This dissertation portfolio is comprised of three first-authored pieces of writing that investigate the oral language and emergent literacy development of Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI). Each piece features a unique but complementary aim. The first study investigates group differences on a battery of emergent…

This study examined the effectiveness of a bilingual/bicultural technology intervention on beginning learners of Spanish at a public university in the United States and intermediate learners of English at a public university in Mexico. This study used a quasi-experimental mixed method design and compared gains in grammar, listening, and reading…

This dissertation has three purposes: (a) to structure an argument for binational collaboration of educational advancement for children of Mexican origins; (b) to put forward a conceptual model of how family and school characteristics develop alongside student learning; and (c) to answer a set of questions concerning literacy learning for children…