“We Do Speak Spanish … But I Do Have More Expectations for English Language Skills”: Teacher’s Classroom Language Ideologies and Bilingual Classroom Practices in Mainstream English-Instruction Early Childhood Education Classrooms

Abstract

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ language ideologies, or their beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge toward the use of a language, play an important role in determining the quality of their classroom practices. Yet, we know very little about ECE teachers’ language ideologies within mainstream English-instruction classrooms and how they are linked to their teaching practices. This mixed-method study aims to describe ECE teachers’ classroom language ideologies, their bilingual classroom language practices, and whether there is a match or mismatch in classroom language ideologies and bilingual language practices. The qualitative data is drawn from interviews with 13 ECE teachers of Spanish-English-speaking 3-to-5-year-olds in mainstream English-instruction classrooms. Teachers’ bilingual language practices are drawn from over 210 audio recordings of teacher–child interactions within ECE classrooms. Research Findings: From the interviews with teachers, three profiles of teachers’ classroom language ideologies were discovered: (1) predominately English (23%), (2) English with Spanish support (46%), and (3) Spanish as a foundation for English (31%). Fifty-four percent of teachers implemented bilingual language practices that did not align with their language ideologies. Practice or Policy: The findings from this study offer ways to create better professional development opportunities for teachers to improve their classroom language practices while considering their language ideologies.

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