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Cultural differences play a part in communication breakdowns between students and teachers, and only a complete understanding of the model that English instructors use when teaching writing gives us an insight into the reasons why. This book observes and analyzes the communication patterns of Latino students in an English course at the college level, closely observing the interaction between Latino students and the teacher, as well as between Latino students and other student groups in the class. Learning to Write as a Hostile Act for Latino Students concludes that cultural differences - and the resulting miscommunications - significantly contribute to the negative impressions Latino students have about the writing process and English courses. Understanding these differences is crucial to improving the teaching of writing to Latino and other minority students.
About the author
The Author: Raul E. Ybarra is Associate Professor at the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in language, literacy, and rhetoric. He is a coeditor of Creating Alternative Discourses in the Education of Latinos and Latinas: A Reader (Peter Lang, forthcoming).
