Abstract
While there have been studies on Asian American (AA) parents' experiences with the U.S. special education (SPED) system, there have been no studies on Filipino American (FA) parents' experiences with the SPED system. As FAs are the third largest Asian group in the United States., there is a need for special education research to be conducted with this population. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) interviews were conducted over Zoom with FA parents of children receiving SPED services. Participants resided in various states in the United States (n = 10). Participants reported varied and nuanced experiences related to advocacy, working with the school team, navigating and understanding the SPED system, supports and services, and the influence of the Filipino community during their SPED journeys. Compared to previous studies on AA parents' experiences with SPED, FA parents appeared to be more confident in advocacy and did not consider language or culture as barriers to understanding and involvement during the SPED process. Additional findings suggest that FA parents are cognizant of SPED as a free resource in public schools and believe that SPED helps children to reach their potential. Parents also experienced explanation fatigue in interactions with the Filipino community during their SPED journeys. To better help the FA community during the SPED process, practitioners can provide more detailed explanations of the SPED process, address misconceptions of SPED by carefully explaining SPED jargon, and support FA families in navigating the stigma of SPED within their communities.
Degree
EdS
College and Department
David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Surio, Greyagail Custodio, "Filipino American Parents' Experiences with the United States Special Education System: A Qualitative Study" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 10685.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/10685
Date Submitted
2025-02-21
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13521
Keywords
Filipino, Filipino American, parents, special education
Language
english
