Abstract
In this chapter, we argue that intersectionality and cultural sociology can be used as complementary theoretical frameworks to gain multifaceted understandings about the learning needs of language minority (LM) and English language learner (ELL) students in science classrooms. By employing these frameworks, researchers can better understand the complex relationship between globalization and e|im|migration at global levels and the resulting impacts on school environments at local levels. We draw connections between international migration patterns and the impact on individual teachers, students, and communities in local contexts to illustrate some of the challenges facing teachers and students in linguistically and ethnically diverse science classrooms in two urban K-8 schools. We conclude this chapter by raising some questions related to policy, teacher practice, and science teacher education, which we feel are critical for promoting the academic success of LM/ELL students in K-12 science classrooms in the USA.
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Notes
- 1.
In the United States, the term language minority (LM) is used to describe students who live in homes where a language other than English is the primary language spoken. English language learners (ELLs) are language minorities who have been identified as having limited proficiency with spoken and written English. Both LM and ELL students are often constructed as cultural “others” in K-12 schools in the USA. In this chapter, we use the term LM/ELL to refer to all students who may benefit from English language supports in schools and who may be challenged as learners as a result of their limited English language proficiency. We recognize that there are major differences in the needs and experiences of ELL and LM students, yet for the purposes of this chapter, we contend that both groups need additional supports in classrooms to make science academic language comprehensible and to meet science standards. In addition, we acknowledge that there is also a need for research to be conducted on the experiences of students who speak a nonstandard dialect of English (e.g., African American Vernacular English or Southern American English) who can also be disadvantaged in school science in the USA by their limited proficiency in standard American English, especially in speaking and writing.
- 2.
National Science Foundation (NSF) HRD 1036637. G-SPELL Gender and Science Proficiency for English Language Learners.
- 3.
We placed the Sheffer stroke (|) between two words or a prefix and a word to indicate the existence of the various states of being (on either side of the Sheffer stroke) as constituting a whole. The Sheffer stroke is used to denote a both|and relationship between two concepts as a way to help conceptualize the complexity of the relationship.
- 4.
For the purpose of our research, we define East Asia as the region including the countries of Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China (Taiwan), and the Republic of Korea. We define Southeastern Asia as the region including the countries of Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East Timor (Timor-Leste), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our research of the literature focused on East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin American regions.
- 5.
In our research, we use the term Latin America to refer to regions in the Americas where the Spanish or Portuguese languages are spoken, namely Mexico, most of Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. When referring to student groups in this chapter, we use the term Latino/a instead of Hispanic to be inclusive of students who may identify culturally/racially/ethnically as being Latino/a but who do not speak Spanish (e.g., Brazilians speak Portuguese and can be characterized as Latinos/as but could not be classified as Hispanic). When we use the term Hispanic, it is in reference to terminology utilized by the US Census Bureau.
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This material is based upon work supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation, HRD 1036637. G-SPELL Gender and Science Proficiency for English Language Learners. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Martin, S.N., Wassell, B., Scantlebury, K. (2013). Frameworks for Examining the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender on English Language Learners in K-12 Science Education in the USA. In: Bianchini, J.A., Akerson, V.L., Barton, A.C., Lee, O., Rodriguez, A.J. (eds) Moving the Equity Agenda Forward. Cultural Studies of Science Education, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4467-7_6
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