This study examines the emerging process of participation and activism of Mexican and Mexican American migrant farmworkers in the schooling of their children through their narratives and oral histories, contextualized in selected schools and rural communities of Southern California. Equitable and participatory collaborations between migrant…

This study investigated the changes that occur in mothers' language and interactions with their preschool-aged children who have language difficulties when a Spanish language-based intervention was provided within their homes. The intervention was provided using toys and routines that existed within their homes. Three Spanish speaking mothers of…

Purpose: This longitudinal study assessed continuity and stability of productive language (vocabulary and grammar) and discourse features (turn-taking; asking and responding to questions) during mother-child play. Method: Parent-child language use in 119 Spanish-speaking, Mexican immigrant mothers and their children at two ages (M = 2.5 and 3.6…

This article explores how a Chicana/Mexicana teen parenting educator along the U.S./Mexico border crafted her pedagogy from personalized care, conceptualized as "borderland pedagogies of cariño" (care). This approach is rooted through the teacher's interactions with teen mothers who straddle contradictory identities like the boundary of…

Prior research on school tracking has indicated that racialized classed ethnic students are channeled and separated into cohorts based on academic ability. Few studies have indicated the ways in which early socialization of teachers is imparted through pedagogical practices. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research when it comes to understanding…

Children learn the words of their native language(s) from interactions with their caregivers. Although previous research has found that the language children hear during those interactions predicts vocabulary outcomes, few studies have investigated how qualitative features of social interactions work together to affect children's vocabulary…

The current 3-generation (N = 204 families), 3-year longitudinal study examined the intergenerational transmission of cultural socialization among Mexican-origin young mothers and their own mothers (i.e., children's grandmothers) and, in turn, whether young mothers' cultural socialization informed their children's developmental competencies (i.e.,…

Research Findings: The Latino population within the U.S. is heterogeneous with diversity in education level, country of origin, and English language fluency. Latino children often enter school with limited English language skills. In the current study, we surveyed 448 Latino families of Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican descent regarding their home…

The present study examines the influence of economic and family stress processes on change in drug and alcohol use in a cohort of 478 Mexican American youth (50.8% female) followed longitudinally beginning in Grade 5 when the youth averaged 10.4 years of age. Adolescents, their mothers (median age 36 at Grade 5), and their fathers (median age 39…

Parental academic involvement is critical in promoting children's long-term academic success and may be especially impactful during middle school. However, longitudinal research is lacking for Mexican-origin youth and has focused mostly on mothers. Mexican-origin mothers and fathers reported their academic involvement during seventh grade, and we…

This study examined associations of loneliness and relationships (e.g., teacher/student relationships, peer support, and family support) with wellbeing among Latina/o middle school students. A hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that age and loneliness predicted wellbeing; older students and students with high levels of loneliness…

We examined the language practices of five mother-child dyads during a structured play activity, particularly in relation to maternal question use. The study includes second-generation, 4-year-old children of Mexican immigrants who demonstrate either high vocabulary levels in English and Spanish or low levels of vocabulary in both languages.…

Nationally, only half of Latino males graduate from high school (Contreras, 2011). Scholars are beginning to critically examine the various internal and external influences which contribute to low academic achievement for Latino males. This qualitative study uses a human ecological theory to examine how Latino male high school students with high…

Using students' interviews as data source, this study explores the interactional experiences of several Mexican students at a US high school in the Midwest with their teachers and discusses how three cultural models of teacher interaction valued by the students impact their affiliation, motivation, and engagement with school. Emphasis is given to…

This article draws on data from a yearlong case study of a Mexican American ESL teacher's practice in a K-5 school in the southeastern United States. The study examines how the teacher established bilingual interactional space in her ESL pullout class consisting of six 9- to 11-year old students of Mexican descent. The analysis shows the ways in…