The Voces Project: Investigating How Latino/a Immigrant Children Make Sense of Engaging in School and School Mathematics

Abstract

This study investigates how a group of Mexican immigrant children in the United States made sense of engaging in school and school mathematics. The research focused on a population of Latino/a middle school students who were a distinct minority, building a model that shows how a complex set of cognitive, sociocultural, and institutional factors mediated these students' engagement and success in school. The results of this research will help educators understand the complex social environment that faces immigrant children and impacts their performance and engagement in school and school mathematics. Theoretical Framework Methodology The Voces Model Summary of Influences on Engagement in School Conclusion: Implications for Research and Schools Notes ReferencesWhen asked, "What does it take to be good in math?" Oscar, a 14-year-old Mexican immigrant boy, answered, "What does it take? It takes heart." Heart and a willingness to keep trying or "Si, se puede" were two of the major assets that immigrant Latino/a children and their parents consistently presented when discussing their lives as members of a community in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. These assets represent part of the funds of knowledge that these children bring with them to school (Gonzalez, Moll, & Amanti, 2005). This study investigates how Mexican immigrant children attending a predominantly White middle school in the United States made sense of engaging in school and school mathematics and how their familial and cultural backgrounds interacted with the school culture and expectations. Multiple studies have examined the factors that influence Latino student engagement in schools that serve populations that are predominantly Latino/a (e.g., Gutierrez, 2002b;Gutstein, Lipman, Hernandez, & de los Reyes, 1997;Moll, 1997). This research focuses on a population of Latino students who form a distinct minority. The populations of countries throughout the world are becoming more diverse, and this diversity is becoming more widespread (Gandara & Contreras, 2009). Schools worldwide are now grappling with how to serve an increasingly diverse population of students. The results of this research will help educators understand how minority status combines with sociohistorical, community, 2 school, and institutional influences to impact Latino/a student performance and engagement with school and school mathematics. It will provide information that will help educators develop school and mathematics programs that more equitably serve all students.The reader will find few "mathematical issues" in this study. The original focus of this research was to examine the issues that caused students to struggle with engaging in middle school mathematics classes. Approximately half the scripted questions used in the interviews conducted for this research asked about engaging in school mathematics. Students, parents, teachers, and counselors consistently answered those questions without referring to the mathematics that was being taught. What the participants made clear...

Don't End Up in the Fields: Identity Construction among Mexican Adolescent Immigrants, their Parents, and Sociocontextual Processes

“…Parents and children in this study describe very strong bonds; yet, parents may not know enough about negotiating the larger system to offer much guidance (Knudson‐Martin, ; Suarez‐Orozco & Todorova, ). Interventions that help parents learn more about the intricacies of American institutional systems may be especially useful and require that family therapists work collaboratively with other professions, such as school counselors, teachers, and social workers.…”

“…It is important to note that both restricting and empowering narratives describe the United States government and larger community—as well as Mexican American nonimmigrant peers in school—as not having their best interests in mind, not knowing what their needs are, not appreciating strengths and abilities, and automatically making negative assumptions about their character. The idea that a Mexican adolescent immigrant has to “overcome” in order to be empowered represents the lack of policies and laws that would aid them and their families in having direct links and avenues for managing the issues that matter most, for example not being documented, being expected to learn English in schools in a short amount of time, struggling economically due to jobs that are limited to agricultural fields or employment that is unreliable, and fear of deportation (Knudson‐Martin, ).…”

“…The experience of participants in this study emphasizes how central school is to the immigration experience of adolescents. Schools should be encouraged to be intentional in providing structured support that facilitates success and avoids marginalizing tracks that discourage motivation and limit future options (Knudson‐Martin, ). Family therapists can partner with schools to develop strategies for teachers, parents, and other school staff to bridge the gap between immigrant parents, adolescents, and school and community contexts.…”