Grievability of First Language Loss: Toward a Reconceptualisation of European Minority Language

RESEARCH DIGEST: TESOL TOPICS IN OTHER JOURNALS This section presents brief synopses of empirical research and theoretical discussions in peerreviewed journals The aim is to disseminate findings and perspectives in fields related to TESOL and to provide access to the diverse conversations among scholars in the field Edited by SARA MICHAEL-LUNA New York University Grievability of First Language Loss: Toward a Reconceptualisation of European Minority Language Education Practices The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 11, 95–106 Dmitri Priven, 2008 Priven examines language attrition in immigrants to Europe, specifically the loss of first language (L1) among immigrant school-age children and the effect of this loss on power relations that are upheld on individual and community levels He argues that these power relations between the center and periphery lead to unfavorable attitudes and discriminatory treatment toward nonindigenous European languages (i.e., Arabic, Russian) and support a European educational framework that contributes to loss of L1 among immigrant children Priven contends that this discriminatory treatment is the cause for “resistance [in] mainstream European educational institutions to [implement] minority language programs” (p 95) The premise behind Priven’s study is twofold He brings his observations of L1 attrition among immigrant children from his ESL teaching experience and bases his argument on the conceptual framework of Edward Said’s (2003) Orientalism Priven states that although bilingual education in Europe is plentiful, minority language education is lacking Its absence from mainstream education is due to unfavorable attitudes toward migrant languages For example, in France, the term bilingual is used for users of two European languages; thus, immigrant children (e.g., from Arabic-speaking families) would not be considered true bilinguals In addition, minority language education is linked to “delay in linguistic development, lack of academic success, underachievement and identity problems” (p 97); it is seen as subtractive bilingualism Priven builds on Butler’s (2004) hierarchy of grievability He refutes the position that globalization has broken down the hegemonic relationship between European and migrant TESOL QUARTERLY Vol 42, No 4, December 2008 675 languages Finally, he proposes that hegemonic power structures, as well as the distinction between center and periphery, ought to be reconceived if minority languages are to thrive in the context of immigration This is the starting point for immigrant children to hold on to their L1 GRACE WU LEE Biola University La Mirada, California, United States Who Is Given Tests in What Language by Whom, When, and Where? The Need for Probabilistic Views of Language in the Testing of English Language Learners Educational Researcher, 37, 189–199 Guillermo Solano-Flores, 2008 “Who is given tests in what language by whom, when and where?” (p 189) Solano-Flores uses the title question as a framework for unpacking the complexities that testing ELLs present and concludes by advocating for a recently developed psychometric theory to assist in understanding the “multiple-language related sources of measurement error” (p 194) Solano-Flores’s critical description of who ELLs are presents many crucial points for re-evaluation of the traditional homogenous perspective on limited English proficient students Solano-Flores unpacks not only first (L1) and second (L2) language proficiency but also discusses the inconsistent assessment of language modes (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in testing practices Solano-Flores also discusses the roles of (a) the language of the test, (b) communication styles, (c) register demands, (d) the lack of ELLs as sample groups in test pilots, and (e) the perils of test translation Solano-Flores clearly describes a possible psychometric theory, generalisability theory or G theory, which allows for a greater flexibility in considering multiple language and contextual factors in the “development, adaptation, administration and scoring” of tests (p 196) The application of G theory to ELL testing has only been used to address “the link between assessment system effectiveness and score dependability” (p 196) Solano-Flores’s article would be an excellent resource for ELL teachers and teacher educators in presenting the multiple contextual and language factors which influence ELL test scores Additionally, this article uniquely applies functional ways of viewing language development to psychometric theory development for ELLs testing, which both qualitative and quantitative SLA researchers would find interesting 676 TESOL QUARTERLY Intentionality and Expertise: Learning From Observations of Children at Play in Multilingual, Multicultural Contexts Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 38, 239–259 Susi Long, Dinah Volk, and Eve Gregory, 2007 How can sociodramatic play help uncover how young multilinguals blend knowledge from multiple worlds? Long, Volk, and Gregory explore the world of childhood play in their development and exploration of syncretic learning theory The authors use three ethnographic studies in different contexts—a school in London, a school in Iceland, and a church in the United States—to explore the linguistic and cultural knowledge young multilinguals use to make meaning in specific contexts They suggest that their young learners blend knowledge and practices from a wide range of experiences to reinvent cultural practices in their educational contexts Long, Volk, and Gregory describe syncretism as the “reinvention of culture that occurs as people draw on diverse resources” and specifically focus on “the active creation of new forms and the activity of transformation” (p 241) Readers may also recognize syncretism as hybridity Sociodramatic play opens up the world of literacy possibilities to young children while allowing teachers and researchers a peek inside children’s knowledge and learning process The authors’ findings suggested that young multilinguals: (a) valued, understood, and practiced home, school, and community knowledge in their play; (b) “rarely privileged one culture or learner over another” (p 254); (c) expert and novice roles were not monolithic labels but vacillated on a moment-to-moment basis Long, Volk, and Gregory present an interesting framework for examining and valuing multilinguals’ knowledge construction in educational contexts which would be interesting to teachers and researchers alike Their article could also serve as an excellent tool to examine the many benefits of sociodramatic play for multilingual children Cultural Match or Culturally Suspect: How New Teachers of Color Negotiate Sociocultural Challenges in the Classroom Teachers College Record, 110, 1505–1540 Betty Achinstein and Julia Aguirre, 2008 How new linguistically and racially diverse teachers negotiate their identity when culturally matched with students? Achinstein and Aguirre follow 15 teachers of color through years of teaching where the teachRESEARCH DIGEST 677 ers and students appear to be “culturally matched.” Although previous research and policy has suggested that culturally matching teachers and students helps to “ease the professional’s transition to working in highminority urban schools” (p 1506), Achinstein and Aguirre’s research provides a deep look at the challenges and practice shock that new teachers of color experience Cultural match suggests that “students of diverse backgrounds have better access to learning opportunities” when teachers share cultural assumptions with them and can “tap cultural resources in themselves and their students in their teaching practice” (p 1508) Through a cross-case analysis of case studies, Achinstein and Aguirre found that the new teachers of color reported their students found them “culturally suspect” and questioned the new teachers origin, language abilities (e.g., “do you speak Spanish?”), race, social class, and “talking white.” Achinstein and Aguirre also examine how the new teachers responded to these challenges They reported that many of the new teachers reflected and framed the problems to create “teachable moments” (p 1518) Given that the majority of the new teachers self-identified as “Latino/a” or “Asian American” (p 1511), bilingualism became a point of contention between the students and the new teachers This article would be interesting for educational researchers and teacher educators who work with linguistically diverse teachers of color because the article sheds light on potential challenges that cultural match might pose 678 TESOL QUARTERLY