Bilingual youth identities contested through the use of K-12 language arts textbooks in a Korean heritage language classroom

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the US, many immigrant languages have been maintained through the efforts of local communities in the form of community-based Heritage Language (HL) programs. Previous studies have discussed diverging linguistic practices and identities among students and teachers in HL programs. However, there is little research on how materials use affects such diverging practices in HL classrooms. To this end, this study adopts Actor Network Theory (ANT) as an analytical framework to investigate how a K-12 Korean language arts textbook was used in a community-based Korean HL classroom in the US and how student subjectivities were contested through materials use. Based on four months of ethnographic data, this study mainly discusses two findings. First, influenced by the monolingual conceptualization of bilingualism, the teacher used the textbook to enforce form-focused literacy instruction, which positioned students as an incompetent language learner. Second, during literacy activities, students interpreted and responded to materials through flexible bilingual practices, constructing their identities as competent bilinguals. The study suggests creating an official space for bilingual youth to ‘play with the language of the material’ in HL classrooms.