Microethnographic Analysis: Examining Power, Identity, and Academic Knowledge Among Bilingual and Monolingual First Graders

• In Event: Multicultural/Multiethnic Education: Emerging Lines of Inquiry

Abstract

This presentation provides findings from a microethnographic analysis examining power, identity and academic knowledge among bilingual and monolingual first graders. This study draws on multiple disciplines to examine how first-grade students constructed meaning with expository texts, how the classroom community of practice influenced the development of power, identity, and academic knowledge in an inquiry-based setting over an academic year, and similarities and differences between these experiences for bilinguals and monolingual English speakers. A microethnographic approach was used to gain a deeper understanding of how monolingual English speakers and bilinguals negotiated literate identities and power as they were newly learning to decode printed text.

Author

• Lindsey Moses, Arizona State University