The Intersection of Language and Culture Among Mexican-Heritage Children 3 to 7 Years Old

Abstract

Key Words: cultural communities, narrative development, language practices, Mexican, bilingual ABSTRACT The primary goal of this chapter is to describe the development of narrative interactions from highly scaffolded to relatively independent narrative productions among a group of low-income Mexican-heritage children growing up in a major city in the southwestern United States. The results from this study simultaneously emphasize the cultural nature of narrative and language development coupled with the evident heterogeneity in cultural practices and developmental trajectories within a particular ethnic and linguistic group. Cultural practices are defined by the language practices enacted and endorsed by families. Variations in children's narrative development are discussed within the context of language practices, providing a platform to highlight the importance of taking a within-culture and longitudinal approach to understanding normative development among minority groups. By looking at patterns of narrative and language development within a cultural context, it is evident that these Mexican-heritage children experience a similar overall developmental trajectory as their European North American (ENA) peers and that there are important variations in narrative structure and adult scaffolding within a group often considered homogeneous. Thinking about cultural language practices appears to be necessary yet not sufficient in our understanding of an individual's development of narrative and language. The chapter ends with a discussion of the implications both for future research and applications with children and families in educational settings.