This study is part of a larger project that examines the instructional behaviors and beliefs of Mexican American mothers with their preschool-age children. A qualitative approach was used to explore the unique instructional conditions and practices used by five Mexican American mothers when teaching their preschool children the letters of the alphabet. The results of the study suggest that traditional approaches to examining mother-child teaching interactions mask the unique instructional condition faced by Mexican American mothers, specifically regarding the social organization of instruction and language use.
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