This study was designed to provide an in-depth examination of biliteracy development among students in a bilingual, second and third grade classroom over the course of one academic year. Biliteracy refers to children's literate competencies in two languages. This qualitative study focused on understanding biliteracy among children who were already bilingual in English and Spanish, and those who were monolingual in English. The three basic questions guiding this study are the following: (1) Can children become biliterate in this setting? (2) What kinds of classroom cultural practices foster biliteracy development? and (3) What are the theoretical and practical implications of these dual literacy practices for the development of a biliterate pedagogy? Three case studies of students provide insights into the processes of dual literacy learning. These case studies highlight significant aspects of each student's developing biliteracy, and are intended to demonstrate that there are multiple paths to and contexts for biliteracy development in English and Spanish. The results of this inquiry suggest that biliteracy development in classrooms is feasible, but that teachers and students must create "additive" conditions for learning that make both languages "unmarked" for classroom work. The study provides insights into the relationships between student characteristics and classroom dynamics, the specific contexts, processes, and content of English-Spanish biliteracy within the classroom. This study also raises issues for further research and pedagogy in this important but neglected area of study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/282273 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Dworin, Joel Edward |
| Contributors | Moll, Luis C. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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