Building Inclusive Capacity in Chinese Immersion Early Childhood Settings

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Community-based bilingual experiences rooted in el suelo y sustento de la familia.

Abstract

This study explores how a Chinese immersion preschool in San Francisco fostered inclusive education practices among teachers by developing a differentiated Professional Learning Community (PLC). Grounded in a Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) framework (McKenney & Reeves, 2018), the project was carried out over three iterative cycles that emphasized trust-building, developmental observation, and the use of Learning Stories (Escamilla & Ruiz, 2021). Through ongoing collaboration across teaching roles, the PLC supported educators in meeting the needs of neurodiverse children while deepening culturally responsive teaching. The findings suggest that when rooted in classroom experience and supported by interdisciplinary partnerships, PLCs can be a powerful tool for sustaining inclusive practices in bilingual early learning settings (Uhl-Bien et al., 2007; Zaslow et al., 2010).

Author

• Chu Hsi Tseng, San Francisco State University