Latinx children growing up in the U.S. often struggle with defining their own identity while navigating values and expectations of two different cultures. Many Latinx students internalize feelings of linguistic and cultural inferiority during the early stages of reading and speaking in English, which can lead to the loss of Spanish and erosion of family relationships. 

¡Celebra Latinx! is a Spanish reading program that connects Latinx children with Duke students as peer tutors and provides the opportunity for them to support each other in their development as bilingual speakers. Team members developed, implemented and analyzed preliminary results of the program to examine its impact on children’s reading motivation and the development of literacy. Results suggest that participation in the program increases children’s confidence and motivation to read in Spanish and supports the development of skills necessary to build literacy, such as persistence and concentration. 

Learn more about this project team by viewing the team's video.

Timing

Fall 2021 – Spring 2022 

Team Outputs

Supporting Linguistic and Cultural Connections for Spanish-Speaking Children (2022 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase)

Impact of a Reading Program on Latinx Children’s Motivation to Read in Spanish (poster by Laura Andrade, Olivia Bond, Joan Clifford, Melody Gao, Mauricio Hernandez, Isabel Lewin-Knauer, Victoria McReynolds, Mia Murphy, Sofia Silvosa, Rory Smith, Sanceray Smith, Caleb Watson and Cabell Whitlow, presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, Duke University, April 13, 2022)

Reflection

Melody Gao

This Team in the News

Meet the Members of the 2022-2023 Student Advisory Council

Making the Most of Duke, Summer 2021

This project team was originally part of the Education & Human Development theme of Bass Connections, which ended in 2022. See related team, Celebrating Latinx Culture with a Spanish Reading Program (2022-2023). 

Image: Libreria Paradiso, Gijón, by Marisa Ortún, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0