Metalanguaging of Sixth-Grade Spanish-English Bilingual Students

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Expanding the Research Terrain for Multilingualism

Abstract

This ethnographic study explores conversations of 6th grade Spanish-English bilingual students and the teacher in their English Language Arts class using discourse analytic methods. More specifically, I analyze how metalinguistic awareness of bilingual students mediates their in-class discourse and how they engage in metalanguaging—as in, talk about language and on language—in their daily learning. Findings suggest that the teacher’s explicit metalinguistic talk may lead to metalanguaging among students in their small group conversations, and thus, can cultivate further metalinguistic awareness and develop biliteracy skills. This study addresses the gap on metalanguaging of bilingual learners using qualitative methods and aims to provide further teaching and research implications.

Author

• Grace Jue Yeon Kim, The Ohio State University - Columbus