Latinx Undergraduate Mentors’ Experiences in an Asset-based After-School Program

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Efficacy, Mentorship and Cultural Responsiveness

Abstract

This study examines the experiences, language ideologies, and language practices of undergraduate mentors in an asset-based after-school program serving multilingual middle school students from immigrant backgrounds. While the program promotes translanguaging and challenges deficit perspectives, even asset-based approaches risk reinforcing dominant raciolinguistic ideologies if they prioritize "appropriate" language norms. Through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with undergraduate mentors, this study identifies their language ideologies and examines alignment with program goals. The research explores what ideologies mentors express, how they understand their own and mentees' language practices, and the extent to which their perspectives align with asset-based principles. Findings illuminate both promises and challenges of creating spaces that disrupt dominant language hierarchies in educational settings.

Author

• Carla Suarez Soto, University of California - Santa Cruz