How dual language bilingual education preservice teachers draw upon and develop students' sociocultural competence

• Published in: Foreign language annals 2024-09, Vol.57 (3), p.797-817
• Main Authors: Domke, Lisa M., May, Laura A., Cerrato, María A., Sanders, Elizabeth H., Kung, Melody, Bingham, Gary E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cultural competence; dual language/two‐way immersion; intercultural awareness and competence; preservice teacher preparation
• ISSN: 0015-718X; 1944-9720
• DOI: 10.1111/flan.12744

US dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs have a goal to develop students' sociocultural competence, but little is known about how preservice teachers (PSTs) do this. This descriptive study involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of 82 videos of instruction and 76 lesson plans from nine Latinx PSTs placed in Spanish DLBE classrooms across 3 years. PSTs focused more on students' interests or background knowledge than specific family/community and/or cultural practices. Few lessons incorporated culturally relevant/sustaining literature. Findings help teacher educators consider contextual constraints in teacher preparation and ways to better support PSTs in recognizing and developing students' sociocultural competence. The Challenge Developing students' sociocultural competence is a foundation of dual language bilingual education (DLBE), yet it is an underresearched topic. How do DLBE preservice teachers (PSTs) incorporate their students' cultural backgrounds and family and community knowledge in their teaching? How do DLBE PSTs develop students' sociocultural competence?