Bilingual Learners Talking in School: Identity and Inclusion in Small Discussion Groups

• In Event: 14.046 - Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: 14.046-1 - Division G Section 3 Featured Poster Presentation: Social Contexts of Multiple Languages and Literacies

Abstract

This study examines the influence of language status on the learning experiences of English language learners (ELLs) in small discussion groups. Social network analysis and discourse analysis were used to consider the participation and identities of 2 bilingual learners in a linguistically diverse grade 4 classroom. The study explored how bilingual learners positioned themselves and were positioned by others in the context of a specific literacy event, and how these positions were authorized or delegitimized by others. Results suggest that these 2 bilingual learners participated strategically to establish positions as participants, but factors such as the structure of the activity, classroom culture, and peer responses played a critical role in determining whether they were allowed to occupy such positions.

Authors

• Christopher J Wagner, Boston College

• Patrick Proctor, Boston College