Hearing the Voices of Head Start Teachers to Support Emergent Bilinguals Without and With Disabilities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Listening for Voice: Translanguaging, Identity, and Narrative in Teaching

Abstract

This qualitative interview study explores the supports and resources that Head Start teachers encounter when serving young emergent bilinguals (EBs) without, with, or at risk for dis/abilities, particularly in one Midwestern state undergoing demographic shifts. Thirteen current and six former Head Start teachers participated. Findings indicate that collaborative ecosystems—such as family partnerships, access to bilingual resources and interpreters, interdisciplinary collaboration, and varied evidence- and research-based strategies—serve as key supports. However, teachers also face systemic and internal-level barriers, including limited training on bilingualism, linguistic diversity, and disability; inadequate administrative support; and a shortage of bilingual staff, with most teachers being monolingual. Systemic and personal biases related to ability, language, and race further complicate effective support for young EBs.

Authors

• Jisun Rachel Oh, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Josh Hayes, University of Kansas

• Gregory Cheatham, University of Kansas