Chillin' in the United States: Voices of Immigrant and Refugee Students in Middle School

• In Event: 64.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 64.086-4 - Voicing Bi/Multilingual Identities

Abstract

In addition to the typical ups and downs of middle school, English language learners (ELLs) also grapple with learning English, straddling multiple cultures, and adapting to the realities of immigration. While school systems tend to focus on linguistic and academic development, ELLs in middle school exercise agency, creativity, judgment, and resilience as they navigate hybrid identities, complex and context-specific social and cultural expectations, and home/school connections and disconnections. This presentation reports on an interview study of middle school ELLs from a variety of backgrounds. Using self-selected artifacts representing their in-school and out-of-school lives, participants discussed their impressions of school, goals for the future, experiences feeling both welcome and unwelcome, and their intentional strategies for staying "chill" at school.

Author

• Anny Fritzen Case, Gonzaga University