Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York

Although multilingualism is a major issue in educational policies, especially in states hosting a high number of newcomer immigrant students, there is limited research exploring the experiences of a multilingual group of newcomer students and how they use language in schools. This article draws on 1...

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Main Authors: S. Garnett Russell, Camille Fabo, Victoria Jones, Arnela Colic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/11/601
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author S. Garnett Russell
Camille Fabo
Victoria Jones
Arnela Colic
author_facet S. Garnett Russell
Camille Fabo
Victoria Jones
Arnela Colic
author_sort S. Garnett Russell
collection DOAJ
description Although multilingualism is a major issue in educational policies, especially in states hosting a high number of newcomer immigrant students, there is limited research exploring the experiences of a multilingual group of newcomer students and how they use language in schools. This article draws on 112 interviews with students from an immigrant background across four high schools in Arizona and New York. We illuminate the role of language in shaping identity and inclusion. Through conceptualizing power and language ideology, we find that language ideologies and practices shape the perception of students’ social interactions in school settings. Our findings also indicate that teachers’ practices and school policies surrounding language(s) have the potential to affect how students view language in relation to their own identity and via social interactions. We contribute to an understanding of how language policies and ideologies shape the experiences and power dynamics of diverse, multilingual, immigrant-origin students.
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spelling doaj-art-8fb52c3c1d1641d8906df8e48d0857c12025-08-20T01:53:58ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602024-11-01131160110.3390/socsci13110601Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New YorkS. Garnett Russell0Camille Fabo1Victoria Jones2Arnela Colic3Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USATeachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USATeachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USATeachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USAAlthough multilingualism is a major issue in educational policies, especially in states hosting a high number of newcomer immigrant students, there is limited research exploring the experiences of a multilingual group of newcomer students and how they use language in schools. This article draws on 112 interviews with students from an immigrant background across four high schools in Arizona and New York. We illuminate the role of language in shaping identity and inclusion. Through conceptualizing power and language ideology, we find that language ideologies and practices shape the perception of students’ social interactions in school settings. Our findings also indicate that teachers’ practices and school policies surrounding language(s) have the potential to affect how students view language in relation to their own identity and via social interactions. We contribute to an understanding of how language policies and ideologies shape the experiences and power dynamics of diverse, multilingual, immigrant-origin students.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/11/601language policylanguage ideologiesimmigration/migrationnewcomersrefugees
spellingShingle S. Garnett Russell
Camille Fabo
Victoria Jones
Arnela Colic
Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
Social Sciences
language policy
language ideologies
immigration/migration
newcomers
refugees
title Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
title_full Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
title_fullStr Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
title_full_unstemmed Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
title_short Language Policies and Ideologies for Socialization and Identity-Building in U.S. Schools: The Case of Newcomer and Refugee Students in Arizona and New York
title_sort language policies and ideologies for socialization and identity building in u s schools the case of newcomer and refugee students in arizona and new york
topic language policy
language ideologies
immigration/migration
newcomers
refugees
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/11/601
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