Term
Summer 2024
Capstone
Thesis
Degree Name
MA-TESOL
Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair
Michelle Benegas
Abstract
As the number of multilingual students in classrooms grows, research suggests the positive effects of encouraging growth in both English and students’ home language(s). Many researchers have addressed how multilingualism is perceived in the classroom from the perspective of teachers and administrators, however there is a lack of information from the student perspective. This research aims to address this gap through discussing multilingual students’ perceptions of their home languages using Ruíz’s (1984) language orientations. Participants for this study included 14 English learners in ninth grade at an urban high school. Two data points were collected and analyzed, student journals and student interviews. Both discussed students’ perceptions of their home languages in the school setting through prompted conversation about language-as-a-right, language-as-a-problem, and language-as-a-resource orientations. Research found that students viewed language-as-a-right when their families were not communicated with in their home language(s). Students viewed language-as-a-problem when they experienced pressure to speak English. Students viewed language-as-a-resource when they used their multilingualism to support peers. Using these findings, recommendations were given to teachers, families and administrators as to how to create an environment which encourages multilingualism.
Recommended Citation
Breen, Sophie, "Multilingual Learners’ Perceptions of their Home Languages Using Ruíz’s Language Orientations" (2024). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4609.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4609
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations