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THE NATURE OF MIDDLE-CLASS LATINO/A STUDENTS’ CULTURAL
CAPITAL IN A FIFTH-GRADE CLASSROOM’S READING AND WRITING
ACTIVITIES
by
Margaret Sauceda Curwen
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(EDUCATION)
December 2007
Copyright 2007 Margaret Sauceda Curwen
Object Description
| Title | The nature of middle-class Latino/a students' cultural capital in a fifth-grade classroom's reading and writing activities |
| Author | Curwen, Margaret Sauceda |
| Author email | curwen@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education (Curriculum & Instruction) |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2007-04-24 |
| Date submitted | 2007 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 14 Dec. 2009. |
| Date published | 2009-12-14 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Astor, Ron Avi |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Ruedam, Robert Hoskins, Janet |
| Abstract | The overarching purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the specific dynamics of how upwardly aspiring Latino/a students, in a well-functioning elementary school setting, incorporated their cultural resources, background knowledge, language, and lived experiences during their literacy engagement. By the year 2050, it is estimated that one-in-four school age children will be of Latino/a descent. This study adds to the literature regarding the educational adaptation of children of intergenerational immigrant status.; The main research question was: What is the nature of middle-class Latino students' cultural capital in their fifth-grade classroom's reading and writing practices? The four sub-questions were: (a) What are the characteristics and structure of the reading and writing activities in this classroom? How do they foster integration of middle-class Latino/a participants' background and cultural experiences?; (b) What was the nature of children's participation in the classroom?; (c) How are upwardly aspiring students' different forms of cultural capital valued in the classroom?; and (d) How is the classroom community shaped by the teacher's epistemological stance, philosophy regarding individual learning, and perspectives of middle-class children's cultural knowledge?; The study's findings were analyzed within the following frameworks: a sociocultural theory of learning, Bourdieu's perspective of cultural capital, and contemporary perspectives of culture as permeable and fluid. In addition, contemporary conceptions of culture were included. In light of the complexities of students' responses, two additional relevant theories were incorporated. Because students' intergenerational immigrant status was one aspect of their historical dimension, immigrant theory -- specifically ethnic diasporas' adoption of the American Creed -- interpreted their educational and social adaptation strategies. Critical Race Theory provided a framework for interpreting the students' developing notions of ethnic and racial discrimination.; A case study design was used over a nine-week period with ethnographic methods to capture data. These included: 162 hours of classroom participant observation; fieldnotes; interviews with students, teacher, and school staff; student writing artifacts and school documents; and daily researcher reflexivity. Inductive analysis was used to capture the nuances and complexity of students' responses and teacher beliefs. Activity theory was used to analyze the classroom setting and identify the characteristics and practices of literacy activities as well as studentparticipation. A constant comparative method was used to categorize themes and patterns in the data. Data sources were triangulated to check the integrity of researcher inferences.; There were five key findings. First, a mismatch arose over the teacher's attempts to incorporate students' lived experiences and the students' resistance towards inclusion of their Latino culture. Explanatory elements were that students had embraced the American creed, were secure in the homogeneity of their context, were uninspired by uni-dimensional cultural portrayals, were pulled by the upward mobility of their families, and were motivated to speak English because it was perceived as a high status language. A second finding was that students, at times, exercised their agency by including selective aspects of their background knowledge. This typically occurred during informal classroom contexts. A third finding was a mismatch between the teacher's attempt to forefront social issues, particularly ethnic and racial discrimination, and students' disinclination to publicly include personal experiences. Many students perceived discrimination as historical and they distanced themselves from its salience in their current lives. The fourth finding was students' use of popular culture to achieve academic, social, and personal goals within theclassroom. Images from the media played a role in shaping students' perceptions of race and ethnic discrimination. The fifth finding was how the classroom's literacy practices were shaped by the current sociopolitical dimensions of accountability enacted by the educational reforms of the 2001 No Child Left Behind legislation. The teacher's pedagogical creativity was constrained, and the use of whole class instruction -- limiting students' participation -- was shaped by the school's curricular pacing. Overall findings address middle-class intergenerational children of Mexican heritage negotiating with the ongoing process of their lives as transnational citizens. Implications for theory, research, and practice address the future education of an increasingly diverse student population. |
| Keyword | elementary; Latino; immigration theory; culture; American creed; immigrant mobility; curriculum; instruction; literacy |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m971 |
| Rights | Curwen, Margaret Sauceda |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/services/ask_a_librarian/email/ |
| Filename | etd-Curwen-20071214 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume44/etd-Curwen-20071214.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | THE NATURE OF MIDDLE-CLASS LATINO/A STUDENTS’ CULTURAL CAPITAL IN A FIFTH-GRADE CLASSROOM’S READING AND WRITING ACTIVITIES by Margaret Sauceda Curwen A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EDUCATION) December 2007 Copyright 2007 Margaret Sauceda Curwen |
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