Teacher Beliefs About Mixteco Students' Educational Experiences in U.S. Classrooms

• In Event: Indigenous Presence: Decolonial Pathways in Indigenous Teaching and Teacher Education

Abstract

The number of Indigenous language speakers from Mexico in California has risen dramatically in the past decade. However, research studies on how schools and teachers are responding to these students’ specific needs are rare. Drawing from grounded theory and informed by interactionism and constructivist perspectives, this study explores five elementary school teachers’ beliefs about their Mixteco-speaking students’experiences in the classroom and their instructional adaptations to support those students. The results indicate that teachers believe that Mixteco families experience discrimination, resulting in families’ desire to hide their linguistic background. These beliefs encouraged teachers to engage in classroom practices designed to instill pride in students’ Mixteco language. The results corroborate and extend previous research on the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices.

Author

• Rachael Dektor, University of California - Santa Cruz
  Presenting Author