Promoting Bilingual and Bicultural Well-Being: Application of Positive Education in a Heritage Language Program

• In Event: 21.061 - MTCC Roundtable Session Five
  In Roundtable Session: 21.061-8 - Exploring Language and Bilingualism for Latinxs

Abstract

Educators face the challenge of supporting the growth and maintenance of students’ heritage language and culture despite discrimination and acculturation stress, particularly that stemming from the current political climate on immigrants and immigration. Positive education theories and principles offer insights for curriculum and instruction to support the construction of learning spaces that consider learners’ socio-emotional well-being. Instead of using traditional quantitative measures to assess well-being, this case study provides a qualitative exploration of a community-based Heritage Language Academy designed to cultivate a strengths-based learning space for Spanish-speaking middle school students and their families. Findings consider the generative impact of the program by analyzing interactions among participants and examining teachers’ attention to and development of the five pillars of well-being.

Authors

• Tierney Hinman, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Ye He, University of North Carolina - Greensboro