A Multisited Ethnography: Immigrant Adults’ Church-Based Second Language Socialization and Family Cultural Capital

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Bilingual Education Research: Theory, Policy, and Practice Roundtable

Abstract

Drawing on one year of data, this multi-sited ethnography explores the roles of three church-based ESL programs in a southeastern U.S. city in newly arrived immigrant adults' second language socialization and family cultural capital. The study is grounded in the post-structural approach to second language learning and use. Data demonstrate that the programs are ecological places for facilitating the adults' second language socialization, a sense of community and human agency, and social integration, which in turn increase their family cultural capital. Also, this study reveals that the programs are places of contradiction between the immigrants’ religion and Christianity.

Author

• Xia Chao, Duquesne University