ERIC Number: EJ1419743
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-3116
EISSN: EISSN-1464-5173
Kindergarteners' Perceptions of Belonging and Inclusion in a Two-Way Immersion Classroom
Erin Feinauer Whiting; Erika Feinauer; Sionelle Nicole Beller; Elizabeth R. Howard
International Journal of Inclusive Education, v28 n4 p360-380 2024
Little systematic attention has been paid toward belonging for young children, particularly in contexts of diversity that are regularly part of school settings. Two-Way immersion (TWI) programs provide one educational context ideally suited for exploring the constructs of belonging and inclusion in linguistically and culturally diverse settings. This study explores how kindergarteners articulate a sense of belonging in a socio-linguistically diverse international Two-Way immersion school. Focus groups were conducted with kindergarteners about what they would need to fit in and belong. Findings reveal that these kindergarteners recognize the utility of language but do not segregate peers by language group. Language proficiencies were articulated as a procedure for being able to 'do school.' They appear to experience language diversity as a 'de facto' context and something to manage procedurally. Comments on friendship-making also express the importance of conforming to concrete social interpersonal norms; friendship as compliance to social norms and procedures of asking someone to be your friend and being nice. A consideration of inclusion as the negotiation of belonging in this diverse context allows us to consider the specific ideas and solutions of these kindergarteners as a shared project of belonging in which they all work to enact inclusion.
Descriptors: Kindergarten, Perception, Inclusion, Sense of Community, Bilingualism, Immersion Programs, Bilingual Education, Young Children, Multilingualism, Spanish, English
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A