Unpacking Raciolinguistic ‘Messages’ in Bilingual Science Education: Insights from Teachers in a Two-Way DLI Program

• In Event: Advancing Equity in Science Education Research: Research, Remedies, and Pathways to Renewal

Abstract

Objectives: Science and bilingual education reforms and teacher preparation programs (TPPs) have focused on training teachers to engage bi/multilingual students with STEM content. Teachers’ perceptions of teaching and learning practices have been widely studied (e.g., Hawks, 2024; Morrell et al., 2019), yet perceptions of students remain less explored. This study examines some of the ‘messages’ science teachers receive in a Two-Way Dual Language Immersion (TWDLI) program to investigate how these may condition perceptions of students as different kinds of learners (Popkewitz, 2018). I offer actionable insights for TPPs to prepare current and future teachers to recognize and resist the reinscription of racial and linguistic hierarchies (Flores & Rosa, 2015).
Perspectives: There is a century-long premise that some students are racially and linguistically different from a mainstream American norm. A century ago, Mexican American students were targeted as in ‘need’ of tailored instruction to learn English and Americanize successfully. Thus, teacher guides outlined a ‘specialized’ instruction (Torres-Rouff, 2012). Science appeared as a key way to prepare students for healthy and rational ways of being and thinking. Much has certainly shifted, but comparing groups to one another and comparing both to an idealized norm persists today (e.g., the policing of language in English Learners (ELs) and not their English monolingual peers).
Modes of Inquiry and Sources: This study employs a raciolinguistic genealogy (Flores, 2021) to explore how practices of classification and specialized instruction for minoritized students may shape teachers’ perceptions of their students and how these have shifted over time.
The analysis entailed ethnographic methods in a Midwestern TWDLI elementary school, including teacher interviews, focus groups, and science classroom observations. Data sources include interview and focus group transcripts and science curriculum lesson plans (i.e., Amplify). The study also reviews relevant historical documents (e.g., teacher guides for segregated Mexican schools) to situate the histories of teaching and learning practices.
Substantiated Conclusions: Findings present a positive alternative to navigating institutional messages of difference. The identified messages are explored in two practices. First, the classification of bi/multilingual students as ELs. Teachers report that the EL label does not always represent their students’ linguistic abilities (e.g., “some ELs are stronger in English than Spanish”). Yet, there are special requirements they must fulfill (e.g., language testing). Second, science curriculum lesson plans. These pre-planned lessons (i.e., Amplify) list differentiated practices for ‘diverse learners’ and ‘ELs,’ prompting assumptions about their (in)abilities. For example, a 3rd-grade lesson about comparing weather prompted additional opportunities for ELs to compare objects, assuming they cannot compare in Spanish. Teachers questioned this practice, saying, “I would say compare means ‘comparar’ in Spanish. Do you know what that means? Then, move on.” This practice is not prompted for English monolingual students.
Significance: This study contributes to a growing discourse on the importance of teacher preparation in providing an equitable education for bi/multilingual students. It provides practical insights for TPPs to prioritize conversations of racial and linguistic distinctions that teachers may encounter in their positions as teachers.

Author

• Cynthia T. Baeza, University of Wisconsin - Madison