Un Mundo Ráro: Transnational Students Teaching U. S. History in Transnational (Borderland) Spaces.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of pre-service teachers, educated in Mexico, in preparing to teach an American historical perspective. Research questions included: First, how are pre-service teachers who completed their primary and secondary schooling in Mexico preparing to teach a U.S. based social studies (history) curriculum? Second, how are these pre-service teachers reconciling the possible difference in historical narrative between the U.S. based curriculum and the Mexican curriculum? Living in borderland regions like the RGV, many people experience living in los intersticios, interstitial, or liminal spaces. Gloria Anzaldúa provides us with one of the more prominent, recurring theoretical conceptualizations of liminal space in Nepantla (Anzaldúa, 1987; 2015). This mini-ethnographic case study employs various methods of data collection that focus on obtaining “rich” data and relies on primary data collection techniques such as structured interviews and elements of plática. The data was analyzed using both, textual analysis of the interviews via printed copies of the interview transcripts and audio analysis of the actual interview recordings. Two themes presented themselves in the analysis. The first theme encompassed a variety of contextual factors that seemed to determine how confident the pre-service teachers felt about their ability to teach in the U. S. The second theme revolved around various curricular elements that contributed to the participants’ perceived ability to handle the possibility of conflicting narratives in the curriculum. Understanding what strengths and processes Mexican-educated students bring to the table, can help inform further programmatic changes in EPPs.
Presentation Description
.
Location
Room 107
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Garza, Raul, "Un Mundo Ráro: Transnational Students Teaching U. S. History in Transnational (Borderland) Spaces." (2022). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 20.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2022/2022/20
Un Mundo Ráro: Transnational Students Teaching U. S. History in Transnational (Borderland) Spaces.
Room 107
The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of pre-service teachers, educated in Mexico, in preparing to teach an American historical perspective. Research questions included: First, how are pre-service teachers who completed their primary and secondary schooling in Mexico preparing to teach a U.S. based social studies (history) curriculum? Second, how are these pre-service teachers reconciling the possible difference in historical narrative between the U.S. based curriculum and the Mexican curriculum? Living in borderland regions like the RGV, many people experience living in los intersticios, interstitial, or liminal spaces. Gloria Anzaldúa provides us with one of the more prominent, recurring theoretical conceptualizations of liminal space in Nepantla (Anzaldúa, 1987; 2015). This mini-ethnographic case study employs various methods of data collection that focus on obtaining “rich” data and relies on primary data collection techniques such as structured interviews and elements of plática. The data was analyzed using both, textual analysis of the interviews via printed copies of the interview transcripts and audio analysis of the actual interview recordings. Two themes presented themselves in the analysis. The first theme encompassed a variety of contextual factors that seemed to determine how confident the pre-service teachers felt about their ability to teach in the U. S. The second theme revolved around various curricular elements that contributed to the participants’ perceived ability to handle the possibility of conflicting narratives in the curriculum. Understanding what strengths and processes Mexican-educated students bring to the table, can help inform further programmatic changes in EPPs.
