US Mexico Planning Visit to develop Project Tulaaklo'one'ex - TODOS: July 2010, Merida, Mexico.

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a nine-day International Planning Visit aimed at developing a collaborative bi-national research program on the role of parental engagement and native language literacy in developing cognitive skills in young children. Four U.S. researchers and two graduate students will travel to Mérida, Mexico, to work with Dr. Ismael M. May of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - Mérida. The goal of the planning visit is to develop a research framework related to (a) the role played by mothers and extended family members in young childrens acquisition of their native language, and (b) the potential for native language literacy as a viable vehicle for the development of cognitive skills in K-6 students in diverse communities. The project will focus on children, families, and schools located in the Yucatan/Campeche region of Mexico where the native language is Yucatec Mayan, an endangered language. As primary outcomes of the planning visit, the U.S. and Mexican researchers intend to develop a proposal for a workshop to share research and practice on Mayan language integration in public schools, strengthen research initiatives to preserve and document the Yucatec Mayan language, and exchange ideas on new projects and next steps. This award is being jointly supported by the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).