For her master's thesis in Sociology, Sarah Rhee conducted research on the contribution of the TOMaatjes project on better support for children with a newcomer background in education. These are a vulnerable group that needs extra attention. The Home Education Buddies (TOMaatjes) project focuses on assisting children and parents with schoolwork and promoting the relationship between family and school.
Research shows that many children of newcomers underperform in school in relation to their classmates. They often lack a strong support network and experience difficulties learning a new language and adapting to a new country.
Findings in 4 themes
Homeschooling buddies (TOMaatjes) pairs experienced Dutch people with newcomer families to support children and also parents with school work. A TOMaatje not only provides tutoring, but also organizes the necessary support for the child at home and at school, as well as for the parents. Sarah's research focuses on how this project can contribute to improved educational support for refugee children.
The study conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with both the children's parents and the buddies. This involved working with a number of sentisizing concepts around educational integration, parent participation in schools and mentors (for a detailed methodology see the Master Thesis). The findings of the study were divided into the following 4 themes:
Retarded children
Language deficiency appears to play an important role in these children falling behind in school. At home, children often speak their native language so they do not practice Dutch enough. This affects their vocabulary, reading comprehension and spelling. The language delay also affects other subjects, such as math. For the parents, having a language deficiency in their children seems to be the main reason they register them for the TOMaatjes project. The fact that Dutch is the second or third language makes it more difficult for their child than for the other children at school [...].
Limited support
The interviews show that the main reason that affects parents' ability to help their children is that the parents do not speak the language well. As a result, they often do not understand exactly what their child needs to do or learn for school, and this is a major reason why they sign their children up for the TOMaatjes project. Language problems affect not only the meaning of words, but also the understanding of concepts.
In addition, parents also lack understanding of the Dutch school system. For example, it is also unclear to them what exactly all the possibilities are for their child after elementary school and what the differences are between educational levels. Nor do parents always understand what a Cito test means or how to interpret a report card. In addition, it is also difficult for some parents that things are explained differently in the Netherlands. All these issues make it difficult for parents to connect with their child's career and support them effectively [...].
Contribution Tomatoes
Interviews with the buddies show that they see positive improvements in the children's school performance. They find that the children are making progress in reading comprehension, math and learning difficult words. The buddies provide guidance for book talks, speaking engagements and other school tasks, and see positive results. Parents confirm that their children are performing better in school and their grades have improved.
Some buddies also offer group lessons, which has positive effects on children's sense of unity. Buddies, according to themselves, play an important role in helping children keep up in class. They offer personal attention that includes teaching how best to tackle certain tasks and explaining rules. Repetition of lesson material is seen as very important for improvement. Buddies also support motivation by showing commitment, maintaining regular contact and showing interest in the children's school tasks and tests.
In addition to academic support, some buddies also build deeper social bonds with the children. They talk about personal experiences, loaded topics such as discrimination and bullying, and show interest in the children's private lives. They also provide social and emotional support by giving positive feedback, promoting psychological well-being and having open conversations about any difficulties. Some buddies also develop a close bond with the whole family, eating together, taking trips and helping with household chores. The deeper bond and positive stimulation from the buddies contribute to the children's self-confidence and motivation. In general, the children experience positive feelings and grow in self-expression and questioning the longer they work with the buddies. The TOMaatjes project provides them with a safe environment in which they can grow and feel understood.
Role culture bridge
When navigating a new country, some buddies act as a so-called cultural bridge; they convey Dutch norms and values and explain certain Dutch customs. For example, they explain what Easter is in the Netherlands, in which they try to find similarities with holidays that are important in the children's culture. They also help with mapping out a career path for the children, help pick a good high school or make sure the children have a dictionary for tutoring at school.
The buddies also help parents if they have questions about, for example, their NT2 education or experience difficulty finding the right agencies. In addition, they give general tips such as reading as many Dutch books as possible, watching the children's news or going to the library. Finally, the buddies ensure that the families get out of their own bubble for a while by eating together with the families or taking the children to museums and other outings so that the parents and children not only speak Dutch, but also learn about Dutch culture.
More about TOMaatjes
More about this project
Download the Master Thesis
"Sentisizing concepts"
