Abstract
The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the social identity of language minority students in the secondary U.S. schools through the lens of critical theory (Freire, 2000; Pennycook, 2001) and post structuralism (Bourdieu, 1977, 1986, 1991; Norton 1997; Weedon, 1987), through which to find ways to empower the English language learners in the U.S. educational institutions. Main research question was “How do the school environment, family and community influence the social identity of LEP students in a U.S. high school?” Sub-questions were (1) What problems do LEP students have in their daily school life? (2) What is the nature of the ESOL program at this particular high school? (3) What are the mainstream teachers’ attitudes toward LEP inclusion? (4) How do LEP students interact and communicate with their teachers and classmates? (5) Who are the LEP students in their family and community? This eight-month-long ethnographic case study integrating observation, interviews, and a review of the school’s archival records focused on the
classroom interactions of the language minority students within the content area classes as well as ESOL tutoring sessions and other social elements that surround three Chinese-speaking focal students.
Six major problems that the LEP students experienced in and out of the school every day due to their limited English proficiency were identified through this research, which could be briefly explained as (1) loss of information, (2) names not easy to remember, (3) implicit directions hard to understand, (4) wrong labeling, (5) lower grade or classes and (6) being exposed to teasing from English speaking classmates. ESOL program and ESOL teacher at the school kept low status in the school society. As for attitudes of classroom teachers, they could be categorized into three, (1) accusing, (2) naïve, and (3) empowering teachers. Findings of this study will provide ESL policy makers and public school teachers’ deeper understanding of the LEP students and a chance to reconsider educational approaches toward them.
|
