The Bilingual and Biliteracy Experiences of an Adult ESL Learner: A Case Study

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on Idenity in the Schooling Experiences of Black and Immigrant Students (Table 5)

Abstract

This case study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the bilingual/biliteracy experiences of an adult ESL learner through a combination of semi-structured interviews, textbook/student work as artifacts and observations. After conducting five of the planned twelve semi-structured interviews and collecting some of the participant's artifacts, it was possible to recognize the difficult and complex challenges encountered by the learner, how he has developed different competence levels in varied language skills in English, and the complicated relationship between his first language and English. Once the study is complete, it is expected to provide insights into the participant's bilingual/biliteracy identity and recognize his language/literacy needs which in turn could help develop effective pedagogy to address them.

Author

• Thilina Indrajie Wickramaarachchi, University of Wyoming