Mexican Parents Research Articles

Mexican parents’ and teachers’ literacy perspectives and practices: construction of cultural capital

This article examines the relationships among the literacy practices engaged in by first-grade children and parents at home and the ways in which these practices are communicated, shaped, and fostered by teachers and administrators in two different sociocultural environments in urban Mexico. The differences observed between the home literacy experiences of children in a working-class and a middle-class community included transgenerational communication of assumptions regarding literacy and schooling, as well as attitudes associated with the parents’ own school experiences. Class-based expectations on the part of teachers not only shaped interactions with parents, but were also reflected in the way the national curriculum was delivered, with a greater emphasis on rote skills and traditional reading instruction in the working-class community. The authors argue that the school plays a role in the co-production of cultural capital in the home through its shaping of some of the literacy practices that children and families undertake.

Why parents cross for children's health care: Transnational cultural capital in the United States–Mexico border region

To investigate how cultural capital functions in transnational health fields, the experiences of 13 low-income parents of Mexican-decent living in El Paso, Texas and 11 low-income Mexican parents living in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico are considered as they negotiate the US-Mexican border for health care for their children with asthma. Parents on both sides crossed to receive affordable care, ‘better’ services, and/or the ‘correct’ diagnosis. When parents did not cross, it was because of a lack of documentation, incomplete knowledge and other constraints. To understand these crossing behaviors, the concept of transnational cultural capital, that is the transnational power to achieve desired ends in a health-care field that spans borders, is introduced, building off Pierre Bourdieu. Transnational cultural capital is relevant in other transnational settings, such as large urban areas whereby immigrants, have the option to access treatments from their home country, the United States, and other naturopathic remedies.

DIASPORIC COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM

Deficit perspectives often portray Mexican parents as not caring or uninvolved in their children's education in US schools. Although school truancy mostly affects schools in terms of school funding issues, high Latina/o school absenteeism is often blamed on lack of parental involvement. This study explores parents’ and grandparents’ perspectives about why going to Nocutzepo in México was important for their children and grandchildren's cultural identities, even when their children were truant from US schools. We define diasporic community knowledge as ways of knowing and ways of being that include a broad range of practices inherited by community members as repertoires of practices. Using a transnational ethnography, we draw from data gathered both during the patron saint's fiesta in Mexico and/or during home visits in Los Angeles between 2006 and 2009. We conclude that people from Nocutzepo actively engage in alternative educational practices that supplement US schooling. Through pueblo visits, parents and grandparents were actively and meaningfully teaching their children and grandchildren ancestral diasporic community knowledge.

Cartitas de cariño: Little Notes to Say You Care

Spanish-speaking, Mexican American parents participated in a literacy workshop in which they created short, personal letters called cartitas de cariño for their children. This paper reports on the content of their texts, which included drawings and messages that reflected the cultural norms and traditions of the families. Using a socio-historical lens, the authors show how the parents’ cartitas de cariño functioned as a tool of cultural and social mediation by communicating their affection and emotional support as well as the scholastic and behavioral expectations parents had for their children. This population (i.e., Spanish-speaking Latinos of the working poor class) is frequently relegated to studies on cultural, social, or educational deficiency. Based on the evidence from the cartitas de cariño, we affirm that Mexican parents, irrespective of their prior schooling or economic status, value literacy as a tool for cultural transmission as well as a form of self-expression, and they readily engage in literacy practices with their children when afforded the opportunity.

Learning How to Dance with the Public Child Welfare System: Mexican Parents' Efforts to Exercise Their Voice

The purpose of this article is to understand how Mexican parents' perceive their voices (their concerns, dissatisfaction, and opinions) as integrated in child welfare cases and what factors hinder or promote this process. The focus is on parents' interactions with their child welfare worker during routine monthly home visits. Nineteen parents, with a history of immigration, participated in in-depth interviews for this qualitative study. Grounded theory methods were used to complete the content analysis. The findings indicate that there are three principal factors that affect parents' decisions to exercise their voice: 1) parent's perceptions of how workers received their voice; 2) case context, including immigration status and fear of loosing children; and 3) the lack of parental knowledge and understanding of the child welfare case process and support/advocacy agents. Recommendations include utilizing empowerment models and culturally grounded practices that facilitate the integration of parents' voices in the parent–worker interactions and case process, and continued support for peer support interventions and formal forms of advocacy.

Sojourners in Mexico with U.S. School Experience: A New Taxonomy for Transnational Students

Millions of students attending U.S. schools were born in Mexico, as is well known, and many millions more are the American-born children of Mexican parents. What is less widely known—and less considered in educational research, policy, and practice—is that there are likely hundreds of thousands of students in Mexican schools who have previous experience in U.S. schools. There are many school-age children involved in the transnational movement of peoples between the United States and Mexico. Among those currently in Mexico (typically regarded as a sending country rather than a receiving country), most expect to return to the United States someday, although not necessarily permanently, and they variously identify as Mexican, Mexican American, or American. This suggests that the prospect of enduring geographic mobility affects the complicated work of identity formation and affiliation. Central to this negotiation are Mexican schools, which, like U.S. schools, are not deliberately designed to consider the needs, understandings, and wants of an increasingly international, mobile population. One purpose of this article is to build an understanding of transnational students from

Entre Dos Mundos/Between Two Worlds: Bicultural Development in Context

How do Mexican immigrant adolescents balance different, and often oppositional, cultural influences in the acculturation process? In this article, we explore how acculturating adolescents absorb cultural messages and go about creating their (multiple) identities. Guided by Alternation Theory, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 undocumented Mexican adolescents and 14 of their parents who had immigrated to North Carolina within the past 7 years. All of the families had adolescent children who were born in Mexico. At least one parent and one adolescent from each family were interviewed. Interviewing multiple family members allowed us to examine how bicultural development progressed differently for various family members, and how the whole family balanced between cultural systems. Mexican parents and adolescents were acculturating while trying to resist assimilation pressures. They maintained strong Mexican identities that were preserved by practicing Mexican customs, values, and traditions in their homes and churches. Meeting U.S. cultural and linguistic demands at work and in school placed Mexican parents and adolescents between the two cultural systems. This prompted adolescents and parents to integrate some U.S. customs, language, or social behaviors into their daily lives, increasing bilingualism and, in some cases, biculturalism.

Parent-adolescent communication about sex in Morelos, Mexico: does it impact sexual behaviour?

Objectives Parent-adolescent communication about sexuality has been shown to influence adolescents' sexual behaviour. This study aims to describe communication about sex between Mexican parents and adolescents, and its relation to age at first intercourse and condom use.Methods Cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires of first year students at 23 high schools. Communication was divided into three themes: biological aspects, risks associated with sexual behaviour, and prevention. For sexually active adolescents, discussion timing was determined to have occurred prior to, or after sexual initiation. Analysis included logistic regression models stratifying by discussion timing.Results Overall 5,461 questionnaires were analysed. Among male respondents 24.3% and among females 10.6% stated that they were sexually active. As many as 83.1% reported having spoken with parents about sexual relations. Communication was more common with mothers. Discussions about risk and prevention prior to sexual initiation was associated with condom use at first intercourse (Odds ratio [OR] = 2.05); late discussion was associated with younger age (<15) at first intercourse (OR = 3.51).Conclusions Communication before onset of sexual activity about risk and prevention is associated with safe sex practices. Improving parent-adolescent communication is a poorly studied strategy to influence adolescents' behaviour. Interventions should promote early parent-adolescent communication.

A Parent–Adolescent Intervention to Increase Sexual Risk Communication: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

This article reports results of a randomized controlled trial designed to test an intervention to increase parent-adolescent sexual risk communication among Mexican parents. Data were analyzed from parents (n = 791) randomly assigned to an HIV risk reduction or health promotion intervention. Measures were administered at pretest, posttest, and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Generalized estimation equation (GEE) analysis indicates parents in the HIV risk reduction intervention reported significantly more general communication (p < .005), more sexual risk communication (p < .001) and more comfort with communication (p < .001) than parents in the control intervention. Behavioral, normative, and control beliefs significantly mediated the effect of the intervention on all communication outcomes. This study demonstrates the efficacy of an intervention to increase the quality and quantity of parent-adolescent communication related to general and sex-specific communication.

Strength Behind the Sociolinguistic Wall: The Dreams, Commitments, and Capacities of Mexican Mothers

Deficit views of Mexican parents are pervasive and hinder both parents and school staff from effectively supporting student achievement. Analysis of the qualitative results from a larger study of school-based adult ESL classes yielded findings about the motivations and capacities of Mexican mothers that critique these deficit views and illuminate ways to support meaningful parent–school collaboration. These findings revealed that all of the participating Mexican mothers (N = 87) were highly motivated to support their children's school success and brought numerous skills to this task. Final analysis also showed that the mothers who received meaningful support of their goals actively engaged with their children's education and took steps to collaborate with teachers and principals, in contrast to mothers who did not receive an intentional and informed form of support.

Acceptability to Latino Parents of Sexually Transmitted Infection Vaccination

To evaluate the acceptability to Latino parents of having their adolescent children vaccinated against sexually transmitted infections, and to identify potential demographic correlates of acceptability. We applied established methodology to a sample of 119 Latino parents who accompanied their children (51% female, aged 12-17 years) to medical appointments. The parents used computer-based questionnaires to rate 9 hypothetical vaccine scenarios. The scenarios had 4 dimensions: mode of transmission (sexually transmitted or not sexually transmitted), severity of infection (curable, chronic, or fatal), vaccine efficacy (50%, 70%, or 90%), and availability of behavioral methods for prevention (available or not available). Willingness by parents to vaccinate their adolescents under each vaccine scenario was assessed on a scale (range, 0-100). Conjoint analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of each dimension to the ratings. The study sample consisted of predominantly Mexican immigrant parents, 94% of whom chose to complete the Spanish version of the computerized interview. The mean value of the parents' willingness to accept vaccination for their adolescent children was exceptionally high. For example, the mean score of the Latino parents for the 6 sexually transmitted infection (STI) vaccine scenarios (score 86.2; SD 21.1) was far higher than the mean score in previous studies (81.3, SD 21.1). Conjoint analysis revealed that the dimensions of vaccine efficacy and severity of infection were equal in terms of their influence on vaccine ratings for the Latino parents. The next most influential dimension on vaccine ratings was the availability of behavioral prevention, followed by the sexual transmissibility of the infection. Our sample of predominantly Mexican parents was accepting of the concept of STI vaccination for their adolescent children. Important issues for parents include vaccine efficacy and severity of infection, followed by vaccines for infections that had no method of behavioral prevention available. Overall, there is little difference in the relative preference of a STI versus non-STI vaccine for their adolescent children.

Determinants of Parent-Child Coresidence among Older Mexican Parents: The Salience of Cultural Values

The absence of direct empirical study of cultural values represents an important but neglected area of study. The results of this study highlight the importance of cultural values in shaping coresidence between older Mexican American parents and their adult children. This study examined the coresidence patterns of 2,058 Mexican parents age sixty-five and older. Logistic analyses estimated the impact and relative contribution of a direct measure of cultural values along with socioeconomic resources, parental needs, child network characteristics, and English proficiency. These data indicate that when older Mexican parents are examined separately, their tendency to coreside with adult children is more firmly grounded in cultural values than economic necessity. Analyses lend support to the significance of both cultural values and income but find that income is a positive predictor of coresidence and thus may serve to enable persons to act on cultural family and support values. Data also suggest that adult children may benefit a great deal from parent-child coresidence in later life. Greater daily living assistance needs, having a spouse, and greater number of children are also positive determinants of coresidence.

The Pachuca Panic: Sexual and Cultural Battlegrounds in World War II Los Angeles

This article examines the communal, familial, and individual dilemmas created by the pachuca persona in World War II Los Angeles. Although reviled by Anglo reformers and Mexican parents alike, pachucas created an affirming vision of racialized womanhood that became a key marker of a new Mexican American female identity.

Research Brief: Sexual Communication and Knowledge Among Mexican Parents and Their Adolescent Children

This study describes the sexual knowledge and communication of Mexican parents and adolescents. Preintervention data were analyzed from 829 high school students (ages 14-17) and one of the parents of each. Differences were found between parents and adolescents in sexual knowledge (M = 16.16 vs. M = 14.92; t = 7.20, p < .001); specifically, parents had higher knowledge related to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and condom use. Parents perceived more general communication (t [787] = 6.33, p < .001), and less discomfort talking about sex (t [785] = 4.69, p < .001) than adolescents. Parents with higher education levels scored higher in HIV knowledge and general communication. Fathers had higher total sexual knowledge, whereas mothers perceived higher sexual communication than fathers. There were no differences in knowledge and communication by parental socioeconomic level. Results suggest health care providers need to assist parents in developing specific knowledge and skills to support their adolescents' sexual decision-making.

The Costs of Getting Ahead: Mexican Family System Changes After Immigration*

Abstract: This study explored how immigration influenced Mexican family relationships. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 adolescents and 14 parents from 10 undocumented Mexican families. Participants immigrated to North Carolina within the past 7 years. A conceptual model derived from the data using grounded theory methods suggested that, after immigration, parents had less time to spend with children because of demanding new jobs and mothers entering the work force. Decreased time as a family was associated with adolescents’ loneliness, isolation, and risk‐taking behavior. In response to perceived environmental threats, Mexican parents became authoritarian, precipitating parent‐adolescent conflict. Parent‐adolescent acculturation gaps were viewed as an asset as adolescents helped parents navigate within the new cultural system. Families coped with postimmigration changes by maintaining high levels of familism and enacting cultural traditions.

Understanding the Role of Parents and Siblings as Information Sources in the College Choice Process of Chicana Students

Guided by a social capital framework, this qualitative study examined the role of protective agents, namely parents and siblings, during the college choice process of 20 Chicana seniors attending a large urban high school in California. Despite previous research showing that Mexican parents hold a high value toward the importance of an education, this study shows that the role that parents were able to fulfill during the college choice process was greatly limited. The findings of this study also suggest that in many cases, siblings replaced parents as information sources when parents were not able to assist Chicanas with the college application process. These findings raise questions about the college information sources available to Chicanas outside the home, such as schools or community agencies.

Esclerosis Múltiple en México. Un estudio Multicéntrico

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered to be a low prevalence disease in Mexico; its characteristics have been described in isolated studies in small populations concentrated in a single region of the country and using heterogeneous methodological tools. AIMS. In this study, our aim was define the clinical profile and some socio demographic aspects of MS in Mexico using validated homogeneous criteria and tools.Eight hospitals representing the five most densely populated regions of the country, the north, centre and south of Mexico, took part in the study. Data were obtained through a survey created, validated and published in Spanish (k interobserver 0.73 and k intraobserver 0.76), which consisted of 142 questions arranged in 10 sections and which was applied by 12 neurologists. The procedure was verified with 50 randomly selected surveys. A total of 337 surveys were applied, which were analysed by descriptive statistics using the EPI INFO, version 6.04b, software application. All the patients presented MS that had been clinically defined with the help of paraclinical studies according to Schumaher and Poser's criteria.A sample of 337 patients was studied; 99.1% were mestizos, with an average age of 37 9 years, 69.7% were females and 30.3% males. 95% had access to the Social Security system and 96% had been born in Mexico to Mexican parents. No cases were found among native Mexicans. The clinical profile of the disease did not differ to that reported in other countries; the pattern observed corresponded to that found in northern latitudes.This is the first multicentre study carried out in Mexico with a population that is highly representative of the whole country and with a homogeneous methodology.

Morality and identity in Mexican immigrant parents' visions of the future

The tendency for immigrants to evaluate their circumstances in the host country in terms of the life they knew in their native country has been described as a 'dual frame of reference'. Although the immigrant family may be living in crowded conditions and the parents working long hours for a minimum wage, family members can none the less compare their circumstances to those they left in their home country and feel that they are better off in their new land. However, for first-generation Mexican immigrant parents in the United States, for whom the traditional child-rearing values of respect, obedience and family unity form a significant ethnic marker, the dual frame of reference takes on an additional perspective. Although the home country is viewed as a land of economic hardship, it remains a treasured source of core moral values that continue to give coherence to everyday life. This study examines ways in which the twofold nature of the immigrants' frame of reference, in which the host country exemplifies both material good and moral decay, contributes to their differential adoption of US customs and values as well as heightened insecurity regarding their children's futures. The adaptive struggle confronting Mexican immigrants in the United States is played out in moral terms: how does one raise children who surpass their parents economically but do not fall prey to the moral dangers of contemporary American society?

Ethnic Authenticity, Class, and Autobiography: The Case ofHunger of Memory

Richard Rodriguez's autobiographicalHunger of Memory(1982) is assigned to Chicano-Chicana literature because the book tells a story of growing up the child of Mexican immigrants, but Rodriguez rejects the termChicanofor himself and denies that it is possible or desirable for Americans of Mexican descent to retain an identification with their culture of origin. Rodriguez has been widely criticized as a sellout to white bourgeois culture, but his life narrative shows that his rejection of Chicano identity is rooted in the class-and-race ideology of his Mexican parents and thus in the contradictions of Mexican history. Chicano-Chicana nationalism assumes a simple dichotomy between the proletarian mestizo or mestiza and the bourgeois white oppressor. Rodriguez's family history, however, points toward race and class divisions within the population of Mexican descent that call into question the monolithic conceptions of Chicano-Chicana identity on the basis of which Rodriguez has been attacked.

Isoenzyme polymorphism and segregation in isolates of Phytophthora infestans from Japan

Isoenzyme variation of 198 isolates of Phytophthora infestans collected from many locations in Japan during 1987–90, and of four pre‐1987 isolates, was examined using starch gel electrophoresis. A previously unreported allele at malic isoenzyme locus/ME (90) was observed. An association between mating types and isoenzyme genotypes at three isoenzyme loci, glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI‐1), peptidase (PEP‐1) and ME, was found. At PEP‐1, the A2 isolates from Japan had a previously unreported genotype (96/96). Normal segregation at the malic isoenzyme locus occurred in a cross of Japanese and Mexican parents. The results provide evidence of a change in the population genetic structure of P. infestans in Japan.