Melting Pot Kindergarten: The Effect of Linguistic Diversity in Early Education

This article explores how racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity are addressed in secondary English curriculum policy in Massachusetts, U.S.A. Data are analyzed through theories of the sociology of knowledge and the myth of the United States melting pot. Analysis revealed that curriculum policy privileged Eurocentric literature and the English language and adhered to a melting pot ideology. The article considers how the international educational policy movement toward post-standardization may afford greater responsiveness to diversity.

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Multilingual children with hearing loss: Factors contributing to language use at home and in early education

Child Language Teaching and Therapy ◽

10.1177/0265659012467640 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 111-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Kathryn Crowe ◽

David H McKinnon ◽

Sharynne McLeod ◽

Teresa YC Ching

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Language Use ◽

Linguistic Diversity ◽

Early Education ◽

Educational Expectations ◽

Communication Mode ◽

Chaid Analysis ◽

Education Environment ◽

Children With Hearing Loss ◽

At Home

Understanding the relationship between children’s cultural and linguistic diversity and child, caregiver, and environmental characteristics is important to ensure appropriate educational expectations and provisions. As part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study, children’s caregivers and educators completed questionnaires on demographic characteristics, including the communication mode (oral, manual, or mixed) and languages used in home and early educational environments. This article reports an exploratory analysis to examine factors associated with language use and communication mode of children at 3 years of age. A Chi Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis was performed on data from 406 children to examine factors influencing communication mode and oral language use. The factor that most influenced children’s communication mode at home was the communication mode used by their female caregiver. Children’s communication mode in their early education environment was most related to the communication mode they used at home, and then related to the presence of additional needs in the children, female caregivers’ level of education and the male caregivers’ use of languages other than English (LOTEs). A second exploratory CHAID analysis of data for children from multilingual families ( n = 106) indicated that female caregivers’ use of English at home significantly influenced whether children used a LOTE at home. Finally, the use of a LOTE at home was associated with the use of a LOTE in the early education environment. These findings serve as an initial description of the factors that were associated with the communication mode and language use of children with hearing loss.

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American Speech-Language Pathologists' Training and Legislative Knowledge When Working With Immigrant and Refugee Populations: A Qualitative Study

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_pers-sig17-2019-0028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 1148-1161

Author(s):

Camilo Maldonado ◽

Alejandro Ashe ◽

Kerri Bubar ◽

Jessica Chapman

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Service Provision ◽

Limited English Proficiency ◽

Linguistic Diversity ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Federal Mandates ◽

Refugee Families ◽

Provision Of Services ◽

English Speaking ◽

Immigrant And Refugee

Background American educational legislation suggests culturally competent speech and language services should be provided in a child's native language, but the number of multilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is negligible. Consequently, many monolingual English-speaking practitioners are being tasked with providing services to these populations. This requires that SLPs are educated about cultural and linguistic diversity as well as the legislation that concerns service provision to non-English or limited English proficiency speakers. Purpose This qualitative study explored the experiences of monolingual, American, English-speaking SLPs and clinical fellows who have worked with immigrant and refugee families within a preschool context. It investigated what training SLPs received to serve this population and what knowledge these SLPs possessed with regard to federal legislation governing the provision of services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) communities. Method Ten American clinicians with experience treating CLD children of refugee and immigrant families in the context of preschool service provision participated in the study. Semistructured interviews were utilized to better understand the type of training clinicians received prior to and during their service delivery for CLD populations. Additionally, questions were asked to explore the degree to which practitioners understood federal mandates for ethical and effective service provision. The data collected from these interviews were coded and analyzed using the principles of grounded theory. Findings The results of this study revealed that there was a general sense of unpreparedness when working with CLD clients. This lack of training also attributed to a deficiency of knowledge surrounding legislation governing service provision to CLD populations.

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Accent Policy and Accent Modification Enterprises as Potential Indicators of Intercultural Power Relations: A Call for an Updated Research Agenda

Perspectives on Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders ◽

10.1044/gics3.1.22 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 22-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brynne D. Ovalle ◽

Rahul Chakraborty

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Identity Construction ◽

Social Theory ◽

Power Relations ◽

Linguistic Diversity ◽

Cultural Organization ◽

Using Data ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

This article has two purposes: (a) to examine the relationship between intercultural power relations and the widespread practice of accent discrimination and (b) to underscore the ramifications of accent discrimination both for the individual and for global society as a whole. First, authors review social theory regarding language and group identity construction, and then go on to integrate more current studies linking accent bias to sociocultural variables. Authors discuss three examples of intercultural accent discrimination in order to illustrate how this link manifests itself in the broader context of international relations (i.e., how accent discrimination is generated in situations of unequal power) and, using a review of current research, assess the consequences of accent discrimination for the individual. Finally, the article highlights the impact that linguistic discrimination is having on linguistic diversity globally, partially using data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and partially by offering a potential context for interpreting the emergence of practices that seek to reduce or modify speaker accents.

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Speech-Language Assessment Considerations for American Indian and Alaska Native Children Who Are Dual Language Learners

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig14.29 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (14) ◽

pp. 29-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christine Vining ◽

Edgarita Long ◽

Ella Inglebret ◽

Megan Brendal

Keyword(s):

American Indian ◽

Language Learners ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Dual Language ◽

Linguistic Diversity ◽

Critical Role ◽

Language Assessment ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Dual Language Learners ◽

Native Communities

The overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in special education, including children who are dual language learners (DLLs), is a major concern. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play a critical role in reducing this overrepresentation. Using a holistic assessment process that is responsive to the communication patterns of home and community contexts provides a framework for distinguishing actual language disorders from differences associated with cultural and linguistic diversity. This article presents current trends in Native communities that may impact the speech-language assessment process, including a shift from indigenous languages to English and/or Native language revitalization efforts. It also provides a framework for guiding assessment in a manner that considers cultural and linguistic factors in speech-language assessment for AI/AN children who are DLLs.

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