Español, el idioma de nosotros: A Parental Perspective on Home Literacy Practices of Mexican American Families

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Parental Views and Family Engagement in the Context of Bilingual Language Development

Abstract

This case study employs Family Literacy Theory to examine the ways that Mexican-American parents conceptualize and practice literacy in the home with their emergent bilingual elementary-aged children. Drawing from questionnaires and interviews from a suburban Midwestern community, findings demonstrate how families position and arbitrate their language and literacies within their homes and communities. Findings show the specific ways in which families negotiate and transform literacies across multiple languages and modalities. Such findings illuminate the agency of emergent bilingual families. Such findings have been incorporated into English Language Learner and bilingual teacher preparation courses, holding future benefits for preparing Indiana educators who understand the multifaceted literacy capacities of emergent bilingual families.

Authors

• Anne Garcia, Purdue University

• Trish Morita Mullaney, Purdue University

• Annamarie King, Purdue University

• Rong Zhang, Purdue University