2025 Theses Doctoral

Becoming Multilingual/Multicultural in a Spanish-English Dual Language Bilingual Program: Partnering with Chinese Bilingual Families and Communities

Jeon, Soo Jin

This qualitative study aimed to explore the motivations and strategies employed by Chinese bilingual families for enrolling their children in a Spanish-English dual language bilingual program, with a focus on how they support their child’s development of multilingualism and academic progress in a third language.

Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and transnational feminist frameworks, the study examined how families from non-Latinx backgrounds leverage their transnational experiences, multilingual resources, and community assets to support their child’s linguistic and cultural development. Specifically, it investigated how these families navigate the challenges of a dual language program where neither of the instructional languages (Spanish or English) was their home language. Data collection involved semi-structured individual interviews, photo elicitation, activity-based Zoom focus group interviews, voice journal entries, students' homework packets, and the researcher’s field notes.

The findings indicated that family members explored multiple pathways in the home for learning to learn, including negotiating technological tensions, fostering intergenerational partnerships, and preparing children for independence, all of which contribute to the development of learning agencies and global citizenship. Additionally, the findings emphasized culturally relevant and multidimensional learning facilitated by support from diverse communities, highlighting the importance of school communication and trust, the multi-layered sense of community for adult family members, and the impact of bicultural and bilingual neighborhoods on children’s development and cultural preservation.

Moreover, this study explored the mediational role of transnational and transcultural experiences in multilingual homes, examining unrecognized transnational resources that shaped children’s learning, including long-practiced multilingual settings and previous experiences. It also highlighted strategies for preserving language and culture in transnational families, such as access to resources from their country of origin and embracing transnational hybridity, while leveraging Chinese cultural values and family expectations to support children's educational development.

This study also examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on minoritized learners, focusing on their experiences with online classes and the strategies employed to strengthen social and emotional connections during remote learning. The findings of this study offered valuable insights for educators, school leadership, and researchers to create culturally and ethnically responsive learning environments for families and students who are often marginalized in traditional educational settings.