Crafting Identities: An Examination of Latinas' Literacies in Their Transition From High School to College

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-9 - Literacies and Linguistic Identities of Latina/o Students

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how bilingual Latinas negotiate multiliterate identities in the space of a high school located on the U.S.-Mexico border. As these Latinas will start college in fall 2014, learning how to efficiently navigate everyday and academic discourses is critical for them. Two questions guide this study: (1) How do Latina pre-college students construct and negotiate multiple literacies and identities in the space of a high school in the borderlands? (2) In light of their identity constructions and negotiations in secondary school, how do Latina pre-college students envision themselves and their literacy practices within the space of the university? Findings suggest that participants felt underprepared for college-level writing. Additionally, Latinas believed that teachers had low expectations for them.

Author

• Luciene Soares Wandermurem, The University of Texas - El Paso