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Reaching For Success: A Close-Up Of Mexican Immigrant Parents In The Usa Who Foster Literacy Success For Their Kindergarten Children, Cristina Gillanders, Robert Jimenez

Cristina Gillanders

The purpose of this study was to examine the home environment of immigrant Mexican kindergarteners of low socio-economic status in the USA who display high levels of emergent literacy when compared to their peers. To examine the home environments, the study focused on the literacy beliefs and practices of four families. Findings highlight the role of parental active support and corresponding literacy practices at home, as promoters of positive effects of bilingualism and consequently literacy learning. In addition, the school’s use of Spanish facilitated the dynamic of the families’ belief in active support of their children’s literacy learning and subsequent …