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ERIC Number: EJ1328341
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1568-4555
EISSN: N/A
'I Don't Think That's Really Their Wheelhouse': Governing Language Policy Interpretation in Teacher Education
Chang-Bacon, Chris K.
Language Policy, v21 n1 p25-46 Mar 2022
Recent research highlights teachers' key role as language policy interpreters, yet few studies have explored whether and how teachers learn about policy interpretation. This article explores how language policy interpretation is addressed within a statewide teacher education initiative in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Since 2012, the state has required most teachers to receive a state-approved endorsement in Sheltered English Immersion (SEI), an increasingly popular model for teaching emergent bilinguals. Initially administered in the context of the state's controversial English-only education policy, this endorsement was the result of complex policy dynamics. Since few studies have engaged the perspective of teacher educators directly, this article draws on interviews with teacher educators across the state who played a pivotal role in this initiative. Findings show that some teacher educators prioritized policy interpretation in their work with teachers, while others engaged in complex discursive moves by which to avoid the topic of policy. Applying the theoretical lens of governmentality, this study demonstrates the process by which language policy is often positioned as too "political" for teachers, as well as how teacher educators themselves engaged in self-censorship on the topic of language policy. These findings have implications for teacher education and professional development, bringing into question the degree of support teachers are given to act as language policy interpreters.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A