(Im)Migrant Brazilian Children's Construction of Belonging in Bilingual Classrooms

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Division G Roundtable Session 2

Abstract

Considering the need to account for the complexity of Latinx immigration and how transnational processes shape identities, this presentation explores how immigrant children construct belonging across transnational social fields. Drawing on ethnographic methods, this presentation focuses on the daily practices, interactions, and experiences of K-1 immigrant Brazilian children in a Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program (Portuguese-English) in a school in the United States. Examining young children’s actions and narratives in bilingual classrooms sheds light on undertheorized facets of TWI programs, such as the opening of spaces where immigrant children negotiate transnational identifications and forms of (be)longing. This can inform curriculum development and instruction, create venues for community involvement, and foster collaboration among researchers, organizational stakeholders, and immigrant families.

Authors

• Mariana Lima Becker, Boston College

• Gabrielle Oliveira, Harvard University