Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Resisting Neoliberalism: Testimonios Of Language Teachers As Social Activists, David Martinez-Prieto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This study examines the testimonios of Mexican language teachers who experienced the violent and institutional imposition of neoliberal policies at the main university at the state of Puebla. Through the analysis of testimonios, language teachers narrated their own trajectories to resist the implementation of the neoliberal policies, such as the restriction of teaching freedom for educators, the elimination of the right to free education for students, and the current subjugation educators experience at the site of study. Based on the Foucauldian concepts of sovereign and institutional power, along with governmentality, this article analyzes the activism of language teachers, and …

Decolonizing Educational Research: Pláticas As Sites Of Reciprocity, Vulnerability, And Reflexivity, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The B3 Scholar Seal: Designing And Implementing An Alternative To The Sobl At A Hispanic-Serving Institution In South Texas, Katherine Christoffersen, Dania López García

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This chapter describes how the Bilingualism, Biculturalism, and Biliteracy (B3) Institute at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) developed the B3 Scholar Seal. Since its founding, UTRGV has provided a rare example of dual language education at the university level, offering courses taught bilingually or in Spanish across diverse disciplines. However, the language of these courses was not formally recognized upon graduation. The B3 Institute developed the B3 Scholar Seal to acknowledge students who successfully complete five courses, including at least three courses taught in Spanish or bilingually and at least one course, including culturally sustaining pedagogy. In …

Languages And Nation Building, David Martinez-Prieto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

In this chapter, I analyze the ideologies behind the rationale that implies that citizens of a specific country should speak specific languages. In other words, I examine the relationship between the ideological construction of citizens and languages. I first explore notions of ideological construction explained by Weberian (1904/2002), Marxist (1872), and Geertz (1973) to provide a seminal understanding of the creation of a “collective we” embedded in nation-states. I then refer to some common academic research frameworks to analyze the ideological construction of citizenship within a nation state to differing degrees of acceptance of (Gramsci, 1948) and resistance to (Anzaldúa, …

Non-Plus Ultra Ideologies In Multilingual Teacher Education Research: Towards Real Inclusion, David Martinez-Prieto, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

In this duo autoethnography, we reflect on the ideologies prevailing in the United States regarding the use of English as the de facto academic language. In a parallel manner, we analyze the ideologies embedded in the rejection of academic variations in other languages (i.e., Spanish and Mandarin). We collected data from 2016 to 2023 in physical and digital spaces while interacting with U.S. academia. To analyze our experiences, we used a framework that combined critical literacies and language ideologies. We found the rejection of non-English academic domains related to structural and epistemological ideologies present in some U.S. institutions and among …

Los Retos And Opportunities Del Transnational Translanguaging In English-Language Teaching Programs In Mexico, David Martinez-Prieto, Sue Kasun, Peter Sayer

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Nuestro principal objetivo en este ensayo es promover el uso del translingüismo como una alternativa para la formación de profesorado bilingüe en universidades mexicanas. Defendemos esta postura no simplemente por las ventajas pedagógicas del translingüismo, sino como una imperiosa necesidad ante la multiculturalidad y transnacionalismo de los futuros docentes de lengua inglesa en México. En otras palabras, en este ensayo promovemos el uso de translanguaging as a reaction towards the reproduction of systemic oppression which occurs in many English Language Teaching programs in Mexican universities regarding nativism, raciolinguistics, and irreflective neoliberalism.

Black Lives Still Matter: Freedom Schools As An Embodiment Of Critical Literacy Through Reflection And Action, Elena M. Venegas, Lakia M. Scott

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The continuation of racial inequities in the United States has ignited the recent Black Lives Matter Movement, a protest of police brutality and gun violence. Black lives matter in public school classrooms, too—where students of color face barriers to equitable educational experiences. The Children's Defense Fund Freedom School program is a major component in developing critical literacy skills through critique, inquiry, and transformation through social justice and action. Critical literacy is enacted through identity—mainly as difference, self, consciousness, narrative, and positionality. Historical and contemporary relevance of Freedom Schools connects to the urgency of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Embracing The "American Dream" Social Media Imaginary Versus The Daily American Nightmare For Immigrant Youth, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Iris Rubi Monroy Velasco

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we embark on a journey to explore the hopes for a better future, the American Dream, shared by a group of transnational, first-generation Hispanic/Latino college students located along the border between the United States of America (Texas) and Mexico (Tamaulipas). We gathered the data through a blend of ethnographic interviews and surveys to unravel, juxtapose, and deliberate upon the experiences shared. Employing a thematic analysis methodology inspired by Braun and Clarke (2006), we categorize the data into two overarching categories. The first category delves into the social and virtual spaces where the ideals of the American Dream …

Relations Among Degree Of Bilingualism And Bilateral Information Processing In Children And Adults, Francisco J. Sierra, Amy A. Weimer, Yu-Cheng Lin, Jerwen Jou, Nayda Castillo, Cedar Garcia, Michelle Suarez, Flor I. Garcia, Gabriela Aleman, Edson Ortiz, Francheli Romero

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Aims and objectives:

The primary goal of this study was to examine whether degree of bilingualism related to dichotic listening accuracy, a measure of bilateral processing, after controlling for age and income.

Methodology:

Participants included 59 children ages 6–11 years (M = 7.86, SD = 1.81) and 61 adults (18–83 years) (M = 34.02, SD = 15.70). Participants completed demographic surveys, vocabulary assessments in English and Spanish, and a dichotic listening test.

Data and analysis:

Multiple linear regressions examined whether the degree of bilingualism predicted bilateral processing.

Findings:

Degree of bilingualism predicted bilateral processing in the whole sample …

Inter/Weaving, Inter/Lacing Consciousness & Resistance: Decolonizing Practices, Intersectionality & Aesthetics, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Rosalva Resendiz

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Overall, the primary role in this issue was to create a space for scholars/artists/activists to share co-learned knowledges, testimonios, auto/biographies, stories, experiences, methods, research, as well as their own challenges and struggles while reclaiming, negotiating, or situating into their own paths. The issue works like our Borderlands, as a metaphorical terrain where shared information not only carefully addresses the paradoxical process of working towards decolonizing but also awareness that this work is being done within our own colonized/colonizing organizations, environments, and minds.

Repast: A Collective Autoethnographic Process Of Meaning Making, Vejoya Viren, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Karin Lewis, Eunice Lerma

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

For over six years, our writing collective has drawn upon our multivarious experiences and existence to examine and question our presence, purpose, motivation, and place at an HSI at the USA Mexico border. We thrive in our plurality and our disparate discourses have created an enduring sense and space of safety and belonging. However, this sense/space is not impervious and events as monumental as the global pandemic, as horrific as the images of wars, as devastating as the ravages of climate change, as destabilizing as divisive politics, as personal as new professional expectations, all have become intrinsic part of our …

Hampering The Dogmatization Within The System By Building An Itinerant Practice In Bilingual Education And Dual-Language Programs, Jose Orozco, Michael Whitacre

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on dual-language programs and the transformation of implementation through the lens of Itinerant Curriculum Theory (ICT), curricularized language, and personal pedagogies, and how it impacts the way educators work within a dual-language program. The pedagogies of educator practices and influences included individuals with different ideologies, education, experience, distinct backgrounds, methods, and aspirations were part of the interactive mechanisms and educator practices that were analyzed. Thus, it concludes that the mindset and pedagogical approach affects the implementation of any program or model and shows how disparate agendas shape the program, its implementation, and the effect on the child.

Remembering Our Ancestors Through Convivienza, Pláticas, Y Testimonios, Ernesto F. Ramirez, Gabriela Ortiz-Ramírez

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

The grave is the final resting place for our physical remains, yet in our culture, we continue to visit the grave to be reminded of our ancestors' spirits. Coco, Encanto, and The Book of Life stand as examples of how our customs and rituals have been exploited in mass media for the world to consume and misuse its aesthetics. This reflection is not about a particular holiday, but how our Xicanx Texanx ancestors passed down knowledge from generation to generation, keeping our stories alive, and shaping our future—it is autohistoria-teoria in praxis (Arfuso 2021). In three broad approaches we explore …

Spirituality Among Mexican Transnational Teaching Youth: Towards Decolonialization And Humanization Of Research, David Martinez-Prieto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The ultimate purpose of this study is to illustrate the transnational journey of Mexican populations in terms of their spirituality. With this goal, I designed this study based on decolonial and humanizing principles of testimonios epistemologies (Calderón-Berumen et al. 2022) to describe the spiritual trajectories of Mexican transnational returnees pursuing a teaching degree in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Based on interviews, written questionnaires, and the teaching journal of the author, I suggest that transnationals understand that spiritual and religious development is different for Mexican communities on both sides of the border. On the one hand, transnationals realized that religiosity—rather than spirituality—is present …

Integrating Research-Based Indicators Of Emergent Biliteracy Teaching Practices For Emerging Bilingual Learners, Julia Guadalupe Cuevas Guerra

Human Development and School Services Faculty Publications

This research explored how bilingual teachers of young Dual Language Leaners ages 0-3 integrated Reyes and Azuara’s (2008) Ecological Model of Emergent Biliteracy in their classrooms to foster bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic success. Dual Language Learners are the fastest-growing population of young children in the country that speak a language other than English. As so, the early childhood workforce must integrate the Ecological Model of Emergent Biliteracy for emergent biliteracy development and equitable emergent biliteracy teaching practices to support the natural biliteracy development of young Spanish-English Dual Language Learners. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and observations and were analyzed …

Diversifying The ‘Hsi Bubble’: Black And Asian Women Faculty At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Elena M. Venegas, Jacqueline B. Koonce, Lorenza Lancaster, Julissa Bazan, Adriana Garza

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of seven Black and Asian women faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The unique experience of each woman is shared in this paper. Three themes highlight the interconnectedness of participant experiences. The first theme indicated that these Black and Asian women faculty operated in unsupportive microclimates within their HSIs. Secondly, participants communicated a need for representation within the ‘HSI bubble.’ Finally, our participants felt as though their HSIs needed to exercise greater intentionality in terms of truly serving their student populations. Amongst the implications of this research is a better understanding of the experiences …

Post-Baccalaureate Research Experiences For Students At Two Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Experience), Dessaray Monique Gorbett, Benjamin C. Flores, Cristina Villalobos, Sara E. Rodriguez, Ariana (Ari) Arciero, Josef A. Sifuentes

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examines the implementation of a one-year program that offered post-baccalaureate research experiences to a cohort of recent STEM graduates from two large Hispanic-serving institutions. Both institutions are collaborators in an NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) grant, which is dedicated to enhancing the academic experience of historically underrepresented minorities. Applicants were either self-nominated or were nominated by faculty to participate in the post-baccalaureate program. Following an application process that included an interview, selected participants were matched to research faculty and committed to engage in a high-impact research project for at least one semester and for up …

Exploring Grit Among Hispanic Undergraduates At A South Texas Hispanic-Serving Institution, Lorraine Pedroza

Theses and Dissertations

Although an increasing number of Latinx students are enrolling in higher education, only a small percentage graduate from two and four-year universities compared to their counterparts. This study explored the relationship between demographic variables and grit scores among undergraduate students. Grit, defined as the perseverance and passion for long-term goals (Duckworth, 2009), has gained significant attention in education research due to its association with academic success and performance. This study utilized a quantitative research design to compare grit scores between junior and senior undergraduate students. A total of 166 participants were included in the analysis, with 69 respondents classified as …

“Va A Cambiar” - Identifying And Rejecting Border Patrol Pedagogies In A Dual Language Classroom, Melissa Adams Corral, Gladys Krause, Luz A. Maldonado Rodríguez

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

In this paper we identify, name, and operationalize six borders typically found in school settings that include dual language classrooms: bordered languages, knowledge, content areas, bodies, selves, and teachers. We identify these borders as a point of departure to show an example of how a two-way dual language classroom operated through a form of border-crossing pedagogy that respects children and reveals authentic multilingual learning. We use this example to propose that, if dual language classrooms are to truly respect racially and linguistically marginalized students, educators must engage in a practice of protest and refusal toward curricular and social violence.

Imperialism Unawareness: The Case Of Citizenship Construction Among Mexican Transnational Students, David Martinez-Prieto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This study analyzes the impact that U.S. curricula have on Mexican transnational returnees. Specifically, this article focuses on the ideological development of the army and imperialism promoted in U.S. schools among Mexican populations. Using a framework that combines critical literacies, transnationalism, and Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and doxa, this study draws on data from 24 interviews to Mexican transnational returnee students (n = 4), Mexican national professors (n = 4), and Mexican national students (n = 4) during their concurrence in a program of English language teaching in central Mexico. Findings suggest that, before returning to …

Exploring Equity In Biliteracy Development In A Two-Way Dual Language Program, Dalila Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study aimed to better understand how biliteracy is conveyed to native English speakers in order for them to acquire a second language, Spanish in a two-way dual language program. The study uses the theoretical framework of Jose Medina’s C6 Biliteracy Framework (2019) and research from Kathy Escamilla (2014). The research questions that guided this study were: (1) What type of instructional methods are the bilingual certified teachers utilizing to support Spanish development for native English students in a two-way dual language program? (2) How are bilingual teachers tracking the progress …

Exploring Chicana Preservice Teachers’ Conscientizing Processes: Introducing An Array Of Criticalities In An Elementary Social Studies Methods Course, Raul Garza

Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that our preservice teachers are experiencing a euro-centered teacher preparation curriculum, this study aimed to explore Chicana preservice teachers' interactions with an array of criticalities focused on a bioregional context that highlighted critical and resistant resources.

Chapter 1 surveyed the literature on growing critically conscious teachers of color and posed the following research questions: How do critical place-based pedagogies impact Chicana preservice teachers’ experiences in a social studies methods course? How do Chicana preservice teachers respond to a broad array of criticalities? How do the critical and democratic pedagogies experienced in the social studies methods …

Developing Hispanic Pre-Service Elementary Bilingual Teachers’ Cultural Competence And Teacher Identity Through Mixed Reality Simulation, Yajaira A. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the constant migration of diverse populations, multicultural communities are developing across North America. As a result, multi-culturally diverse classrooms are multiplying (Allen et al., 2017). Our pre-service teachers must be multi-culturally prepared to enter diverse classrooms and effectively teach students without implicit bias (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Banks, 2010; Paris, 2017). Pre-service teachers' identity and cultural competence should be prioritized in teacher preparation programs. Using Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), Practice-Based Learning, and Teacher Identity as conceptual frameworks, this study will answer how Mixed Reality Simulation (MRS) may be used as a teacher preparation tool (Aguilar & Flores, 2022) to …

A Historical Analysis Of Bilingual Program Implementation, Jessica Gonzalez Perez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to uncover opportunities for reimagining the dual language program. Furthermore, it aims to provide valuable insights to district leaders contemplating initiating such programs. Through an examination of the program's inception and subsequent evolution, the research will offer a comprehensive understanding of its background and development. Integral to this exploration are district leaders' and campus administrators' perspectives and viewpoints directly involved in implementing the program. Their insights will shed light on the program's journey and inform potential improvements or adaptations. Ultimately, this study endeavors to serve as a roadmap for district leaders navigating the …

Ecologies Of Teaching With Bilingual Students: Connecting Identity, Agency, And Assessment In First-Year Writing Class, Sumantha Nikole Zapata

Theses and Dissertations

As many students who graduate from high school transition into applying for college or university, they are not aware of the drastic changes that come with it. For bilingual students, this transition can be much more challenging due to their language barrier and the lack of support they may receive. The intersection of demographics, pedagogy, and linguistic agency led to the research question for this study: how can pedagogies in first-year writing classes be adjusted or developed to justly educate and assess bilingual students who are still working toward competence in English? The history of bilingual education …

“I Want To Say The Right Thing”: Developing Translingual Literacy Practices Through Early Care Educator And University Researcher Partnerships, Angie Zapata, Mary Adu-Gyamfi, Adrianna González Ybarra

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

An early care educator (ECE) and university collaborative model of teacher learning offers a distinct departure from common top-down models of professional development. Implementing a Social Design-Based Experiment, ECE and university partners collaborate to explore translingual picturebooks to address curricular inequities in their school settings. Featuring the experience of one white, middle-class ECE (Tamara) in a Midwest rural suburban school, we identify three critical components of this ECE and university researcher collaborative inquiry model: role of ECE as mentors and supporters, picturebooks as tools, and role of university partners as facilitators. Tamara’s experience highlights the critical components of the model, …

A Science Teacher’S Experiences When Fostering Intercultural Competence Among Students In Multilingual Classrooms: A Narrative Study, Uma Ganesan, Amanda R. Morales

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Increased globalization of the world economy, growth in human migration, and rapid devel-opments in science and technology have required people to develop intercultural commu-nication skills. Teachers play a crucial role in developing intercultural competence among students in our globalized, multilingual classrooms. The need for fostering collaborative discourse among students with diverse cultural and linguistic repertoires and building in-tercultural competence among students is a common blind spot in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics teacher praxis. This can inhibit efforts to cultivate safe and supportive learning environments for all students and can ultimately threaten multilingual student success. As part of a larger …

Reimagining Teaching And Learning In Steam: Cultivating Sustainable Symbiotic Relationships Among Faculty And Students At An Hsi, Karin A. Lewis, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Vejoya Viren, David Martinez-Prieto, Silvia P. Solis

Critical Proceedings of the STEM ED Conference (2023)

No abstract provided.

Using A Two-Way Engagement Community- And Family-Centered Pedagogy To Prepare Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Olga Ramirez, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, Luis M. Fernandez

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Research on effective methods to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) in teaching mathematics to K-12 Latin* students has been gaining significant momentum. These efforts have focused, in part, on promoting pedagogical practices that recognize and incorporate the culture and language that K-12 Latin* students and their communities share. As teacher educators, we argue that if we are to further prepare PSTs to serve the needs of such increasingly diversifying K-12 student population, the same pedagogical focus on the learner’s cultural wealth should also be applied to the preparation of PSTs themselves, especially among Latin* PSTs in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) like …

Latina Voice In Dialogue With Literacy, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This study follows the literacy experiences of four Latina middle schoolers as they read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and compose home language narratives in their heritage voices. Both their vibrant ethnic cultures and other intersecting rays of identities are analyzed in the vein of their literate identities. Through analysis of their writing and speech, the girls present hybridized identities on the border between cultures and languages. Their position and identities in the social world of middle school are discussed and how transactions with literacy can dialogically influence those identities to enact critically conscious pedagogy.