Schooling Experiences of Emergent Bilingual Students in the U.S. Public Schools: A Qualitative Research Synthesis Study

• In Event: Insights and Innovations for Supporting Emergent Bi-/Multilingual Learners

Abstract

The goal of this unique Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS) was to understand the schooling experiences of emergent bilingual students in public P-12 U.S. schools. This study is guided by two research questions: (1) What are the schooling experiences of emergent bilingual students? (2) How do students, receiving ELL/ESL services, make sense of inclusive education? To answer these questions, we synthesized ten qualitative peer-reviewed studies from 2012-2022 and explored what emergent bilingual students have reported as their schooling experiences. We employed translanguaging as our theoretical framework and QRS as our methodological approach. Our findings suggest that their schooling experiences are permeated by their social interactions, and that language is key for them to make sense of inclusive education.

Authors

• Lorena Silva de Andrade Dias, Rowan University

• Shehreen Iqtadar, Rowan University