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The purpose of this study was to design a culturally relevant curriculum that could be used with English language learning, Mexican American, immigrant, fifth grade children and study the responses they might have to that curriculum. The research questions were: What are the issues in developing a culturally relevant curriculum for Mexican American fifth graders? What are the responses of teachers and children to a culturally relevant curriculum?This study utilizes qualitative research and action research methods. A reading club was formed at an elementary school site and Mexican American children with at least one parent born in Mexico were invited to participate in the study. 21 children opted to attend the club, though only five children, three girls and two boys were the focus of the study. They participated in 21 hours of club meeting times. Data collected included interviews, observational field notes, questionnaires, taped session transcripts, and a collection of written artifacts. Categories were constructed for data analysis using Hickman's (1979) reading response model.The findings show that the children responded enthusiastically and positively to the content of the curriculum. The club gave them an opportunity to demonstrate prior knowledge of Mexican history in a U.S. school setting. Their teachers reported the children gained "voice" in the classroom and an eagerness for learning. The children self-reported they had a greater interest in reading and wanted to participate in another club in their next school year.The club setting for this study allowed the children to embrace books that reflected their history and culture. Discussions and interest ran high throughout the study, with the children often requesting more frequency in club meetings.This action research springs from studies by Gloria Ladson Billings, A. B. Osborne, James Banks, and my own Southwest Paradigm which embraces the rich cultural traditions and background of the inhabitants of the Southwest. The dissertation offers teachers and educators topics and subjects of study pertinent to the history of Mexican Americans in the U.S.

This dissertation examines the interethnic marriages of Mexicans in Tucson, Arizona, between 1854 and 1930. Arizona's miscegenation law (1864-1962) prohibited the marriages of whites with blacks, Chinese, and Indians--and eventually those with Asian Indians and Filipinos. Mexicans, legally white, could intermarry with whites, but the anti-Mexican rhetoric of manifest destiny suggests that these unions represented social transgressions. Opponents and proponents of expansionism frequently warned against the purported dangers of racial amalgamation with Mexicans. The explanation to the apparent disjuncture between this rhetoric and the high incidence of white-Mexican marriages in Tucson lies in the difference between two groups: the men who denigrated Mexicans were usually middle- and upper-class men who never visited Mexico or the American Southwest, while those who married Mexicans were primarily working-class westering men. The typical American man chose to pursue his own happiness rather than adhere to a national, racial project.This study provides the largest quantitative analysis of intermarriages in the West. The great majority of these intermarriages occurred between whites and Mexicans. Though significantly lower in total numbers, Mexican women accounted for large percentages of all marriages for black and Chinese men. The children of these couples almost always married Mexicans. All of these marriages were illegal in Arizona, but local officials frequently disregarded the law. Their passive acceptance underscores their racial ambiguity of Mexicans. Their legal whiteness allowed them to marry whites, and their social non-whiteness facilitated their marriages with blacks and Chinese.The dissertation suggests the need to reassess two predominant claims in American historiography: (1) that Mexican-white intermarriages in the nineteenth-century Southwest occurred primarily between the daughters of Mexican elites and enterprising white men; and (2) that the arrival of white women led to decreases in intermarriages. Working-class whites and Mexicans in fact accounted for the majority of intermarriages between 1860 and 1930. The number of intermarriages as total numbers always increased, and the percentage of white men who had the option to marry--i.e., those who lived in Arizona as bachelors--continued to intermarry at rates that rivaled the high percentages of the 1860s and 1870s.

Through analysis of written texts produced by school districts and high schools with predominantly Mexican American populations, beliefs about Mexican American students that mediate attitudes and expectations can be exposed. In this work, I conduct comparative critical discourse analyses (CDA) of school district and high school mission statements from a total of 35 schools and 20 school districts in the Southwestern United States and Chicago, Illinois. The sites were selected because of their large to predominantly Mexican American students populations. Of the 35 school mission statements I researched, 19 were from predominantly Mexican American high schools and 16 were from predominantly White high schools. Of the 20 school district mission statements I collected, 11 were from largely to predominantly Mexican American school districts and 9 were from largely to predominantly White school districts.Analyses conducted in this study of the mission statements utilizing several `tools' of CDA revealed ideologies, or ideological discursive formations (IDFs), of low expectations and negative attitudes for Mexican American students when compared to White students. These IDFs materialize by way of frames and signs that are (re)created in the district and school mission statements. The IDFs serve to mediate the discourses that are utilized to describe Mexican American students and the districts and schools they attend. These discourses serve to mediate beliefs about Mexican American students that in turn reinforce the IDFs already in place.Understanding the types of discourses that (re)produce low expectations for and negative attitudes about Mexican American students is a first step in changing these schooling discourses that ultimately contribute to low academic achievement.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the socio-cultural influences and social context associated with living with type 2 diabetes among migrant Latino adults. Extensive research in diabetes care has been conducted; however, there is a significant knowledge gap related to the factors that influcence the achievement of glycemic control and self-management practices of the Latino population in general, and migrant workers specifically. Based on well-documented disparities in complications and health outcomes among Latino adults compared to Anglo-American adults, there is sufficient evidence to question whether traditional Anglo beliefs about self-management are successful or appropriate for the migrant Latino population. Traditional models view self-management as an individual responsibility. Whether this view is congruent with the collectivist cultural tradition held by many Latino adults is unclear. Equally unclear is the degree to which using traditional Anglo-American models of self-management, in teaching about managing type 2 diabetes, influences health outcomes in this population. Culturally congruent care and nursing interventions involves more than an understanding of language and dietary preferences.A qualitative descriptive study using grounded theory techniques was conducted to provide a comprehensive summary of the events in the everyday terms of those events. Data analysis was completed using conventional content analysis strategies.An over-arching meta-theme "Self Management in a Social Environment" emerged. Every aspect of the process of self-management, as described in the four major themes, (1) Family Cohesion, (2) Social Stigma of Disease, (3) Social Expectations/Perceptions of "Illness," and (4) Disease Knowledge and Understanding, was influenced by the social context.This study revealed several socio-cultural influences that impact diabetes self-management practices for the migrant Latino adult. The familist traditions, central to the Mexican culture had both positive and negative consequences on diabetes management. Social stigma, in relation to a diabetes diagnosis, is likely not exclusive to this population. However, the associated negative social expectations and perceptions might well be unique. The discovery surrounding the lack of, and approach to, diabetes management education provided to individuals, families, and community members may well be central to improving the health of this population.

Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States with the states that border Mexico having a greater percentage of persons of Mexican origin residing in them. Herbs are widely used by persons of Mexican origin, however, little is known about specifics surrounding these cultural practices. An ethnographic study in the border region of Nogales, Arizona - Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, discovered the cultural components of values, beliefs, practices, and experiences of 9 women of Mexican origin who resided in the Arizona/Sonora, Mexico border region related to using manzanilla tea during the childbearing period. Data from semi-structured in-depth interviews were analyzed using a thematic, content analysis process. Intergenerational transmission of cultural health care knowledge emerged from abstraction of the findings. Details from the women's voices provide enlightenment surrounding the values, beliefs, and practices related to the use of manzanilla tea for childbearing. Nursing should be able to integrate this knowledge into care practices and education thereby promoting more culturally relevant care during the childbearing period for women of Mexican origin.

The childhood obesity epidemic continues to escalate, disproportionately impacting Mexican American children. It is unclear how Mexican American mothers, who are at high-risk of rearing obese children, perceive childhood obesity, prevention or their role in prevention. Three studies - a systematic literature review, a qualitative study focusing on Mexican American mothers' perceptions of childhood obesity, and a qualitative study examining Mexican American mothers' perceptions regarding childhood obesity prevention and their role in prevention - were used to address this research question. The first study is a systematic review of the literature regarding Mexican American mothers' perceptions of childhood obesity and their role in prevention. Four databases were searched for relevant articles and 22 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Social Cognitive Theory was used to sort similar findings across studies and identify scarce areas researched. Major findings included: (a) mothers felt inadequate to be role models for their children's healthy behaviors, (b) mothers did not identify short-term consequences of childhood obesity, (c) only 23% of studies explicitly used a theoretical framework to guide their study, and (d) most studies used heterogeneous groups (including all caretakers, including all Hispanics/Latinos) to discuss perceptions. The second study used naturalistic inquiry to examine mothers' perceptions regarding childhood obesity, its causes and its consequences. Using a Social Ecological Model adapted to childhood obesity, the study examined causes of childhood obesity at different levels of influence - intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community. Obesity was identified as an adult issue by the mothers. Mothers were more aware of the health risks associated with having underweight children rather than overweight children. Lastly, mothers identified overweight children as those who are suffering from consequences. The third study used a narrative inquiry approach to qualitatively investigate mothers' perceptions. Mothers suggested several ways parents could prevent childhood obesity and overweight among their children. However, fathers, grandparents and schools could unintentionally counter mothers' efforts to encourage healthful behaviors. Mothers identified a lack of ability to speak English, feelings of guilt associated with limiting food intake, and a lack of knowledge and skills as impediments in carrying out obesity preventive behaviors within the home.