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University of San Diego

Borderland Voices: Exploring the Educational Journey of Transfronterizx Students, Families, and Educators for Enhanced Engagement and Empowerment

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p><em>Transfronterizx</em> students and their families cross the U.S.–Mexico border for academic, economic, social, cultural, and linguistic reasons. Socioeconomic disparities, deportation, and work have propelled some families to live in Mexico and enroll their U.S.-born children in U.S. schools to provide more socioeconomic opportunities in the United States. Educators of transfronterizx students are uniquely tasked to work with these nontraditional students. Moreover, transfronterizx students and their families have distinct needs in U.S. schools; as such, there is a need for further research on the transfronterizx experience in the U.S. K–12 system. This qualitative narrative inquiry study aimed to understand the experiences of transfronterizx public school students, families, and educators of transfronterizx to understand the impact of being transfronterizx on school engagement to uncover strategies that support and foster effective engagement.</p> <p>Through qualitative analysis, I uncovered the following key findings: district and school policies validate the experiences of people of color; transfronterizx students embody their community cultural wealth, including endurance and sacrifice wealth; and educators demonstrate a commitment to social justice through humanizing practices. Key themes included the following: fear is endemic among transfronterizx, the intersectionality of global north and south shape their experiences and interactions with the educational and sociopolitical systems, and the duality of transfronterizx identity. From these findings, I delineated recommendations for the multilevel systems that impact transfronterizx. Finally, I introduce a new theoretical framework, Transfronterizx Critical Theory (TfxCrt), to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the intersecting dynamics of transfronterizx while advancing critical perspectives.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
PhD Education for Social Justice
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation: Open Access
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Learning and Teaching
Year dc:date.available
2024

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Velazquez, Sobeida

Subjects

dc:subject × 33

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1032
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:digital.sandiego.edu:dissertations-2038

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of San Diego
Base URL
digital.sandiego.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Velazquez, Sobeida. Borderland Voices: Exploring the Educational Journey of Transfronterizx Students, Families, and Educators for Enhanced Engagement and Empowerment. Dissertation: Open Access thesis, 2024. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1032