This study focused on emerging bilingual students in an urban elementary
bilingual classroom. Schools and teachers play a fundamental role in emerging bilingual
children’s language acquisition and academic preparation. Emerging bilinguals currently
enrolled in U.S. schools must learn a new academic language and academic content in a
climate marked by standards-based reform and anti-immigrant sentiment. Utilizing case
study methodology, this investigation explored the ways in which emerging bilinguals
and their teacher co-constructed literacy practices and the connection between literacy
practices and identity. Microanalysis of discourse was performed on data collected during
literacy practices to examine positionings, the ways people present themselves in a
situation. Data included field notes from classroom observations, audio and video
recordings, teacher and student interviews, and artifacts in the form of student work and
district and curriculum documents.
Participants engaged in a wide variety of literacy practices utilizing material
resources of the classroom, their teacher, their emerging bilingual abilities, and prior
experiences both in and out of the classroom as resources to construct meaning from
texts. Literacy practices were characterized by high expectations for student achievement
and group membership, the development of students’ linguistic and cultural knowledge,
building students’ self-efficacy related to literacy, and affirmation of participants’
bilingual/bicultural identities. Students demonstrated several positionings during literacy
practices. Analysis of these positioning suggested that their identities were shaped by
their participation in literacy practices and their interactions with other members of this
community of practice.
The community of practice that participants co-constructed was characterized by a
focus on inclusivity, purposeful opening of interactional spaces, expanding repertoires of
practice, and caring.
Results of this study suggested that teacher and student disposition and affect can
be taught, which raised questions about the current focus on only knowledge and skills in
teacher education programs rather on teacher disposition and affect. There are also
implications for teachers and researchers who have an interest in communities of practice
and effectively educating emerging bilingual students. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/ETD-UT-2012-05-5258 |
| Date | 05 July 2012 |
| Creators | Lynch, Anissa Wicktor |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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