Monoglossic and transglossic tensions in a Mandarin dual language bilingual education classroom: An ethnographic-case study of circulating language ideologies and their impact

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Identities, Communities and Voices in DLBE

Abstract

The present study, based on a year-long ethnographic-case study of a fifth-grade Mandarin dual language bilingual education (DLBE) classroom, examines how competing language ideologies circulate and shape classroom practices. Findings demonstrate that the valorization of monoglossic ideologies originating from macro-level policies can trickle down to micro levels to constrain the linguistic possibilities of the DLBE school community, thus denigrating transglossic orientations within the community. Although these ideologies stand in opposition, they coexist within the same program, across different policy levels and stakeholders, with one becoming more salient than the other at different times and places within the classroom. This study argues that identifying moments when transglossic ideologies gain prominence can provide insight into creating more open and equitable DLBE environments.

Author

• Vashti Wai Yu Lee, Brigham Young University