National Louis University Digital Commons@NLU Dissertations 6-2018 Mexican American Parents of Elementary Students and Literacy Engagement: A Case Study of a Bilingual (Spanish/English) Parent Book Club Using Children's Literature Pablo Ochoa Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, and the Language and Literacy Education Commons Recommended Citation Ochoa, Pablo, "Mexican American Parents of Elementary Students and Literacy Engagement: A Case Study of a Bilingual (Spanish/ English) Parent Book Club Using Children's Literature" (2018). Dissertations. 322. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/322 This Dissertation - Public Access is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons@NLU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@NLU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB Mexican American Parents of Elementary Students and Literacy Engagement: A Case Study of a Bilingual (Spanish/English) Parent Book Club Using Children's Literature Pablo Fernando Ochoa Reading and Language Program Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Doctor of Education National College of Education National Louis University June, 2018 Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB ii Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB Copyright by Pablo Fernando Ochoa, 2018 All Rights Reserved iii Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB ABSTRACT This qualitative case study explored what occurred when seven Latinx parents and a bilingual coordinator engaged in a book club using the same historical fiction text as the school's fifth grade classroom. Research questions focused on Book Club participation, connections to the focal text(s), and new learning. Data included audiotapes of the sessions, parent written/artistic artifacts, participant interviews, retrospective field notes, and reflective journal entries. Study findings suggest that positive partnerships between schools and parents can occur within familial text engagement opportunities built on existing relationships with school personnel; use of relevant literature, literacy activities that allow for parent choice and voice, drawing on cultural Funds of Knowledge and life experiences, the autonomy to ask questions and make inferences and connections, and facilitate learning for one another. Finally, the study improved perceptions that parents could better assist their children in learning due to new learning in literacy instruction and reading. iv Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do,” (Pele, 2007). This quote best describes my attitude for education and passion for life. As an educator of 24 years, I tend to find those unexpected “teachable moments” with students, parents, and family. Although my family most likely will say, “Dad, take off the teacher hat. You are at home, not at work,” teaching is part of my life. These past 10 years have been filled with arduous work that only makes this accomplishment much sweeter. If it weren’t for my loving family and my amazing professors, I could not have completed this journey. Their patience and support helped me more than they’ll ever know. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my beautiful wife Rachel, without whom this would not be possible. Your support and love made an enormous impact on my success. Know that your belief in me truly helped me believe in myself, and my success is your success. During this long journey, we faced tough times in our relationship; yet your love, patience, and encouragement gave me the strength to persevere. I love you so much. I dedicate this work to you, Rachel, and our wonderful children. To my children, Sophia, Lucas, and Nathan: during these years, we went through ups and downs; rough times, to say the least. I thank the three of you for putting up with all my frustrations. I thank you for your patience and understanding. You gave me the space and time to complete this work; know that you are loved. My parents and three sisters need to be acknowledged, for they also had faith in me and gave me support whenever I needed a dose of encouragement. My mom and dad deserve special recognition, since they were the reason why I was able to develop incredibly strong work habits. I am so proud to say that you instilled your hard work ethic in me, which was the guiding light v Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB that illuminated my journey. I may not have been the smartest one in the family, but your faith in me made me work even harder. Along this journey, I had the privilege of working with amazing professors, wonderful colleagues, and incredible parents. These three groups of people were part of my journey and it was an unbelievable experience that we shared together. I have so much appreciation and gratitude for my devoted committee, Ruth Quiroa, Sophie Degener, Terry Jo Smith, Donna Ogle, and Susan McMahon. Each committee member was instrumental, but Ruth and Susan were my inspirational mentors that guided me through this extensive doctoral process. Ruth and Susan were right there with me when I needed a strong but gentle push especially when I faced adversity. I admire their patience and understanding, for they helped me channel my energy and kept me focused during those difficult times. I know Susan is looking down from heaven with her sweet smile and twinkle in her eyes knowing that I finally finished. I need to thank my esteemed doctoral colleagues which provided me inspiration and motivation as we strived to accomplish our goal. During this process, I have developed lifelong friendships with most of them and I am honored to have shared similar experiences as we worked alongside making this dream a reality. All of you allowed me to share my thoughts and ideas through our coursework. Whether it was a group project/presentation, a study group, or simply making a call to check up on each other, you were all important and I sincerely thank you. I acknowledge the Latinx parents in my study, for they were just an amazing group of individuals. The group’s active participation made the study meaningful as well as fun. Their trust, cooperation, and commitment helped form a stronger school partnership, but also created a unique family learning community. Learning about their past, their perspectives, and their goals vi Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB has only created new ideas for future endeavors with more groups of parents. I acknowledge that this journey has reinforced my motivation in working with Latinx Spanish-speaking parents so that they can help their children. I look forward in continuing to find those unexpected and precious “teachable moments” with future parent groups. vii Running head: MEXICAN AMERICAN PARENT BOOK CLUB TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xiv CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 A Bilingual Coordinator’s Insights into a Parent Committee ..................................................... 1 Significant Changes in U.S. Schools .......................................................................................... 3 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 4 Rationale for the Study ............................................................................................................... 6 Bilingual Advisory Committee (BAC): Supporting Parents ...................................................... 7 Working with Parents ................................................................................................................. 8 Perspective from the School and Researcher .............................................................................. 9 Situating the Study .................................................................................................................... 10 Parent Interests .......................................................................................................................... 10 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................. 11 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 12 Importance of the Study ...........................................................................................................