UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Experiences of Oaxacan
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Experiences of Oaxacan Youth Attending High School in Los Angeles: Implications for Educational Practice A dissertation presented in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Gina Maria Taglieri 2020 © Copyright by Gina Maria Taglieri 2020 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Experiences of Oaxacan Youth Attending High School in Los Angeles: Implications for Educational Practice by Gina Maria Taglieri Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2020 Professor Pedro Noguera, Co-Chair Professor Carlos Alberto Torres, Co-Chair It is well known that a significant number of California students are of Mexican heritage. What is less apparent to educators is that increasing numbers of these students are children and youth from Indigenous communities of that region. Effects of globalization and free market forces have not only caused the displacement and migration of Indigenous peoples to large cities within Mexico, but also to several parts of the United States, in search of work. Indigenous students from Mexico differ considerably from their mestizo peers, both culturally and linguistically (Vásquez, 2012). For California educators, this means that within the group known homogeneously as “Latino,” is in part made up of students from families who may speak an Indigenous language at home, and who may observe Indigenous cultural traditions and ways of life (López, 2009; Ochoa and Ochoa, 2005). A growing body of literature is shining a light on the challenges Indigenous students encounter as they navigate the educational system - in Mexico and here in the US. There are between 100,000 and 200,000 Zapotec immigrants who now live in greater Los Angeles, and the number of ii Indigenous children and youth from communities in Mexico are attending California public schools is increasing. Due to their unique background, Zapotec students may present educators with additional considerations as they plan for their instruction and support. The work presented here chronicles a year-long case study which sought to explore the schooling experiences of Oaxacan youth at an urban high school in Southern California. During the course of the investigation, multiple factors within the school environment were analyzed, including instructional practices, school and district procedures and perceptions of staff, students, and parents with regard to Oaxacan students. It is the hope that the findings of this investigation, which delves into an area that has been the focus of precious few studies within the extant literature, will generate further conversation and inquiry about the layers of complexity that exist for Indigenous Oaxacan students attending school in LA. Perhaps the discussion contained within the pages of this work will begin to pave the way to greater awareness among educators and can be an impetus for informed decision- making which with have a positive impact on Oaxacan students in US public schools, and on other Indigenous students from Latin America. Keywords: Zapotecs in Los Angeles, displacement of Indigenous peoples, Mexican migration, Indigenous education, Oaxacan students, Oaxacalifornia, transnational spaces, translocality iii The dissertation of Gina Maria Taglieri is approved. Kevin Terraciano Marjorie Faulstich Orellana Carlos Alberto Torres, Co-Chair Pedro Noguera, Co-Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2020 iv To all the world’s children who find themselves on the move, wherever you are… you are welcome, and you belong. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION .................................................................................................... II COMMITTEE PAGE ................................................................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ......................................................................................................... VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... VIII VITA ............................................................................................................................................................. X CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 CONTEXT FOR STUDY ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE OF STUDY................................................................................................................................................................... 2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS............................................................................................................................................................. 3 STUDY IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 8 INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY CONTEXT .................................................................................................................................... 8 REGIONAL CONTEXT ............................................................................................................................................................. 18 CHAPTER III: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS .................................................................................. 28 SCHOOL BELONGING ............................................................................................................................................................. 29 CULTURALLY SUSTAINING PEDAGOGY .............................................................................................................................. 31 MICROAGGRESSIONS THEORY ............................................................................................................................................. 34 ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY .......................................................................................................................................... 38 SEGMENTED ASSIMILATION AND NEW IMMIGRATION .................................................................................................. 41 STUDY TERMINOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER IV: STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 48 ETHNOGRAPHIC-STYLE CASE STUDY ................................................................................................................................. 48 QUALITATIVE AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL ....................................................................................................................... 49 COMMUNITY-CENTERED APPROACH ................................................................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER V: METHODS & PROCEDURES .......................................................................................... 54 CASE STUDY PROCEDURES .................................................................................................................................................... 54 DATA COLLECTION METHODS ............................................................................................................................................ 60 DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 66 CHAPTER VI: FIELDWORK CONTEXT ................................................................................................ 72 PORTRAIT OF A LOS ANGELES HIGH SCHOOL ................................................................................................................. 72 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ...................................................................................................................................................... 75 PARTICIPANT PROFILES.......................................................................................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER VII: FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 91 I. FACTORS IMPACTING STUDENT SUCCESS ....................................................................................................................... 91 II. IMPACTS OF SCHOOL-BASED PRACTICES ON STUDENT SUCCESS. ......................................................................... 128 STUDY LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................. 151 CHAPTER VIII: DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................ 153 BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO STUDENT SUCCESS .................................................................................................. 153 CHAPTER IX: