Emergent Bilinguals in YPAR: Agency, Engagement, Translanguaging and Relationships
Item
Title
Emergent Bilinguals in YPAR: Agency, Engagement, Translanguaging and Relationships
Abstract/Description
This phenomenological case study of emergent bilingual Latinx students in a suburban public high school district examined engagement and language use in a Youth Participatory Action Research curricular unit. This contrasts with more typical remediated learning experiences, which often result in disengagement, failure and dropout (Callahan, 2013; Menken, 2008; Scown, 2018).
YPAR is an effective approach for increasing engagement through the validation of student knowledge, the inclusion of authentic learning, and the promotion of student agency (Cammarota and Fine, 2008; Mirra, Garcia and Morrell, 2016; Ozer & Wright, 2012). Translanguaging promotes student voice by validating student linguistic knowledge and providing a space where students are permitted to use their complete linguistic repertoires (Canagarajah, 2015; Garcia, 2017). For emergent bilingual Latinx students, traditional classrooms limit linguistic agency of students by prescribing the use of English and discouraging the use of Spanish, thus denying student voice and agency. This study sought to explore student experiences in a YPAR context where students had access to their complete linguistic repertoires.
Research findings indicated that student choice of topic promoted engagement. While students took more active roles than in other settings, agency fluctuated from students to adults in YPAR program activities. YPAR created an environment of linguistic agency, and students engaged in translanguaging primarily to negotiate meaning. Students also experienced increased interactions with teachers and peers, resulting in an enhanced sense of belonging to the school community. While the majority of students demonstrated high engagement and experienced academic success, during the yearlong program several students experienced failure and dropout, due to challenges including poverty, trauma and family separation.
Implications for school districts include the importance of providing programs of inquiry and agency for youth that validate prior experiences and knowledge. Additional implications point to the need for language policies that permit the use of home languages in school settings, as well as the detrimental effects of high-stakes accountability guidelines in providing high-quality educational experiences for students of color.
YPAR is an effective approach for increasing engagement through the validation of student knowledge, the inclusion of authentic learning, and the promotion of student agency (Cammarota and Fine, 2008; Mirra, Garcia and Morrell, 2016; Ozer & Wright, 2012). Translanguaging promotes student voice by validating student linguistic knowledge and providing a space where students are permitted to use their complete linguistic repertoires (Canagarajah, 2015; Garcia, 2017). For emergent bilingual Latinx students, traditional classrooms limit linguistic agency of students by prescribing the use of English and discouraging the use of Spanish, thus denying student voice and agency. This study sought to explore student experiences in a YPAR context where students had access to their complete linguistic repertoires.
Research findings indicated that student choice of topic promoted engagement. While students took more active roles than in other settings, agency fluctuated from students to adults in YPAR program activities. YPAR created an environment of linguistic agency, and students engaged in translanguaging primarily to negotiate meaning. Students also experienced increased interactions with teachers and peers, resulting in an enhanced sense of belonging to the school community. While the majority of students demonstrated high engagement and experienced academic success, during the yearlong program several students experienced failure and dropout, due to challenges including poverty, trauma and family separation.
Implications for school districts include the importance of providing programs of inquiry and agency for youth that validate prior experiences and knowledge. Additional implications point to the need for language policies that permit the use of home languages in school settings, as well as the detrimental effects of high-stakes accountability guidelines in providing high-quality educational experiences for students of color.
Author/creator
Date
Institution
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, School of Graduate Studies
Committee
Rubin, Beth C.
Mirra, Nicole
Mangual Figueroa, Ariana
Negrin, JoAnne
Resource type
Research/Scholarly Media
Resource status/form
Thesis/Dissertation
Scholarship genre
Empirical
Keywords
IRE Approach/Concept
Open access/full-text available
Yes
Peer reviewed
No
ISBN
9798662439146
URL
Citation
Arredondo, L. M. (2020). Emergent Bilinguals in YPAR: Agency, Engagement, Translanguaging and Relationships [Ed.D., Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, School of Graduate Studies]. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations/docview/2431765613/abstract/B8F006AC8B446CBPQ/55
Num pages
225
Rights
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
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