Failure and the Discourse of Caring: How Latino Boys See Themselves as Readers and Writers
This critical ethnography studies five Latino boys, their parents and teachers and how they see themselves as part of the academic community in a public middle school on eastern Long Island. Students were observed in classes and students, parents and teachers were interviewed. Each interview was recorded and transcribed. Tables were created that identified themes. Pragmatic Horizon Analysis was used to understand the nuances of the participants’ responses.
Author
Kerry Jones-Golembeski, PhD Candidate, Literacy Studies
Related Literature
\Fernández, L. (2002). Telling stories about school: using critical race and latino critical theories to document latina/latino education and resistance. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 45–65. Flores, N., Lewis, M. C., & Phuong, J. (2018). Raciolinguistic chronotopes and the education of latinx students: resistance and anxiety in a bilingual school. Language and Communication: Part A, 62, 15–25. Garza, R. (2009). Latino and white high school students' perceptions of caring behaviors: are we culturally responsive to our students? Urban Education, 44(3), 297–321. Gee, J. (1994). What is literacy? Rewriting literacy: Culture and the Discourse of the Other, edited by C. Mitchell & K. Weiler, 3–11. New York. Gutierrez, K. D. (2008). Developing a sociocritical literacy in the third space. Reading Research Quarterly, 43(2), 148– 164. Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with Words: Language, Life, and Work in Communities and Classrooms. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Jeong, H. (2021). Agency and pedagogy in literacy education: toward culturally sustaining pedagogy for immigrant adolescents. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 31(1), 79–99.
Research Questions
Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Critical Race Theory in Education: A Scholar’s Journey. Teachers College Press. Matias, C. E., & Mackey, J. (2015). Breakin’ Down Whiteness in Antiracist Teaching: Introducing Critical Whiteness Pedagogy. Mills, K. (2011). The Multiliteracies https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847693204
Classroom.
Bristol,
Blue
Ridge
Summit:
Multilingual
Matters.
Noddings, N. (2013). Caring : a relational approach to ethics & moral education (Second edition, updated). University of California Press. February 10, 2024. Street, B. V. (2011). Literacy inequalities in theory and practice: the power to name and define. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(6), 580–586. Villalpando, O. (2004). Practical considerations of critical race theory and Latino critical theory for Latino college students. New Directions for Student Services, 2004(105), 41–50
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
What is the discourse of caring surrounding middle school Latino boys, their parents and teachers? What is its impact on how they see themselves as readers and writers? How do middle school Latino boys experience the pedagogical practices of largely White teachers? How can we, as teachers, fully and authentically, value our students and their assets so they feel a part of the academic community?
LITERATURE REVIEW
METHODOLOGY Five Eighth Grade Boys were observed and interviewed; four parents were interviewed in their home language; nine teachers were interviewed All interviews were transcribed and put into tables to identify themes Pragmatic Horizon Analysis was used to understand nuances of participants statements
Findings When defining caring, all members gave similar definitions that described relational caring When asked how teachers show caring, most members of the study gave examples of virtue caring The boys felt comfortable in the academic community; some of their proudest moments were as students All of the boys and their parents had aspirations of graduating high school and pursuing a career Parents believed teachers were partners in learning; teachers felt parents did not care for their child’s education While the teachers cared for the students, they did not believe they would move onto higher education
Conclusions Latinx students benefit from a combination of virtue and relational caring: They want someone to care about them personally and professionally Low impact communication between parents and teachers should increase, such as parent-teacher conferences and spend less time and resources on digital methods of communication Teachers need to question how their raciolinguistic positioning lowers their expectations for students; teachers of bilingual students need to address student assets