Globeville: the neighborhood that shapes the learning environment for BFLA Spanish-English Mexican Americans

Abstract

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model is a theory of educational psychology that studies human development over time. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s early theory on ecological systems, this paper focuses on the Mesosystem and Exosystem – environments in which Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA) Spanish-English Mexican American children develop. It can also be regarded as a research on the immigrant community, as this paper looks at BFLA Spanish-English Mexican American bilinguals at an elementary school in Denver Public Schools (DPS), Colorado. As a marginalized immigrant community in America, their voices tell a story of their struggles, as they acculturate in America through their attempt to blend heritage, societal languages, and cultural practices. Globeville, a neighborhood located in North Denver, is home to many BFLA Spanish-English Mexican Americans. It shapes their growth, repositioning, and struggles as they learn to assimilate and acculturate in order to be accepted. Using historiography as a methodology, Globeville became the data itself, presenting a different kind of learning environment that promotes growth despite the odds.