Browsing by Author "Bajt, Allison"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    “Our Beautiful Family”: A study of English Language Learners’ dual language identity texts and linguistic identity in a family literacy program
    (2019-01-11) Bajt, Allison; O'Brien, Mary Grantham; Dressler, Roswita; George, Angela
    This study investigates how three families characterize their linguistic identity while co-authoring dual language identity texts in Arabic and English. As a community-engaged research project, it also seeks to determine how facilitators of family literacy programs can use dual language identity texts to better address the learning needs of both young and adult learners. The Linguistic Portrait Silhouette task provides insights concerning how children and parents relate to their languages in terms of expertise, affiliation and inheritance. The findings suggest that the participants are in the process of constructing an identity as Arabic and English speakers and point to the importance of children’s school experiences and contextual factors (i.e., being a primary caregiver), in shaping their identity. Lastly, interview data indicate that such projects can increase the personal relevance of learning tasks, promote accountability, address issues of accessibility for newcomers, encourage collaboration, and provide a tool for documenting families’ growth.