"Interaction with Children. In some cultures, adults view playing with their children as "spoiling" them and leads to children requiring too much adult attention. They do not understand that play can be an important learning experience.

• Discipline. Cultures have different approaches to discipline including use of physical coercion.
• Expectations for teaching and schools. In some countries and cultures learning is not seen as a participatory process as in the United States. Teachers in these cultures are more authoritarian as well. Parents may be reluctant to become involved in school because they view it as an improper challenge to the authority of the teacher and school
• Expectations for educational attainment. Students from cultures where the students spend few years in formal schooling may have relatively low expectations for educational attainment.
• Expectations for schooling of women. To improve the family's economic situation and consequent opportunities for the children, many family literacy projects specifically target the educational level of the mother. In some cultures, this approach can be seen as a threat to the male members of the household.
• Perceptions about native language. Because of the powerful desire to learn English, some families may be willing to "sacrifice" their native language in the effort to acquire English skills as quickly as possible. This may lead them to discourage the use of their native language with their young children who have not yet reached verbal fluency. The child may not achieve proficiency in either language as a consequence.

• Attitudes toward English acquisition. Many immigrants live in communities where there is little or no opportunity to learn English on their own. Their desire to participate fully in U.S. society makes them eager to learn English.
• Attitudes towards literacy. The great majority of immigrants believe that education is the key to success in the United States both for themselves and their children. Because of this, they are eager to learn ways that they can help their children achieve.
• Attitudes towards participation in "mainstream" culture. Although immigrants want to preserve their native language and culture, they are also eager to learn to succeed in the U.S. system.
• Family ties. Many cultures have much more elaborate and powerful family structures than is the norm in the United States. In some cultures, this commitment to family obligations and collective betterment far outweighs any individual motivation.