Being Bilingual, Being a Reader: Case Studies in Young Dual Language Learners' Reading Identities

• In Event: 32.083 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 32.083-5 - Early Childhood and Elementary Students Becoming Bilingual in Schools and Homes

Abstract

This study explored the interplay between early reading, identity, and bilingualism to describe how dual language learners (DLLs) in prekindergarten classrooms understood reading and who they were as readers. Participants included ten DLLs ages 4-5. Data sources included child-centered interviews, child and classroom observations, teacher interviews, and a family questionnaire. Case portraits show how young children are actively constructing ideas about reading, language, and who they are as readers as they learn to read. These portraits show how reading identities emerge early, vary across children, are connected to context, and have varying relationships to children’s bilingualism. Findings provide insights into the early reading and language experiences of DLLs, and provide evidence to inform culturally and linguistically supportive reading instruction.

Author

• Christopher J Wagner, Queens College