Urban American Indian Family Literacy: Sociocultural Models of Emergent Bilingualism

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-3 - Bilingualism and Biliteracies in and out of the Classroom

Abstract

Native American Indian bilingual education has received little attention within the American educational research community. Within the sociocultural models of language and literacy, this one-year ethnographic study examines urban American Indian children’s emergent bilingual development in a predominately White, urban community in a Northwestern U.S. city. The findings of this study indicate bilingualism expresses their sense of identity and supports important social and cultural needs in the lives of urban American Indian families. Native language revitalization and English literacy acquisition in urban American Indian families advocate provision of culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogy and curriculum and have the potential to deepen how we understand linguistic and cultural needs of emergent bilinguals.

Authors

• Xia Chao, Duquesne University

• Rachael Waller, Montana State University - Billings