The Emotional Impact of the Separation of Languages Among Recent Immigrants in the United States and Their Counternarratives: A Plea for Educational Reform

• In Event: 53.049 - Effective and Inclusive School Strategies for Children of Immigrants

Abstract

This paper is a critical ethnography of the schooling experiences of 5 recent immigrants attending dual immersion classes in an elementary school located near El Paso, Texas where the separation of languages is a policy, and language is said to be used as a resource to motivate learning when working cooperatively (Adelman Reyes, 2007; Collier & Thomas, 2004). However, this study revealed that language was also used as a tool for oppression among recent immigrants when attempting to work cooperatively in groups. The teachers who separated languages in a flexible manner were more successful with recent immigrants. All recent immigrants agreed that to better assist recent immigrants the teachers need to use a flexible approach to separation of languages.

Author

• Maria Del Rosario Talamantes, The University of Texas - El Paso