A Case Study of Dual-Language Elementary School Teachers' Understanding of Bilingualism

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on and Practices for Dual-Language Education

Abstract

Before engaging in culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012) in dual language education (DLE) contexts, teachers must first adopt a translanguaging stance (García et al., 2017), a firm belief that all students’ language practices work together, not separately, and are legitimate resources for their learning. This study, therefore, focused on DLE teachers’ understanding of bilingualism. Seven females and one male teacher from two DLE schools with large Latinx student populations on free/reduced lunch participated in focus groups to discuss their experiences as and/or with bilinguals in schools. Using discourse analysis, findings show that teachers understood that being bilingual meant developing side-by-side monolingual proficiencies, often leading to a deficit perspective, and whether students were bilingual. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Authors

• Ryan W. Pontier, Florida International University

• Diana Ortega, Florida International University