Competing Language Ideologies in a Bilingual/Bicultural After-School Program in Southern California

Abstract

This article looks at the competing language ideologies that preschool children negotiate in Mi Clase Mágica (MCM), a Spanish–English bilingual/bicultural after-school program in San Diego. It examines children's language choice in interactions with peers and adults taking place at computer and tareas (homework) activities. Data comes from long-term participant observation; audio- and videotaping; field notes by adult participants; and interviews with MCM coordinators, volunteer mothers, and schoolteachers. Findings indicate that MCM children are processing competing language frameworks from home and school and revealing emergent language ideologies in their daily interactions with peers and adults. The study reveals the complexity of Latino children's language choices in informal educational settings and draws implications for pedagogical practices in multilingual classrooms.

Key words:

• language ideology
• language socialization
• Latino education