Beliefs About Bilingualism, Dual Language Learning, and Bilingual Education of Head Start Educators in the Borderlands

• In Event: Language, Head Start, and Culturally Sustaining Approaches in the Borderlands

Abstract

Objective
This study examined the beliefs about bilingualism, dual language learning, and bilingual education of Head Start educators working in a transborder community located in a state that until very recently had a restrictive language policy banning bilingual education.

Perspective
Border pedagogy positions education as a political, social, and cultural enterprise (Giroux, 1988), and the geopolitical border between the United States and Mexico represents a unique space in which languages, cultures, communities, and countries end, begin, and blend, and thus reflect the complexity, juxtaposition, and intersection of identities, economies, and educational and social issues (Romo & Chavez, 2006). The current study explored the beliefs of educators working in a geographic area known for its sociocultural complexity and linguistic diversity.

Methods
Participants were 291 Head Start staff members working in two programs located in large, urban cities in southern California. The majority of participants were female (91.8%, n = 267) and worked directly with children as teachers or home visitors (78.3%, n = 196). It is important to highlight the ethnic and linguistic diversity of our sample: 63% of participants (n =182) identified as Hispanic/Latino, and almost 69% of our participants were bilingual (n = 200). Just over half of our participants were born in another country (51.1%, n = 143) and 42% remembered participating in ESL classes.

Data
The Beliefs about Bilingualism Survey (Author et al., 2016) was used to assess the beliefs about bilingualism, bilingual education, and knowledge of dual language development of Head Start staff. Data were first analyzed using frequency counts.Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was then used to determine whether there were differences in how demographic groups answered the survey questions.

Results
Results indicate that while participants exhibited favorable views of bilingualism, responses to several questions were more variable and reflect shifting ideologies regarding bilingualism. Just over 30% (n = 87) of participants agreed that We live in the United States, so English should be the main language taught to children, and almost 10% (n = 28) neither agreed/ disagreed. The statement with the greatest variability was Supporting only the use of English in education is a form of prejudice, with close to 50% (47.9%, n = 138) strongly/somewhat agreeing and 23% (n = 65) neither agreeing/disagreeing. Participants who spoke more than one language, were born outside of the United States, and reported an ethnicity other than white, demonstrated more favorable views of bilingual education.

Significance
The exploration of beliefs about bilingualism and bilingual education is particularly timely given the Head Start performance standard requirement that teachers support the development of children’s home language and engage in teaching practices that support both bilingualism and biliteracy.

Data highlighted subtractive and monoglossic language ideologies embodied by restrictive language policies and suggest an urgent need for Head Start programs to adopt a critical stance that highlights connections between race, language, and power in education and provide professional development that encourages critical thinking and self-reflection.

Author et al., 2016.

Romo, J. J., & Chavez, C. (2006). Border pedagogy: A study of preservice teachertransformation. The Educational Forum, 70(June (2)), 142–153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131720608984885.

Authors

• Sarah Garrity, San Diego State University

• Cristian R. Aquino-Sterling, San Diego State University