Literacy practices in Mexican immigrant homes

Abstract

Despite a well-established body of literature focusing on school-based Spanish and English bilingualism of Latino children in the United States, the biliteracy development and literacy practices at home have received little attention by the educational research community. Addressing this gap is important because educators can then use the knowledge related to home language and literacy resources to inform the school curricula and better serve the needs of a linguistically and culturally diverse student population. We contribute to this endeavor by exploring two Mexican immigrant families and their language and literacy practices in their home milieu. Findings from this study suggest that family interactions, as well as the more general home context, are crucial factors in supporting children's development of both oral language and literacy in Spanish and English. An important and recurrent observation is the scaffolding that parents use in Spanish as part of their literacy practices. In addition, children act as agents in their own learning of Spanish, and in making connections to their knowledge of English     

Family learning environment and early literacy: A comparison of bilingual and monolingual children

Early research on literacy development usually focuses on children in preschool or kindergarten. Few studies have examined the early literacy of bilingual children. This study examines its relationship with different family learning environments (e.g. book availability), and family learning activities (e.g. reading books, telling stories, and singing songs) of bilingual and monolingual children from 9 months of age to kindergarten entry. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort was used as the analysis sample. We included 1300 bilingual children and 5150 English monolingual children. We uncover that bilingual children generally lag behind in both resources and frequency of family learning activities. Using various decomposition techniques, we show that early reading score differences between bilingual and monolingual children can be explained by differences in resources and early family learning environments.     

Reconciling beliefs and practices in teaching and learning

Current teaching and learning methods reveal marked differences between how students approach learning and how instructors approach teaching. Little attention has been paid to understanding these differences and their implications for designing successful learning environments. The purpose of the paper is to introduce a framework for understanding and reconciling perspectives on teaching and learning success. First, we examine perspectives on learning success. Next, we compare and contrast beliefs and practices associated with teaching and learning. Finally, we introduce a model for reconciling teaching and learning beliefs and practices, and discuss implications for future research and practice.     

Family disruption and academic functioning in urban,black youth

The purpose of this study was to examine from an ecological perspective the relationships between multiple levels of family disruption and children's academic functioning in a sample of 390 urban, Black adolescents at age 14. Subjects in this cohort have been followed longitudinally since before their birth. Data from previous assessments at birth and age 7 years allowed for control of important correlates in this analyses. Examination of this unique sample, using multisource data collection procedures, provides important information about the many family disruptions among urban, low‐income families and the effects of these disruptions on academic outcomes. Results revealed several consistent findings, the most notable of which is that, when parents were married, adolescents demonstrated significantly higher grades, mediated through paternal involvement. Of all variables studied, the role of fathers in the lives of these adolescents was the most influential on academic outcomes. In this unique sample, even variables such as involvement with child protective services were not significantly related to outcomes after important control variables were factored into analyses. Results of this study have important implications for future research and for prevention and intervention efforts in urban, at‐risk samples. Emphasis is made for work in the school context, particularly for school psychologists. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Potentials,dissonances and reform initiatives in field-based learning and mentoring practices in the early childhood sector in Germany

In Germany, the field-based element in the education/training of early childhood educators is given high priority in the development of professional competencies. Nevertheless, Germany lacks a firmly anchored regulatory and curricular framework for early childhood education and care settings as ‘workplace learning sites’ (Lernort Praxis) and the current approaches towards practical placements have been strongly criticised. Debates have focused on the (inadequate) interface between theory and practice and the overriding influence of the vocational colleges as sites of professional preparation. The examination of existing regulations regarding practical placements shows that the practice sites and the mentors who work there receive too little attention. Beyond this, the education/training of (early) childhood educators is dominated by the vocational colleges – not least because the two places of learning (i.e. the college and the workplace) are assigned to different authorities and ministries. The quality of workplace-based learning can therefore only be enhanced by relevant policy decisions and by integrating the interface between theory and practice on a curricular basis.     

Family literacy activities in the homes of successful young readers

This paper presents an account of the literacy activities engaged in by the parents of 29 children around the time that the children were about to start school at Key Stage 1. Fifteen of the children were reading fluently before they began school and the remaining fourteen were matched for age, sex, receptive vocabulary scores, pre‐school group attended and socio‐economic family status, but not reading fluently. In order to ascertain that the fluent readers were not simply coming from homes where literacy activities were more in evidence, parents were asked to report on their own literacy activities. The data obtained indicated that there were no systematic differences in the activities of the two sets of parents. They also showed that there was a considerable amount of literacy activity evident in the homes. It is argued that, whilst the home environment is highly instrumental in nurturing literacy development, it is not enough to account for precocious reading ability.     

Piagetian cognitive functioning in students with learning disabilities

This study investigated the cognitive abilities as measured by the Inventory of Piaget's Developmental Tasks (IPDT) (Furth, 1970) of male and female fourth and fifth graders with learning disabilities. In addition, their cognitive abilities were compared to their reading and mathematics achievement, as measured by the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) (Dunn & Markwardt, 1970). A two-way analysis of covariance revealed a significant mean difference in cognitive ability between students with learning disabilities and nondisabled students. No significant differences existed in performance between males and females. Multiple regression showed that a linear combination of reading and mathematics achievement yielded a significant positive correlation to cognitive ability.     

Newcomer refugee and immigrant youth negotiate transnational civic learning and participation in school

This article analyses the perspectives and experiences of refugee and immigrant secondary school students in the USA who are from the Democratic Republic of Congo to examine the interplay between identity and civic education, and broader socio-political discourses around immigration and inclusion. Data are drawn from a 2-year qualitative study that took place between 2016 and 2018, and included interviews, field notes from classroom observations and recordings of classroom discourse in high school civics classes. Findings are analysed through anthropological framings of citizenship and provide important insight into how marginalisation in one context is experienced in another—how refugee and immigrant youth’s socially conscious identities in resettlement contexts can be borne out of personal and familial histories that transcend geographical borders. In so doing, it showcases how civic learning can involve a dialogic process of self-representation and representation of group memberships. This research emphasises these youth’s inherent agency and resistance to single-story narratives about their lives. It concludes with implications for teachers and learners on incorporating active, critical and participatory transnational citizenship education into the classroom.     

Exploring immigrant students' adjustment to learning in their new cultural setting

The adjustment of non-English speaking immigrant students to learning was explored by comparing the learning characteristics of immigrant students with those of a matched group of Canadian students. Eleven immigrant students and eleven Canadian students from three grade 4 classrooms in three schools in a large Western Canadian urban school system were assessed on academic achievement, attitude to school, English proficiency, academic self-concept, and quality of teacher-student interaction. Data on attitudes of teachers toward immigrant students and on attitudes of parents of immigrant students towards the mother culture and learning in a second culture were also collected. Results indicated that immigrant students did not differ significantly from Canadian students on any of these variables. Findings were supported by other Canadian studies on immigrant students and the research on second language learning. The adjustment of immigrant students to learning appeared to be dependent upon three factors: length on time in the second culture, the proportion of immigrant students within a classroom, and the cultural harmony in both home and school settings.     

Instructional practices and self-regulated learning in Chinese language classes

This study investigated the relation between teachers’ instructional practices and students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in Hong Kong Chinese language classes using quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were 1121 Grade 10 students from six secondary schools in Hong Kong. A Chinese reading comprehension (RC) test was used to assess the students’ reading performance and a self-reported questionnaire measured their perception of reading instruction, strategy use and reading motivation. Classroom observations and in-depth interviews were conducted in one class at each school to explore what and how instructional practices supported or impeded SRL in real contexts. The findings of this study generally support the positive relation between SRL-based instruction and Chinese students’ SRL. Among the four instructional variables, instrumental support from teachers showed the strongest relation with students’ strategy use, motivation and RC. The degree of autonomy was low in Chinese language classes and was associated with students’ negative reading behaviours.     

Epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral learning in the early years of school: relationships and complexities

While investment in young children is recognised as important for the development of moral values for a cohesive society, little is known about early years teaching practices that promote learning of moral values. This paper reports on observations and interviews with 11 Australian teachers, focusing on their epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral education with children aged 5–8 years. The analysis revealed three main patterns of thinking about moral education: following others, reflecting on points of view, and informing reflection for action. These patterns suggest a relationship between epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral learning which have implications for teacher professional development concerning experiences in moral education.     

生物学科研究性学习的实践探索

在生物学科实施研究性学习旨在倡导建构的学习 ,改变传统的接受性学习方式 ,使学生主动参与、乐于探究、勤于动手、合作交流 ,促进学生有意义学习的可持发展及创新精神的培养和实践能力的提高。这要求教师的教育观念和教学行为必须发生转变 ,教师不再只是知识的传播者 ,应同时成为学生学习的组织者、参与者、指导者和促进者。1　选题方向生物学教学中可供研究性学习选题的内容十分丰富 ,归纳起来选题的方向可以有以下八个方面。1.1　生物学的基本概念和规律　生物学基本概念和规律 ,是生物科学探究的主要内容 ,也是学生学习生物学的基础。因…     

Scaffolding practices that enhance mathematics learning

It is over 25 years since Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89–100) introduced the idea of ‘scaffolding’ to represent the way children’s learning can be supported. Despite problems, this metaphor has enduring attraction in the way it emphasises the intent to support a sound foundation with increasing independence for the learner as understanding becomes more secure. It has resonance with the widely accepted notion in teaching of construction and the constructivist paradigm for learning. The discussion that follows will characterise some teaching approaches that can be identified as scaffolding, revisiting some of the original classifications, and identifying further scaffolding strategies with particular reference to mathematics learning. Examples will be given from studies relating to geometry learning with four to 6 year olds and to arithmetic learning with older pupils.     

Transformative learning of mentors from an immigrant workplace connections program

Mentorship programs have been deployed within immigrant and settlements services to integrate newcomers to the Canadian labor market. These programs are often assessed for their impacts on immigrant mentees. Little attention has been paid to how they may have influenced mentors. In this context, this study, from the perspective of transformative learning, examines the experiences of 19 mentors who were involved in a mentorship program designed to enhance the employment prospects for immigrant professionals in Canada. Findings indicated that in the process of mentoring immigrants with diverse backgrounds, mentors engaged in both informational and transformational learning. Through informational learning, the mentors expanded their cultural and work-related knowledge, hence their life horizons. For some mentors, their learning was also transformational. Some developed new awareness of and relation to the self. Some also started recognizing the structural and cultural barriers facing newcomers, and sometimes taking actions to effect social change. Both kinds of learning – informational and transformational – we argue, may contribute to disrupting relations of inequality between newcomers and the host society. The study suggests ways through which mentoring programs can contribute to a two-way process of integration involving changes and learning for both newcomers and the host society.     

Evaluating the reflexive practices in a learning experience

Reflexivity is a primary requirement for professional work. Our aim was to describe a methodology suitable for detecting the development of reflexive practice through the analysis of 59 Master’s degree students’ journals. We explore the use and changes of reflexive practice in relation to the settings and activities of the course using analysis of the mental language: We analyse how the reflexive practice is characterized, how it evolves through time and how it can be promoted. Data analysis shows that reflexivity is not monodimensional but multidimensional. Reflexive practice increases during the course: The different dimensions vary over time according to different organizational and educational conditions. This methodology allows us to formulate new hypotheses about which elements of the setting and process are effective in supporting participants’ reflexive practice.