Emergent Bilinguals' Emerging Identities: Investment and Language in a Dual Language School

• In Event: 63.084 - Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 63.084-17 - Language Acquisition and Identity in Dual Language School Contexts

Abstract

The current research shows one’s positive bicultural identity is highly correlated to continued bilingual and biliteracy development (Heller & Martin-Jones, 2001; Norton, 2000; Potowski, 2007; Valdes, 1997). Yet there are few studies that explore the identity-language connection in practice (but see Fought, 2003; Potowski, 2007; Valdes, 1997). The purpose of this study was to explore how emergent bilinguals’ emerging identities interact with their language attitudes and language choices in various contexts to create their investment in their respective languages. The researchers analyzed the surveys, social networks and interviews of 63 Mexican-American, bilingual fifth-graders in a one-way DL school in north Texas in order to explore students’ overall investment in their languages

Authors

• Alexandra Babino, Dallas Baptist University

• Mary Amanda Stewart, Texas Woman's University