Historical Consciousness and Ethnicity Among Latino/a Students in a Spanish-for-Native-Speakers Course
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- In 2010, the Arizona legislature banned any program that promoted ethnic solidarity in high school classrooms. This ban was primarily aimed at ridding middle and high schools of Chicano Studies programs, calling them subversive and racist. In light of such accusations, this thesis sought to explore the effect of a Chicano Studies high school class unit on a predominately Latino classroom. Specifically, this thesis explored the effects of the class unit on students’ historical consciousness, ethnic identification, and future interest in Chicano Studies. Tools employed in this case study included structured interviews, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measurement (MEIM), and classroom observations. Students were interviewed and given the MEIM before they were exposed to the material, and again afterwards. It was found that students benefited tremendously from learning Mexican American history. At a minimum, students gained a framework through which they could discuss topics of identity, race, and ethnicity. Additionally, some students developed an elevated sense of historical consciousness, which also manifested itself in the form of critical questioning of their surroundings. All students enjoyed the material and shared that they would be interested in pursuing further work in Chicano Studies. One major finding was the students’ development of historical pride concerning the challenges of Mexican Americans in addition to a renewed sense of purpose in the classroom. Additionally, students developed a new framework through which to interpret and articulate their own history. Ultimately, this study suggests that the introduction and use of Chicano Studies in mainstream history classrooms could prove an effective method of addressing student disinterest and insecurity in the classroom setting.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | 2013-06-08 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Melean, Tadeo |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | LaFromboise, Teresa |
| Advisor | Willinsky, John |
Subjects
| Subject | Latino |
|---|---|
| Subject | Latina |
| Subject | Chicano |
| Subject | Chicana |
| Subject | history |
| Subject | historical consciousness |
| Subject | historical thinking |
| Subject | ethnicity |
| Subject | ethnic studies |
| Subject | Chicano Studies |
| Subject | multicultural education |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Melean, T. (2013). Historical Consciousness and Ethnicity Among Latino/a Students in a Spanish-for-Native-Speakers Course (unpublished undergraduate Honors thesis). Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education
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- Contact
- tadeomelean@gmail.com
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