Emergent Bilinguals in a Chinese-English DLBE Program: Navigating Opportunities, Challenges, and Positionings

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Dual Language Programmatic Planning and Design

Abstract

As of 2020, one in ten students in U.S. PreK–12 schools is an emergent bilingual, making their education a critical issue of educational equity (García et al., 2025). Grounded in positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990), this ethnographic study examines the experiences of a newcomer from China, Fei, in a two-way Chinese-English DLBE program in New York City. Findings demonstrate that Fei is subject to conflicting positionings by institutional labels, teachers, and peers. This study highlights how an emergent bilingual navigates complex discursive landscapes in DLBE classrooms. It contributes to the literature by showing that even programs designed for minoritized students can reproduce inequalities unless educators reflect on how their beliefs and practices affect how students are perceived and supported.

Author

• Peizhu Liu, University of Pennsylvania