Creating Classroom Communities in Linguistically Diverse Settings: Teacher-Directed, Classroom-Level Factor Effects on Peer Dynamics

Abstract

Employing a social capital framework, this study investigates teachers’ role in influencing the peer dynamics between English learners (ELs) and their non-EL peers. Participants include 713 students (211 EL students). Observed teacher-student interaction quality and teacher self-reports of their peer network management were used to operationalize the teacher-directed, classroom-level factors. Peer nominations of friendships within the classroom were used to operationalize students’ same-language-status (bonding capital) and cross-language-status (bridging capital) friendships. Multilevel models reveal teachers’ reported practices and observed interaction quality account for a small proportion of the variance in students’ bridging and bonding relationships at the classroom level overall, but with differential effects for EL and non-EL students. For example, in classrooms with greater reported use of bonding practices, EL students reported more bonding and fewer bridging friendships in the fall, and showed relatively less fall-to-spring growth in bridging friendships. Implications for future research and teacher training are discussed.

Academic development and disparities in linguistically diverse middle school classrooms: The role of social network equality and linguistic integration

“…While future research should further unpack the different processes implicated by these different predictors, our results preliminarily suggest the importance of classroom social processes that unfold throughout the school year. These findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting the dynamic nature of classroom peer networks and their role in students’ development, as well as the potential to intervene and leverage peer networks’ power to foster more equitable learning environments (Hamm et al., 2011; Johnson et al., 2019).…”

Student Interaction, Teacher Competence, and Technology in Online Learning: Does it Create a Meaningful Learning?

“…Blended learning is the combination of two direct and online learning methods to create a sense of security and being active in shaping knowledge. PPPA in the Field of Child Development shows a form of student expectations in the home learning program [25].…”

“…All can be done with a good internet network. Some students find the difficulties to participate in e-learning; this gap is seen across countries and among income groups within peoples [25].…”

“Let's hang out!”: Understanding social ties among linguistically diverse youth in urban afterschool programs

“…A small body of work in the United States has recently examined social ties in educational settings among native English‐speakers and their bilingual or English learner (EL) peers (e.g., Johnson et al., 2019; Kibler et al., 2019). It is timely to study linguistic connections as over 12 million children in the United States are bilingual and speak a language other than English at home (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2018) and a subset of five million students are identified as English learners in the process of learning English language skills to succeed academically without specialized support (NASEM: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2017; NCES: National Center for Education Statistics, 2020).…”

“…As identity formation is a key goal during adolescence (Erikson, 1968), spending time with similar peers with shared cultures may enable them to deepen their sense of self or feel a sense of comfort. In a study examining English learners and their peers in middle school classrooms, Johnson and colleagues (2019) found that the number of bridging friendships (e.g., tie between an EL and non‐EL) and bonding friendships (e.g., tie between two ELs) varied by EL status: at both the start and end of the school year, ELs had more bridging friendships than bonding friendships, while non‐ELs had more bonding friendships than bridging friendships. However, this difference in the number of bridging and bonding ties by EL status may be an artifact of having fewer ELs in the classroom.…”