Shifts in Language Use: A Case Study of a Struggling Emerging Bilingual's Linguistic Practices

• In Event: 34.078 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 34.078-16 - At the Intersections of Marginalities

Abstract

This qualitative case study seeks to examine how a struggling emerging bilingual first grade student, Javier, experiences biliteracy instruction in a school within the unique educational context of a district transitioning from English-only instruction to bilingual instruction. The case study employs ethnographic practices including field notes from observations in a classroom, interviews, and artifacts. Critical discourse analysis is used as a tool to deconstruct both the voiced and written words and unearth discursive practices that reveal issues of equity within this context. Preliminary findings reveal that the words and language practices Javier chose to enact in the classroom setting shifted as months progressed, which suggest he developed a more positive bilingual identity.

Author

• Elizabeth Silva Diaz, University of Colorado - Boulder