Tracing Shifts in the Language Ideologies of Latina Dual Language Elementary Teacher Candidates: Narratives of Disruption

Abstract

This dissertation investigates shifts in the languages ideologies of four Latina English-Spanish dual language teacher candidates (DLTCs) over four quarters in a Teacher Education Program (TEP) and bilingual endorsement. The goal was to determine whether any ideological shifts aligned with the goals of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) or continued to perpetuate the hegemony of the English language. Research on language ideologies has shown that both DL teachers and DLTCs enact multiple and, at times, conflicting language ideologies in educational settings. However, shifts in the DLTCs’ language ideologies over time have been understudied and not much is known about how TEPs, field placements and other aspects of context impact their language ideologies. This gap is consequential because a shift in the DLTCs’ language ideologies toward alignment with the goals of DLBE could be an indicator of their becoming critically conscious educators committed to the disruption of inequities. Data sources include semi-structured interviews, focus group sessions, observations and written documents. Findings across the three papers showed that the DLTCs’ followed individual, non-linear trajectories that sustained the development of language ideologies that promoted equity-oriented views about multilingualism and multilingual speakers in DLBE, although they also exposed conflicting views, at times. This research draws attention to aspects of Latina DLTCs’ academic and non-academic experiences which may play a part in shaping their language ideologies, and may inform opportunities to take up language ideologies in TEPs and schools to disrupt dominant views about language and further equity for racially and linguistically minoritized students.