Transnational Literacy Practices and Identities: A Case Study of Children of Korean Immigrants

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Centering on Family and Children's Perspectives in Bilingual Education Research (Table 42)

Abstract

Acknowledging power embedded in and through transglobal flows, including literacy practices, this study explores immigrant children’s transnational ways of living, learning, and positioning themselves within situated contexts. Informed by a transnational framework and a social theory of literacy, this study focuses on Korean immigrant children's transnational experiences and perspectives. Data includes interviews with the four focal children, which contain child-centered activities, as well as parent questionnaires and interviews, data from parental social media, and field notes. Findings demonstrate the focal children’s multilingual/transnational knowledge and highlight contextual factors such as class, gender, language ideology, and location that affect their transnational literacy practices and identities. The findings will urge educators to incorporate immigrants’ knowledge and identities into the classroom for all students.

Author

• Eunjin Cho, University of Massachusetts - Amherst