Kindergarteners’ perceptions of belonging and inclusion in a two-way immersion classroom

ABSTRACT

Little systematic attention has been paid toward belonging for young children, particularly in contexts of diversity that are regularly part of school settings. Two-Way immersion (TWI) programs provide one educational context ideally suited for exploring the constructs of belonging and inclusion in linguistically and culturally diverse settings. This study explores how kindergarteners articulate a sense of belonging in a socio-linguistically diverse international Two-Way immersion school. Focus groups were conducted with kindergarteners about what they would need to fit in and belong. Findings reveal that these kindergarteners recognize the utility of language but do not segregate peers by language group. Language proficiencies were articulated as a procedure for being able to ‘do school.’ They appear to experience language diversity as a ‘de facto’ context and something to manage procedurally. Comments on friendship-making also express the importance of conforming to concrete social interpersonal norms; friendship as compliance to social norms and procedures of asking someone to be your friend and being nice. A consideration of inclusion as the negotiation of belonging in this diverse context allows us to consider the specific ideas and solutions of these kindergarteners as a shared project of belonging in which they all work to enact inclusion. (250)

KEYWORDS:

• Belonging
• inclusive education
• kindergarten
• international school
• bilingualism
• Two-Way immersion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the BYU McKay School of Education with a Small MSE Research Grant

Notes on contributors

Erin Feinauer Whiting

Erin Feinauer Whiting earned a PhD in Rural Sociology with an emphasis on community development and social inequalities. She works as Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Brigham Young University, where she is responsible for teaching multicultural education for secondary education majors as well as graduate courses related to socio-cultural aspects of knowledge and schooling. Her research focuses on understanding and alleviating social inequalities including a focus on school community and organization for the inclusion of all students. As part of this work, she developed a Simple School Belonging Scale (SSBS) as a unidimensional measure of student belonging in school communities. Her work has examined many aspects of equity and belonging in schools including an emphasis on cultural and emotional geographies, emotional performances for belonging, and the socio-political forces implicated in teaching and learning. She has published several research projects examining cultural learning and community cohesion in two-way immersion schools and dual language programs. She has also studied the complexities of teaching a critical multicultural teacher education and what leads to changes in perspectives and dispositional development of social justice practices through emotional work.

Erika Feinauer

Dr. Erika Feinauer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education in the McKay School of Education at Brigham Young University. Her academic research focuses on the language and literacy development of young bilingual students and the role of identity and agency in these processes. Much of Dr. Feinauer’s research has been carried out in the context of Dual Language Education programs. She has investigated the parent communities of these programs and has also focused on the linguistic and academic outcomes of students who attend DLE schools. Recently, Dr. Feinauer has been looking at the social networks of young children in Dual Language classrooms, investigating how these networks are leveraged for language learning, social interactions, and identity processes. Dr. Feinauer also researches the preparation of in-service teachers to work with language-minority students in their classrooms.

Sionelle Nicole Beller

Sionelle Beller completed her master’s degree in teacher education at BYU in 2018. She has worked in early childhood education for many years and currently teaches 2nd grade. She loves working with teachers and administrators at all levels to consider the social and emotional needs of children in school.

Elizabeth R. Howard

Elizabeth R. Howard is an associate professor of bilingual education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where she teaches graduate courses on linguistic and cultural diversity and conducts research focusing on dual language education, biliteracy development, and the preparation of teachers to work with multilingual learners. She is currently the principal investigator of a federally funded grant investigating the development of sociocultural competence in dual language programs and its role in equitable bilingualism and biliteracy attainment. Her books include Realizing the vision of two-way immersion: Fostering effective programs and classrooms, Preparing classroom teachers to succeed with second language learners, and Culturally and linguistically responsive education: Designing networks that transform schools. She is also the lead author of a number of professional resources for dual language educators, including Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, the Dual Language Program Planner, the Two-Way Immersion Toolkit, and the Two-Way Immersion Observation Protocol (the Dual Language SIOP).