Perceptions of English Language Varieties, Reinforced or Challenged in a Fourth-Grade Classroom

• In Event: Raciolinguistic Issues in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This paper addresses the language perceptions of an ethnically and linguistically diverse set of fourth grade students. It illustrates the ways in which young students are making sense of English varieties such as Chicano English and mainstream American English. It also discusses the roles teachers play in shaping students’ language ideologies, and the ways in which culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional practices might create a classroom community where a range of English varieties are valued and leveraged as a source of knowledge and strength. The findings of this study add an important dimension to the growing body of literature on cultural and linguistic sustaining pedagogy.

Authors

• Concepcion M. Valadez, University of California - Los Angeles

• Diana A. Porras, California State University - Long Beach