Perspectives of Multilingual Latinx Students about their Sense of Belonging in Rural Wisconsin

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Perspectives of Multilingual Latinx Students about their Sense of Belonging in Rural Wisconsin

Between 2000 and 2015, the Latinx population in Wisconsin increased by 95%, becoming the fastest growing racial/ethnic group and accounting for 46% of the total population growth in the state. Yet, little is known about the experiences of Latinx students in rural schools in the Midwest. To address this gap in the literature, this study reports the voices of 14 secondary school Latinx students attending school in a rural district located in northeastern Wisconsin. Our data included an online-survey, semi-structured interviews with Latinx students, their parents, and their science, Spanish, and ESL teachers as well as classroom observations. Our research questions were: What are the perspectives of Latinx students regarding their sense of belonging to the rural area where they live?; and, what are the similarities and differences between these perspectives and the ones expressed by their teachers and family members? Preliminary findings indicate that although Latinx students valued the closeness of the school community, they did not feel that their multilingualism and culture were reflected in the curriculum, school spaces, or community at large. Teachers and parents also reported this lack of representation in formal education spaces and discussed several challenges the Latinx community faces in integrating to what teachers described as a close-knit school and town communities. Teachers also reported a need for professional development to better address the local Latinx community in their lessons. Implications for researchers and practitioners working with school with emerging Latinx populations are discussed here.

Authors

• Diego Xavier Roman, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Abigail Robinson, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Sabrina Edralin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign