Exploring Factors Affecting Emergent Bilingual Student Voice: Perspectives of the Middle School Teacher

Research using Intersectionality theory to explore intersectional identity axes affecting Emergent Bilingual student voice has primarily occurred with students at the high school level in U.S. public schools. Recommendations from these students indicated the need to address these issues earlier in their educational development. This research study was designed to explore factors affecting Emergent Bilingual student voice from the perspective of the middle school teacher. Using Intersectionality theory, this study focused on the intersectional identity axes of Language Proficiency, Ethnicity, and Gender as each relate to factors affecting middle school Emergent Bilingual student voice. Three themes and nine subthemes emerged from the data analysis. The themes and subthemes were used to create a conceptual model demonstrating the relationship with these intersectional identity axes. Using a synthesis of current literature to discuss these findings, the study concluded that leadership for El Sendero Verde Middle School, the host campus and provider of participants, should consider promoting the use of translanguaging and a Liderazgo leadership approach to change its instructional methods to an asset-based pedagogy. Changing to an asset-based pedagogy, in turn, would increase the development of confianza within the classroom and school environment to promote the development of Emergent Bilingual student voice.