Contradictory Literacy Practices of Mexican-Background Students: An Ethnography From the Rural Midwest

Autor/in	Godina, Heriberto
Titel	Contradictory Literacy Practices of Mexican-Background Students: An Ethnography From the Rural Midwest
Quelle	In: Bilingual Research Journal, 28 (2004) 2, S.153-180 (28 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1523-5882
Schlagwörter	Rural Areas; Literacy; Ethnography; Mexican Americans; High School Students; Sociocultural Patterns; English (Second Language); Spanish; Language Proficiency; Family Environment; Cultural Differences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Ethnografie; Hispanoamerikaner; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Soziokulturelle Theorie; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Spanisch; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Familienmilieu; Kultureller Unterschied
Abstract	This ethnographic study explores the contradictory literacy practices of 10 high school students of Mexican background from the rural Midwest. The author uses the term "Mexican background" to encompass both settled Mexican Americans and recent-immigrant Mexicanos. Literacy is investigated through English and Spanish in a sociocultural context. Findings reveal how Mexican-background students demonstrate different literacy practices in their homes and communities than those acknowledged at school. Educators in the school setting did not recognize Mexican-background students' linguistic proficiency. In school, Mexican-background students were viewed in terms of their limited-English status and were mostly enrolled in low academic tracks. At home, Spanish-speaking parents relied on their children's sophisticated translation abilities. Results indicate that the lost opportunities for effective literacy learning at school ignored the realistic responsibilities and potential of the Mexican-background students. Many of the adults in this small, rural, midwestern community failed to recognize the dynamic implications between literacy and identity that these adolescents navigated on a daily basis across multiple settings. (Author).
Anmerkungen	National Association for Bilingual Education, 1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 470, Washington, DC, 20005. Tel: 202-898-1829; Fax: 202-789-2866; e-mail: nabe@nabe.org; Web site: http://www.nabe.org.
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10