A critical study of language minority students' participation in language communities in the Korean context

Abstract

In South Korea, Damunwha students (students from multicultural family backgrounds) have difficulties at school because of others' derogatory perception of them and the different linguistic and cultural settings. In light of this issue, this paper addresses the Damunwha students' identities and participation within the language communities from a community of practice perspective and a critical pedagogy perspective. Four students (two from international marriage families and two from immigrant workers' families), their teachers, and their supervisors participated in the study from March to April 2013. The findings suggest that Damunwha students' participation in Korean society depends on their resources, others' perception of the participants' identities, and cultural capital. The findings show that students are losing their connection with their first language communities and that their linguistic resources and cultural diversity are undervalued. The study implies that cultural sensitivity should be promoted and that explicit support for Damunwha students is needed.

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