Who Are Bilinguals? Surfacing Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Bilingualism

• In Event: Finding Language for Linguistic Justice in Teacher Education

Abstract

This mixed methods study explored how pre-service teachers conceive of “bilingualism” as they enter their teacher preparation program. Preliminary findings suggest that pre-service teachers demonstrate a persistence of beliefs in bilingualism based on monolingual and monoglossic standards with English hegemony. Not considering the larger sociocultural context, only bilinguals with native or near native proficiency in two languages were acknowledged as “legitimate” bilinguals. Further, their conceptions of bilingualism influenced their own bilingual identities as well as their expectations of their future students’ potential. These findings raise important concerns about the ways we prepare our future teachers to resist and disrupt dominant discourses that favor linguicism and English hegemony. Implications for research and practices for bilingual teachers and teacher educators are discussed. 

Authors

• Minhye Son, California State University - Dominguez Hills

• Elisabeth Kim, Rutgers University - Newark