Experienced bilingual dual language elementary teachers and the reproduction of monoglossic ideology

ABSTRACT

Mainstream teachers’ views of emergent bilingual students have been well documented, but less is known about how bilingual dual language teachers understand bilingualism and their subsequent expectations of students based on those understandings. We used thematic analysis of focus group conversations to investigate and present the views of eight experienced bilingual dual language elementary teachers at two different schools. Drawing on social capital theory and the notion of the white listening subject, we found that despite teachers’ overwhelming belief in the importance of bilingualism and their desire for their students to develop bilingual abilities, they served as strict gatekeepers, reproducing monoglossic views of bilingualism leading to a deficit perspective that precluded seeing students’ multiple bilingual realities as strengths. The paper concludes with critical questions for various educational stakeholders as well as recommendations for teacher education and dual language education.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. Ms. K is the only educator in the study who identified as American but grew up in Latin America (Mexico and Colombia). According to her, living outside of the United States gave her the “opportunity to be bilingual–fully bilingual” (personal communication, December 18, 2018). She had taught in Colombia and in the U.S. in several settings including Montessori and the private sector.

2. Students at the beginning stages of learning English.

3. Exceptional Student Education. This term technically refers to the spectrum of special education and gifted, but is often used to only mean students receiving special education services, which was the case here.

4. Los zapaticos de rosa by José Martí.