Americans or American Arabs.;"Arab American" was the prevalent cultural identity chosen by the parents. Most Arab American parents wanted their children to learn and maintain the Arabic language and Arab culture and believed that their offsprings would carry it on into the next generation. The majority of Arab Americans wanted their children to interact with children of other diverse ethnic backgrounds. They also perceived that there is noticeable discrimination against Arab Americans in the United States.;The major conclusion of this study was that Arab American parents of high school students supported the multicultural approach to education, as well as maintenance of their Arab culture and Arabic language. However, the degree of their support was relative to the years spent residing in the United States.