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Title:
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On the Same Floor: A sociolinguistic study of a two-way bilingual program
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Author:
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Joyce Blanchette
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Email:
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click here to access email
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Degree Awarded:
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City University of New York
, Linguistics Program
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Degree Date:
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1994
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Linguistic Subfield(s):
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Applied Linguistics
Sociolinguistics
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Subject Language(s):
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English
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Director(s):
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Ricardo Otheguy
Edward Bendix
William Stewart
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Abstract:
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In the United States, English is the dominant language and the language of education. Inclusion of minority languages in public education has usually been in the form of transitional bilingual programs in which the minority language is used for a limited time. Transition programs have been unevenly implemented and equated with compensatory education, to the point that many parents do not consider these programs desirable.
This dissertation is a sociolinguistic study of a two-way bilingual program (English/Spanish) in a New York City elementary school. This model represents a significant departure from earlier ones. The goal of the program (Dual Language, or DLP)is for participants to develop complex language skills and to learn content through both languages. All parents choose a bilingual or a monolingual English program (MP)when children enroll in the school.
The study uses qualitative research methods, including long-term participant observation, interviews, and a survey of a total of 90 parents from the two programs. The survey was designed with the cooperation of parents and teachers.
We discovered that the language attitudes and preferences of parents more strongly correlate with the decision to choose the DLP than do characteristics such as ethnicity and social class. The two groups studied do not differ significantly on demographic variables, but do diffejr markedly in attitudes aboutlanguage preference in the home, the role of English and other languages in the classroom, and whether English should be the official language of the United States.
This in-depth study demonstrates how one bilingual program has been created and shaped to meet community needs. The phrase 'on the same floor' has two meanings. It refers to the fact that both DLP and MP classrooms can be found throughout the school, and it also means that the DLP philosophy promotes a pluralism in which all languages and cultures are considered important. This view encourages the development of different languages and cultural awareness in all children. DLP parents of different ethnic backgrounds hold this pluralistic view to a greater degree than do MP parents in the same school.
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Page Updated: 29-Nov-2009
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