Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026
09:27
Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
10.9K
Navigating Borders: Language, Identity, and Schooling Among Return Migrant University Students
Mónica L Jacobo Suárez1, Colette Despagne Broxner2
1Department of Politics and Culture, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Xochimilco, Mexico City 04960, Mexico.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Educational paths influence language and identity for students educated in the U.S. and Mexico. Universities should value students' diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as assets.
Area of Science:
- Sociolinguistics
- Education Studies
- Transnationalism Studies
Background:
- Return migrant students educated across the U.S. and Mexico face unique challenges.
- Understanding their educational trajectories is crucial for identity development and language maintenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how educational trajectories shape language maintenance and identity among return migrant students in Mexican universities.
- To identify how transnational schooling configurations impact bilingual development and identity negotiation.
Main Methods:
- Multi-sited qualitative case study design.
- In-depth interviews and reconstructed educational histories.
- Comparative analysis across generational cohorts, age of return, and educational trajectories.
Main Results:
- Identified four distinct educational profiles based on transnational schooling.
- Demonstrated how institutional monoglossic ideologies contrast with students' strategic use of transnational resources.
- Showcased differentiated conditions for language use, bilingual development, and identity negotiation.
Conclusions:
- Transnational educational pathways create diverse experiences for return migrant students.
- Students actively mobilize linguistic and cultural repertoires to navigate educational settings.
- Policy and pedagogy should recognize and value students' transnational assets.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
382
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
382
00:53Migration
9.1K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
9.1K
01:21Role-Based Identity
280
Role-based identities are central to understanding how individuals navigate social environments by adopting distinct self-conceptions aligned with various societal roles. These identities are not fixed traits but are constructed through personal actions and the social feedback individuals receive in context-specific interactions. Each social role, such as student, teacher, or friend, carries a set of expectations and norms that influence how people think, feel, and behave within that...
280
01:30Self Within Cultural Contexts
308
Cultural frameworks for understanding the self are often categorized into two broad orientations: individualism and collectivism. These paradigms influence how people define themselves, relate to others, and interpret their social worlds. Each orientation offers distinct perspectives on autonomy, responsibility, and the role of the individual within a community.Individualistic CulturesIn individualistic cultures like North America and Western Europe, identity is understood as autonomous and...
308
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
706
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
706
01:27Language and Cognition
952
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
952