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Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2009

Selected Works

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

Ethnography

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Education

Korean American Cultural Differences In Classroom Literacy Activities: Observations From An Ethnographic Case Study., Heriberto Godina Phd, Jeonghee Choi Phd Jan 2009

Korean American Cultural Differences In Classroom Literacy Activities: Observations From An Ethnographic Case Study., Heriberto Godina Phd, Jeonghee Choi Phd

Heriberto Godina PhD

This study explores teacher-student perceptions about cultural differences and their influence upon classroom literacy activities. An ethnographic case method focuses on a Korean American student. Secondary participants include a parent, teacher, and classmates in a white Midwestern community. The study accentuates the generalizable discourse that neglects the complexity inherent to intercultural relationships in a changing elementary classroom. Implications include how multicultural children’s literature deemed appropriate for minorities can be problematically situated for effective instruction.


When Is A Student An English Learner?: An Ethnographic Account Of When Students And Educators Invoke The Institutional Identity "English Language Learner", Leena Her Dec 2008

When Is A Student An English Learner?: An Ethnographic Account Of When Students And Educators Invoke The Institutional Identity "English Language Learner", Leena Her

Leena N. Her

This article complicates the articulation of the achievement gap between native English speakers and English learners (ELs) as a problem rooted in English language proficiency. I challenge the institutional and popular imagination that 5.1 million ELs in the United States are "limited in English proficiency" and whose performance in school can be attributed to limited English proficiency. This argument is drawn from eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in a northern California High School where students identified as ELs were not a homogeneous-ability group with similar language needs. Yet there were occasions when educators echoed the concerns of education reformers and …