Papers by Paola Zitlali Morales
The Qualitative Report, Oct 13, 2014
This article explores some of the ethical dilemmas we have encountered as emerging Latina researc... more This article explores some of the ethical dilemmas we have encountered as emerging Latina researchers in dual language school contexts. Informed by Chicana Feminist Theory, we attempt to analyze power in more nuanced ways, shifting the analysis of ethics away from traditional notions of power based only within the researcher rather than the participants. While we do not offer solutions to these dilemmas, we raise questions that we hope will spur thoughtful reflection and move the field of educational research into more equitable and ethical research practices across contexts.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 2016
In Chicago, the growing community of Latin@s mirrors national demographic trends and is a third o... more In Chicago, the growing community of Latin@s mirrors national demographic trends and is a third of the city’s population and nearly half of the public school population. We use Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to critique the discourse of progress from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) press releases and online information while examining the types of schools attended by most Latin@ students. Our findings include continued severe school segregation, lack of proportional matriculation to selective enrollment and advanced placement programs, and other disparities that counter a discourse of greater choice and opportunity available for Latin@s. We highlight some initiatives from CPS related to Latin@s, point out their shortcomings, as well as discuss the research base for policies that do support positive educational outcomes for Latin@s such as increasing the number of teachers from Latin@ communities, implementing ethnic studies programs, and providing ...
College of Education, and affiliated faculty of the Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) prog... more College of Education, and affiliated faculty of the Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Dr. Morales examines the language practices of Latinx youth and linguistic interactions of students and teachers in bilingual classrooms. She works in teacher education to prepare teachers to meet their multilingual students' needs by leveraging their linguistic skills and cultural knowledge. Dr. Morales is co-PI of a National Science Foundation funded project studying the digital literacy practices and transnational ties of immigrant youth.
As a state with a longstanding tradition of offering bilingual education, Illinois has a legislat... more As a state with a longstanding tradition of offering bilingual education, Illinois has a legislative requirement for native language instruction in earlier grades through a model called Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE). This model does not truly develop bilingualism, however, but rather offers native language instruction to English learners (ELs) for a few years only to later mainstream them to English-only instruction. Contrasting this approach, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching not only supports EL students’ first language maintenance and second language development, but can also affirm critical aspects of their cultural, ethnic and linguistic identities. Through this framework, we present qualitative data from two elementary classrooms in Illinois enacting a TBE and dual language program model. Findings suggest that while program models are indeed one factor that influences enactment of a culturally responsive approach, societal factors and ability for stake...
A Transdisciplinary Lens for Bilingual Education, 2021
Review of Research in Education, 2017
Leveraging is often described as the process of using the home and community languages of childre... more Leveraging is often described as the process of using the home and community languages of children and youth as a tool to access the “academic” or “standard” varieties of languages valued in schools. In this vein, researchers have called on practitioners to leverage the stigmatized language practices of children and youth in schools for their academic development. In this review, we interrogate the notion of leveraging commonly used by language and literacy scholars. We consider what gets leveraged, whose practices get leveraged, when leveraging occurs, and whether or not leveraging leads to robust and transformative learning experiences that sustain the cultural and linguistic practices of children and youth in our schools, particularly for students of color. We review scholarship steeped in Vygotskian-inspired research on learning, culturally relevant and culturally sustaining pedagogies, and bilingual education research that forefront the notion that the language practices of chi...
Theory Into Practice, 2019
The increase and popularity of dual language (DL) or two-way immersion programs nationally, and s... more The increase and popularity of dual language (DL) or two-way immersion programs nationally, and specifically in California, is due to the acceptability of bilingual programs that are inclusive of students whose first language is English, and who are typically of a White, middle-class background. This phenomenon can be explained through the idea of interest convergence, as discussed by critical race theorists. That is, social policies that benefit the minority population only change when they also benefit the dominant or majority population. We argue that in the case of DL programs, it is beneficial for both the linguistic minority group and the majority for interest convergence to be realized. This theoretical lens can actually be a helpful tool to view whether the interests of one group are being prioritized over the other, as is so often the case when there is a power differential between the two groups, such as White middleclass families and Spanish-speaking/Latino families.
Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2014
This article explores the role of profanity and graphic humor in the bilingual wordplay of Latin@... more This article explores the role of profanity and graphic humor in the bilingual wordplay of Latin@ middle school students. We highlight the creativity, skill, and communicative competence embedded in this transgressive wordplay, revealing how these youth employed profanity and graphic humor to index ethnic solidarity and construct bilingual identities. We argue that further exploration of such wordplay might well reveal other functions and meanings that are obscured when it is simply dismissed as inappropriate.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 2019
This article focuses on the reported experiences of three focal students who participated in a Sp... more This article focuses on the reported experiences of three focal students who participated in a Spanish/English dual language program in their southern California school district throughout their elementary and middle school years. All three students identify as Mexican-origin and speak Spanish, English, and the Indigenous language of Zapoteco and have different relationships with their languages. The framework of Critical Latinx Indigeneities (Blackwell, Boj Lopez & Urrieta, 2017) is used to explore the practices engaged in by the students, including language use and transnationalism (Sánchez, 2007), as well as the investment to learn and use a language as part of their identity (Norton Peirce, 1995; Norton, 2000). Even though dual language programs provide much needed linguistic supports for language maintenance, perhaps more importantly, they provide support for ideological shifts towards language maintenance rather than transition to English-only instruction. However, the three s...
Review of Research in Education, 2009
... institutional settings. The attribution of failure to students' individual traits has... more ... institutional settings. The attribution of failure to students' individual traits has facilitated the practice of labeling students as “at risk” or “low achievers” (Cuban & Tyack, 1988; Hull, Rose, Fraser, & Castellano, 1991). As Stanley ...
A Transdisciplinary Lens for Bilingual Education: Bridging Cognitive, Sociocultural, and Sociolinguistic Approaches to Enhance Student Learning, 2021
Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2014
This article explores the role of profanity and graphic humor in the bilingual wordplay of Latin@... more This article explores the role of profanity and graphic humor in the bilingual wordplay of Latin@ middle school students. We highlight the creativity, skill, and communicative competence embed- ded in this transgressive wordplay, revealing how these youth employed profanity and graphic humor to index ethnic solidarity and construct bilingual identities. We argue that further explo- ration of such wordplay might well reveal other functions and meanings that are obscured when it is simply dismissed as inappropriate.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 2019
This article focuses on the reported experiences of three focal students who participated in a Sp... more This article focuses on the reported experiences of three focal students who participated in a Spanish/English dual language program in their southern California school district throughout their elementary and middle school years. All three students identify as Mexican-origin and
speak Spanish, English, and the Indigenous language of Zapoteco and have different relationships with their languages. The framework of Critical Latinx Indigeneities (Blackwell, Boj Lopez & Urrieta, 2017) is used to explore the practices engaged in by the students, including language
use and transnationalism (Sánchez, 2007), as well as the investment to learn and use a language as part of their identity (Norton Peirce, 1995; Norton, 2000). Even though dual language programs provide much needed linguistic supports for language maintenance, perhaps more
importantly, they provide support for ideological shifts towards language maintenance rather than transition to English-only instruction. However, the three students experienced a segmented and limited focus on Spanish language development in middle school compared to their elementary school experience. The authors discuss implications for outside school spaces that can support authentic language use, in addition to school-sanctioned language programs promoting multilingualism.
Theory Into Practice, 2019
The increase and popularity of dual language (DL) or two-way immersion programs nationally, and s... more The increase and popularity of dual language (DL) or two-way immersion programs nationally, and specifically in California, is due to the acceptability of bilingual programs that are inclusive of students whose first language is English, and who are typically of a White, middle-class background. This phenomenon can be explained through the idea of interest convergence, as discussed by critical race theorists. That is, social policies that benefit the minority population only change when they also benefit the dominant or majority population. We argue that in the case of DL programs, it is beneficial for both the linguistic minority group and the majority for interest convergence to be realized. This theoretical lens can actually be a helpful tool to view whether the interests of one group are being prioritized over the other, as is so often the case when there is a power differential between the two groups, such as White middle-class families and Spanish-speaking/Latino families.
After first discussing the ideologies (standard and monolingual) implicit in language education i... more After first discussing the ideologies (standard and monolingual) implicit in language education in the United States, we argue for a necessary ideological shift in the way multiple languages and other forms of semiotic communication are understood, used, and supported in preschool for emergent bilinguals. We present examples from a preschool study in Illinois where emergent bilingual children in two classrooms used video-stimulated accounts to make sense of their actions. Students used multiple semiotic resources – including English, Spanish, and embodiment – to collaborate with others and represent their ideas. Our findings include evidence of language awareness and awareness of audience in choosing the language of interaction. We argue that very often, preschool teachers are not taught to support or encourage students’ use of languages other than English, even in classrooms designated as bilingual. Implications are discussed for universal preschool with growing numbers of students with multilingual abilities.
Leveraging is often described as the process of using the home and community languages of childre... more Leveraging is often described as the process of using the home and community languages of children and youth as a tool to access the " academic " or " standard " varieties of languages valued in schools. In this vein, researchers have called on practitioners to leverage the stigmatized language practices of children and youth in schools for their academic development. In this review, we interrogate the notion of leveraging commonly used by language and literacy scholars. We consider what gets leveraged, whose practices get leveraged, when leveraging occurs, and whether or not leveraging leads to robust and transformative learning experiences that sustain the cultural and linguistic practices of children and youth in our schools, particularly for students of color. We review scholarship steeped in Vygotskian-inspired research on learning, culturally relevant and culturally sustaining pedagogies, and bilingual education research that forefront the notion that the language practices of children and youth are useful for mediating learning and development. We conclude with a discussion of classroom discourse analysis methods that we believe can provide documentation of transformative learning experiences that uncovers and examines the linguistic resources of students in our twenty-first-century classrooms, and to gain a common language around notions of leveraging in the field.
Review of Research in …, Jan 1, 2009
... institutional settings. The attribution of failure to students' individual traits has... more ... institutional settings. The attribution of failure to students' individual traits has facilitated the practice of labeling students as “at risk” or “low achievers” (Cuban & Tyack, 1988; Hull, Rose, Fraser, & Castellano, 1991). As Stanley ...
In Chicago, the growing community of Latin@s mirrors national demographic trends and is a third o... more In Chicago, the growing community of Latin@s mirrors national demographic trends and is a third of the city’s population and nearly half of the public school population. We use Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to critique the discourse of progress from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) press releases and online information while examining the types of schools attended by most Latin@ students. Our findings include continued severe school segregation, lack of proportional matriculation to selective enrollment and advanced placement programs, and other disparities that counter a discourse of greater choice and opportunity available for Latin@s. We highlight some initiatives from CPS related to Latin@s, point out their shortcomings, as well as discuss the research base for policies that do support positive educational outcomes for Latin@s, such as increasing the number of teachers from Latin@ communities, implementing ethnic studies programs, and providing multilingual education. Examining the schooling options in CPS for a growing Latin@ student body is important as the city plays a central role in educational policy formation and implementation nationwide.
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Papers by Paola Zitlali Morales
speak Spanish, English, and the Indigenous language of Zapoteco and have different relationships with their languages. The framework of Critical Latinx Indigeneities (Blackwell, Boj Lopez & Urrieta, 2017) is used to explore the practices engaged in by the students, including language
use and transnationalism (Sánchez, 2007), as well as the investment to learn and use a language as part of their identity (Norton Peirce, 1995; Norton, 2000). Even though dual language programs provide much needed linguistic supports for language maintenance, perhaps more
importantly, they provide support for ideological shifts towards language maintenance rather than transition to English-only instruction. However, the three students experienced a segmented and limited focus on Spanish language development in middle school compared to their elementary school experience. The authors discuss implications for outside school spaces that can support authentic language use, in addition to school-sanctioned language programs promoting multilingualism.
speak Spanish, English, and the Indigenous language of Zapoteco and have different relationships with their languages. The framework of Critical Latinx Indigeneities (Blackwell, Boj Lopez & Urrieta, 2017) is used to explore the practices engaged in by the students, including language
use and transnationalism (Sánchez, 2007), as well as the investment to learn and use a language as part of their identity (Norton Peirce, 1995; Norton, 2000). Even though dual language programs provide much needed linguistic supports for language maintenance, perhaps more
importantly, they provide support for ideological shifts towards language maintenance rather than transition to English-only instruction. However, the three students experienced a segmented and limited focus on Spanish language development in middle school compared to their elementary school experience. The authors discuss implications for outside school spaces that can support authentic language use, in addition to school-sanctioned language programs promoting multilingualism.
Design/Methodology/Approach-The authors develop a telling case (Mitchell, 1984) from the guided instruction portion of a lesson to make salient theoretical connections between metacognitive strategies taught in early literacy and metalinguistic knowledge theorized from the field of linguistic anthropology. The lesson was video recorded for interactional analysis. The video recording was also used to stimulate recall and allow students to reflect on their own language use.
Findings-Through the telling case, the authors use language socialization as a lens to understand the way students represent story retell with physical objects. Though some students do not use the school-based conventionalized form of retelling, they do engage in retelling by using a variety of other forms. The authors highlight through the case that the metacognitive strategy of story retell is distinct from the abstract linear, left-to-right representation of sequencing of events.