The Struggles of Catching Up: Working-Class English Language Learner Fuzhounese Children's Schooling Experiences in the Midwestern United States

• In Event: Crown Plaza Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Asian and Pacific Islander K–12 Education

Abstract

Drawing from a three-year ethnography, this study examines the educational experiences of working-class ELL Fuzhounese students in a Midwestern town, in terms of their learning and interactions in ELL and regular classes. This paper first details the learning difficulties that Fuzhounese Chinese students encountered due to cultural and linguistic disconnections with teachers. Second, it discusses the emotional and social isolation that Fuzhounese students experienced due to such disconnections. This study sheds light on the significance to current immigrant studies that re-examine the idea of cultural deficit among immigrant students to instead enhance teachers’ education on diversity and equity issues as well as their awareness to unmask the political/class/ethnic discourses imposed on culturally diverse and class-disadvantaged immigrant students.

Authors

• Yu-Ling Hsiao, Oklahoma State University-Stillwater

• Lucy E. Bailey, Oklahoma State University