How Mexican American bilingual children use Spanish to construct meaning for English text comprehension

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dc.contributor.advisorBlanco, George M.
dc.contributor.advisorSchallert, Diane L.
dc.creatorMurray, Yvonne I.
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-17T17:20:13Z
dc.date.available2018-05-17T17:20:13Z
dc.date.issued1998
dc.description.abstractThis study investigated the role of Spanish upon the comprehension of English text among Mexican American bilingual children for whom Spanish is the first or ancestral language. The participants were fourth grade students in a transition bilingual program. The study shadowed ten focus students through participant observation of whole class and small-group activities during which students discussed a reading task. Think-out-loud protocols, prompted comprehension interviews, structured interviews, and informal student interviews were conducted individually with the focus students. Teacher interviews describing the reading of the focus students were also conducted. Field notes and a reflexive journal were maintained throughout the nine-week grounded theory investigation. Two pilot studies preceded this investigation. Data from these qualitative analyses were submitted to a three-level analysis: (a) frequency of reading strategies analysis, (b) text representation and inference generation analysis, and (c) a socio-constructivist perspective applied to the learning and reading of bilingual children. Categories generated by the data revealed a central phenomenon labeled "community of learners." Analyses indicated the specificity of Spanish and culture upon the strategies used by the subjects, upon inferences generated by the subjects, and upon the socially developed knowledge. Concerning the construction of meaning, data suggested that a text's meaning was influenced by the degree of agency that the students were assisted in creating for themselves. This agency refers to the degree to which they activated resources such as culture, language, affect and text in a catalytic mix with which they constructed meaning for the text. With regards to the role of Spanish, data suggested that Spanish created agency at all levels of text representation. In the process of construction, Spanish, through connections, analogies and metaphors transferred the ideational chunks of knowledge that are part of what the reader knows through his language and culture. In sum, Spanish at all levels was both a cognitive and affective enabler, creating agency among the community of readers.en_US
dc.description.departmentCurriculum and Instructionen_US
dc.format.mediumelectronicen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T23776C4D
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/65179
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.relation.ispartofUT Electronic Theses and Dissertationsen_US
dc.rightsCopyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.en_US
dc.rights.restrictionOpenen_US
dc.subject.lcshEnglish language--Study and teaching (Elementary)--Mexican American students
dc.subject.lcshBilingualism in children
dc.subject.lcshEnglish language--Study and teaching (Elementary)--Spanish speakers
dc.subject.lcshMexican American children--Language
dc.titleHow Mexican American bilingual children use Spanish to construct meaning for English text comprehensionen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.genreThesisen_US
thesis.degree.departmentCurriculum and Instructionen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineCurriculum and Instructionen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at Austinen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US

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