Is Love and Hope Enough? Bilingual Educators' Persistence in Sociopolitical Context

• In Event: Bicultural Teaching and Learning: Language Teachers' Practice and Identity

Abstract

Bilingual education reduces achievement gaps for dual language learners. With consistently high turnover rates for teachers, investigating what helps sustain bilingual educators in their profession is of critical importance for meeting current and increasing demand for bilingual education. We adopt a sociocultural framework, which considers teaching in the socio-political context of educational policies. Based on focus groups, bilingual educators (N = 28) described the love and hope they had for their students as primary motivators. Some challenges included educational policies on bilingual education curriculum implementation and misalignment in the curriculum, presenting increased pressures and workload for bilingual educators. We present implications for supporting bilingual teachers and bilingual education.

Authors

• Maciel M. Hernández, University of California - Davis

• Esperanza De La Vega, Portland State University

• Motoaki Hara, Portland State University

• Carrie Susan Larson, Pacific University Oregon