The Possibilities of Bilingualism: Perceptions of Bilingual Learners in Arizona

• In Event: Perspectives on Dual Language Programs (Spanish-English Bilingual Session)

Abstract

This qualitative research study examines students’ perceptions of their bilingualism in a school that is attempting to disrupt inequalities through the promotion of social justice. In order to understand students’ perspectives of their bilingualism in a state with a restrictive language policy, the researchers apply Bourdieu’s (1989, 1998, 2007) conceptions of habitus, field, and capital. Findings indicate that students in the study overwhelmingly view their bilingualism as an asset that provides them with social, economic, cultural, and symbolic capital. This study demonstrates that in spite of the English-hegemonic context of Arizona, students in the school are still able to view their bilingualism as an avenue to greater possibilities in their lives.

Authors

• Deena Gumina, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Sandra Adriana Butvilofsky, University of Colorado Boulder