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Individuals within the low group
Liliana, the most vocal female of the low group, was one of the
first students I met when I began the research. During our first
conversation she expressed, in Spanish, a desire to learn English and
inquired about private lessons. She said she was concerned because
her father had fixed the television so that it would explode if she
turned it to a Spanish channel. She relayed this information to me
with a serious expression. Once when sent to the office for talking
in class, Liliana said she preferred to receive a punishment than to
explain in English the reason for her behavior. By contrast, Liliana's
sister who scored slightly less on the written scores in English,
refused to use an interpreter. She said that she knew she could make
herself understood. On another occasion, Liliana said she would gladly
give away everything she had in the U.S. if she could just go home to
Cuba. When asked why she would like to go home, she said that although
her mother and father were here, the rest of the family was there and
she missed them very much.
Occasionally, Liliana was observed to exasperate the teachers by
asking them questions about how to carry out a request. For example,
she said, "Should I use the stairs to go up to the second floor?" or
"Do I go through the door to take the note to the office?" There was
only one way to go to the second floor and the office and that was by
the stairs and through the door. Once, while the bilingual teacher
was explaining a concept in geography, Liliana began playing with the
desk in front of her and dropped it right next to the teacher, just
missing the teacher's foot. Whether Liliana's behavior was purposeful