Untangling threads of care: Exploring family practices that support elementary French immersion students in mathematics in New Brunswick

Abstract

This dissertation explores how parents support elementary students in French Immersion (FI) mathematics education in New Brunswick, Canada. Grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of practice and feminist postmodern ethics of care, the study responds to exclusionary narratives that frame FI and mathematics as gatekeeping mechanisms in public education. The study centers parent voices to examine how they adopt the roles of learner, teacher, and leader in supporting their children’s mathematics learning and schooling.

Six parents participated in in-depth interviews and journaling, generating rich qualitative data analyzed using a combination of poetic inquiry and reflexive thematic analysis. Findings suggest that parents perceive school mathematics as having changed, both in content and pedagogy, often requiring relearning. While parents expressed interest in supporting mathematics learning, they consistently prioritized literacy, particularly French language development, over numeracy. Parents viewed mathematics in French primarily as a vocabulary exercise, and some perceived it as a potential barrier to conceptual understanding.

Despite these tensions, parents engaged in mathematics at home through a blend of intentional and unintentional practices, ranging from worksheets and flashcards to board games and everyday problem-solving. Participants also described the role of “that parent” as someone who must advocate for accommodations and support while navigating concerns about being perceived negatively by educators. The relationship between home and school was described not as a single connection, but as a multistranded braid of relationships with teachers, staff, and community members.

The study highlights tensions between pedagogical shifts, language of instruction, and parental agency. It calls for expanded definitions of mathematics and parental involvement, emphasizing the need for parent-facing resources and improved communication between schools and families. The blending of poetic inquiry with reflexive thematic analysis deepened relational ethics and emotional resonance, offering a novel methodological contribution to mathematics education research. Ultimately, this work rehumanizes mathematics education by foregrounding care, connection, and the lived experiences of families navigating FI schooling.