Cultural Capital in Early Childhood Education: An Ethnographic Study of Young Asian Multilingual Children with Disabilities and their Families in the United States

Abstract

Currently, there is limited research that centers the perspectives of young multilingual children labeled with disabilities and their families and even more limited research focused on young, Asian, multilingual children labeled with disabilities. Thus, there is a need to further explore the experiences of these children, their families, and their communities and frame this work using asset-based perspectives that account for their intersectional identities. The study explored how young Asian Children identified with disabilities demonstrate and leverage Community Cultural Wealth (CCW, Yosso 2005) and other forms of cultural capital in their meaning making and the practices and perspectives of their families that build on or extend the CCW theory. This study used ethnographic data sources including interviews, home visit/community visit observations, photo sharing/photo elicitation, and artifacts. Participants in the study were three young Asian/ Asian American bi/multilingual children identified with disabilities and their families. The findings were organized into six key areas: (a) Embracing of Asian Cultural Identity, (b) School Placement: Parents’ Advocacy for Inclusion, (c) Social Isolation and Inclusion Challenges, (d) Parents’ Strengths-Based Perspectives on Disability, (e) Artistic Expression, and (f) Motivation and Drive for High Standards and Excellence. The findings of this study aimed to highlight the importance of valuing young Asian multilingual children as worthy and capable and providing learning experiences that convey faith in their potential to succeed.