Creating Linguistic Barriers: The Impact at Home of English Literacy Practices at School

Abstract

As the Latinx Spanish-speaking and emergent bilingual population grows, there is an urgent need for more inclusive language and literacy programs in schools. It's essential to recognize Latinx parents’ educational aspirations for their children and the crucial role of Spanish within families. This article explores the language and literacy practices adopted by Latinx parents to sustain Spanish, contrasting English literacy practices in schools with the home environment through bilingual education typology and family language policy. Thirty parents participated in interviews. I employed a data analysis spiral and a phenomenological approach to examine the data. This study documents Latinx parents’ reflections on (1) their interactions and children's language choices, (2) children's language choices across various domains, and (3) the home impact of school's English literacy practices. Findings align with recent research indicating that families’ language choices and literacy practices help maintain Spanish and strengthen connections. Spanish is integral to family life, regardless of whether school language programs align with family biliteracy goals. Ultimately, it shows that parents want their children to be bilingual and biliterate to prevent linguistic barriers.

Keywords

emergent bilinguals language choices family literacy practices family language policy Spanish-speaking parents

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