Bilingual fourth graders’ math stories were collected to explore their math identities. Students expressed identities of powerfulness and powerlessness and identified the key resources they need in order to feel like successful mathematicians. These resources included collaboration, manipulatives, their native language, and the support of family. Implications and suggestions for educators are discussed. / text

In this dissertation, I investigated the top-down implementation process of a dual language bilingual education (DLBE) program in over 60 schools in a large urban school district in Texas to identify language ideologies and issues of language policy and policy implementation according to local participating educators. Drawing on a language policy framework and research in linguistic anthropology to define language ideologies, I employed a multi-method approach (survey (n=323 educators), interview (n=20 DLBE teachers) and observation (n=3 DLBE teachers)) to measure and better understand language ideology and its significance for local language policy. Analysis revealed ideological tension and multiplicity, within and across educators, within single statements and overtime. For example, during interviews most teachers expressed additive views towards bilingualism, but subtractive views towards non-standard variations of each language. Similarly, several teachers articulated additive ideologies towards bilingualism while articulating the relative greater importance of English language acquisition. These ideological tensions operated in distinct ways at the classroom level. One teacher strictly followed the DLBE policy in her classroom to support bilingual/biliteracy development, but she also discouraged certain students and families from participating in the program because of their non-standard language practices. This dissertation complicates traditional understandings of the role of language ideologies within language policy implementation. Much research in our field discusses bilingual programs and program implementation in dichotomous terms (i.e. subtractive/additive). In contrast, I demonstrate how the multiplicity and complexity of language ideologies must be considered when trying to discuss the ideological struggle involved in implementing pluralist bilingual programs within an English dominant society. I present four potential models to conceptualize and analyze ideological tension as well as a discussion on the relationship between language ideologies and local language policy. Implications for teacher education, DLBE policy and future research are considered. / text

This case study examines the attitudes of Jarainese people (an indigenous group in Gia Lai province of Vietnam) towards bilingual education related to bilingualism, the maintenance of the native language, its use in their own communities, and its perceived importance within formal schooling. The research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods by which the data were collected. Quantitative data were obtained via 345 questionnaires administered to Jarainese students (N=173) and their grandparents and parents (N=172). Qualitative data were obtained via individual interviews of 13 parents and 5 focus group interviews with students. The qualitative data analyses were reported in three narratives as examples of the views of parents, and as thematic interpretations of the student focus groups. The findings reported in this thesis revealed the high degree of ethnic and cultural identity reported through the attitudes of the Jarainese people towards the use of the mother tongue and its maintenance. Jarainese people use their mother tongue to consolidate their ethnic and cultural identity and solidarity. However, the results revealed that Jarainese children tend to use more Vietnamese in their daily life whereas their parents and grandparents retain their oral native language. Additionally, there was a low level of self-reported literacy in Jarainese across the individuals surveyed. The findings disclosed that both languages are seen as important by the Jarainese people. They indicate that Jarainese people do not reject Vietnamese, because it is considered as a language of educational, social and economic advantages and advancement; however, they show the desire of the Jarainese people to affirm their cultural identity by retaining their native language. Despite this desire, the results demonstrated how impacts from the social milieu such as mass media, education and national dominance of Vietnamese hinder the maintenance of Jarainese. The findings confirm the results of other research in the field concerning the benefits and challenges of promoting bilingual development and preserving the native language. The results also confirm a link between demographic dimensions such as level of education, occupation, and living areas, and language attitudes. Furthermore, parents’ attitudes seem to influence their children’s perspectives toward bilingualism. In conclusion, this case study provides further evidence for the importance of values and knowledge related to bilingualism, as well as the need for bilingual development. This evidence is taken from a relatively unique context of the study: i.e., the communist context of Vietnam and under-studied indigenous minority groups in this area of the world. Hence, implications of the findings for bilingual education and regional language policy consideration are discussed. It recommends that the Vietnamese Government and education sector should pay greater attention to, and provide more support for, Jarainese people’s struggles to provide Jarainese children with minority language education. In addition, it is important to specify that a bilingual education program and a regional language policy should be considered and implemented in order to create environments in which Jarainese – Vietnamese bilingual children can develop and promote their bilingual proficiency and knowledge of bilingualism.

In this study, I explore the potential impact of differing educational policies and reform efforts that influence state and federal standards-based assessments and their interpretations. Specifically, I examine the educational policies of Arizona (Structured English Immersion [SEI]) and Texas (bilingual education) for their effect on the belief systems of students, parents, and teachers. I also examine the role of identity and language in the motivation to learn and student disposition toward school among English Language Learners (ELLs). In support of a co-regulation model of emerging identity, acculturation, acculturative stress, and student perceptions of scholastic competence, student disposition toward school, and student motivational dynamics contributed to the accurate prediction of 77.5% of the participants' group membership in either SEI or bilingual education. ELLs in bilingual education had higher perceptions of scholastic competence than ELLs in SEI (d = .54). Four types of dispositions toward school, Pride in Achieving, Participation and Belonging, Literacy, and Math, were higher for ELLs in bilingual education than for ELLs in SEI. Contrary to the hypothesized results, however, there were no differences in the Rigid and Right disposition between ELLs in SEI and bilingual education. In reference to motivation, scores on Disengaged and Distracting were higher for ELLs in SEI (Arizona) than for ELLs in bilingual programs (Texas). However, contrary to the hypotheses, Good Worker/Engaged Learner, and Struggling and Persistent were higher for ELLs in SEI than for ELLs in bilingual programs. I conclude by discussing the potential impact of differing educational policies and reform efforts on the belief systems of ELLs, their parents, and teachers.

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<p> Five years ago, the author began a second career as a teacher in a small Wyoming town with a diverse student population. The beginning of her career coincided with a change in the demographics to include a large number of English Language Learners (ELs) and the imposition of sanctions from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) for being a failing school. The author collected, analyzed, and used summative and formative data in an effort to differentiate for all students. She went on home visits to build trust in the local community, co-planned and participated in work teams to further local curriculum, and conducted multiple rounds of extensive action research projects. False starts, circular paths, crushed dreams, and just plain exhaustion led to the development of a seed idea and the journey that follows, a yearlong project-based thesis, exploring how one classroom teacher could harness the power of an engaged community to supplement curriculum, motivate students, and instill a joy of learning. The focus of this thesis was derived from the following question: How might a community partnership of diverse agencies and leaders focused on education to foment radical change in public education, be founded and flourish?</p>

In recent years, more groups have been moving from location to location as technological advancements, economic interconnections, and interdependence among nation states have made this movement easier. Within this new environment, identities and nation state affiliations are in flux. These movements have also influenced the process of education. National education systems have been partially globalized through student and teacher mobility, deterritorializing of academic institutions, widespread policy borrowing, teaching English as a foreign/second language, and attempts to enhance the global dimension of curricula at secondary and post-secondary levels. The present study examines the Japanese Brazilian transnational community in Japan to determine whether a case for strong forms of bilingual education can be made in the context of linguistic human rights under Article 27 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Even though, the Japanese government ratified the Covenant in 1979, it has not been properly addressing the issue of bilingualism for linguistic minorities within Japanese society. Therefore, this study uses a general qualitative approach to offer explanations for the current sociohistorical and ethnolinguistic situation facing Japanese Brazilians in Japan. A critical cultural meta-ethnography was chosen for this investigation as it aims to provide an interpretive synthesis of qualitative research and other secondary sources. The contextual situation is explored to understand the development of Japanese Brazilians position both in Japan and in Brazil. First, I explain the development of the concepts linguistic human rights and "Japaneseness" as a racial group. Next, I examine the social, historical, and ethnolinguistic positions of Japan's ethnic and immigrant minorities and the position of their language in the Japanese public educational system in order to consider possible modes of action for educating Japanese Brazilian children. Then, I analyze governmental policies at the national and at the local levels to understand what the government has done to address the issue. I then explore possible grassroots movements' models both within Japan and in other parts of the world in order to make recommendations for language education for Japanese Brazilian children. Finally, I investigate areas for possible future studies.

<p> In this qualitative explanatory single case study, community of practice and positioning theory were used to examine the perceptions of Chinese English teachers (CETs) concerning foreign English teachers (FETs) in a bilingual primary school in an urban environment in East China. The problem in this study was the difficulty of CETs and FETs to work harmoniously to teach English in Chinese primary schools. Specifically, the research questions were a) what are the Chinese English teachers&rsquo; perceptions of barriers to collaborating with foreign English teachers? and b) What are the Chinese English teachers&rsquo; perceptions regarding the contributions of the foreign English teachers in relation to English language teaching? At this school, each Chinese teacher was paired up with a foreign teacher as co-teaching dyad with shared responsibility. After conducting interviews with seven Chinese English teachers at the school, the interview transcripts were coded using values coding methods and descriptive coding. After compiling the data, six themes emerged relative to the research questions. Concerning barriers to collaboration, the Chinese English teachers mentioned noticeable differences in the dedication to teaching, a lack of solidarity between the two groups, and problems with the administration of the school. Contributions of the foreign teachers were providing cultural context, different approaches in teaching and working with the students, and native speaker model. From these results, it was recommended that foreign teachers need to demonstrate their desire to teach in better ways to their Chinese coworkers. Additionally, school administration must provide more direct leadership so that teachers can know what is expected of them concerning how to work together with the other teachers.</p><p>

abstract: This empirical study aims to identify and analyze the accumulated literacies and multilingual repertoires of three Karenni refugee families originally from the highlands of Burma but who had lived in refugee camps in Thailand before arriving in Phoenix, Arizona. Through participant observation in the families' households and neighborhood, artifact collection, and individual and group interviews, I observe, document, and examine the everyday literacy practices of these three families in order to understand how these literacies are used to foster new understandings and social networks while maintaining transnational connections. The data analysis demonstrates that there are similarities and differences between the literacy practices and language choices of the sixteen individuals who participated and that there are significant differences across generations as well as across the three families. The findings shed light on the complicated relationship between migration and language learning, ideologies of language, literacy practices, and various modes of communication (face-to-face and digital). Building on a long tradition of ethnographic work that examines language learning and literacy in relation to educational access and opportunity, this research is relevant to educational researchers, policy makers, and teachers who are committed to rethinking what counts as literacy, for whom, in what contexts, and with what kinds of consequences. In a time of increased movement of people across borders, and increased use of information and communication technologies, this investigation has important implications for teacher preparation, theories of language learning and literacy development, and educational research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

<p> Schools in the United States have more students who are English learners (ELs) than at any point in recent decades. Academic performance for these students, as measured by standardized tests, falls below that of their native English-speaking peers and, on some measures, is not making the sorts of gains that other groups appear to be making. Of the various program delivery models for ELs found in schools in the U.S., dual language has received a great deal of attention and interest in recent years due to some impressive long-term student achievement results. There is a great deal of research regarding the effectiveness of dual language and practices that have been shown to support that effectiveness. However, there is little in the research focusing on the perspective of dual language principals and listening to their voices. </p><p> This qualitative study involving interviews of 15 elementary principals of dual language schools in the Eastern United States region was focused on understanding their experience as they contextualized best practices to meet the needs of their specific student population. The study drew on conceptual frameworks of transformative leadership theory, Fowler&rsquo;s initiative implementation, and Cummins&rsquo;s interdependence hypothesis. </p><p> Analysis of the interview data revealed that dual language principals frequently found themselves playing a balancing act between two groups of people within their school. Another finding was that the dual language principal&rsquo;s responsibilities are more complex than those of their colleagues in more traditional elementary schools. It was also learned that dual language best practices are generally followed faithfully. The final finding was that, despite the extra complications, dual language principals find the rewards to be worth the extra effort. The study reveals that dual language programs offer a powerful vehicle for transformative leaders to build community across language and culture. </p><p> Implications for policy include recommendations for school systems to coordinate efforts to find qualified bilingual staff and appropriate bilingual materials. Future research is suggested to explore the perceptions that different language and cultural parent groups have about dual language. Several implications are outlined for practice, including creating meaningful and purposeful cross-cultural experiences for students and parents.</p><p>