Yasuko Kanno – författare

This book examines the changing linguistic and cultural identities of bilingual students through the narratives of four Japanese returnees (kikokushijo) as they spent their adolescent years in North America and then returned to Japan to attend university. As adolescents, these students were polarized toward one language and culture over the other, but through a period of difficult readjustment in Japan they became increasingly more sophisticated in negotiating their identities and more appreciative of their hybrid selves. Kanno analyzes how educational institutions both in their host and home countries, societal recognition or devaluation of bilingualism, and the students'' own maturation contributed to shaping and transforming their identities over time. Using narrative inquiry and communities of practice as a theoretical framework, she argues that it is possible for bilingual individuals to learn to strike a balance between two languages and cultures.Negotiating Bilingual and Bicultural Identities: Japanese Returnees Betwixt Two Worlds: *is a longitudinal study of bilingual and bicultural identities--unlike most studies of bilingual learners, this book follows the same bilingual youths from adolescence to young adulthood; *documents student perspectives--redressing the neglect of student voice in much educational research, and offering educators an understanding of what the experience of learning English and becoming bilingual and bicultural looks like from the students'' point of view; and *contributes to the study of language, culture, and identity by demonstrating that for bilingual individuals, identity is not a simple choice of one language and culture but an ongoing balancing act of multiple languages and cultures. This book will interest researchers, educators, and graduate students who are concerned with the education and personal growth of bilingual learners, and will be useful as text for courses in ESL/bilingual education, TESOL, applied linguistics, and multicultural education.

This book examines the changing linguistic and cultural identities of bilingual students through the narratives of four Japanese returnees (kikokushijo) as they spent their adolescent years in North America and then returned to Japan to attend university. As adolescents, these students were polarized toward one language and culture over the other, but through a period of difficult readjustment in Japan they became increasingly more sophisticated in negotiating their identities and more appreciative of their hybrid selves. Kanno analyzes how educational institutions both in their host and home countries, societal recognition or devaluation of bilingualism, and the students'' own maturation contributed to shaping and transforming their identities over time. Using narrative inquiry and communities of practice as a theoretical framework, she argues that it is possible for bilingual individuals to learn to strike a balance between two languages and cultures.Negotiating Bilingual and Bicultural Identities: Japanese Returnees Betwixt Two Worlds: *is a longitudinal study of bilingual and bicultural identities--unlike most studies of bilingual learners, this book follows the same bilingual youths from adolescence to young adulthood; *documents student perspectives--redressing the neglect of student voice in much educational research, and offering educators an understanding of what the experience of learning English and becoming bilingual and bicultural looks like from the students'' point of view; and *contributes to the study of language, culture, and identity by demonstrating that for bilingual individuals, identity is not a simple choice of one language and culture but an ongoing balancing act of multiple languages and cultures. This book will interest researchers, educators, and graduate students who are concerned with the education and personal growth of bilingual learners, and will be useful as text for courses in ESL/bilingual education, TESOL, applied linguistics, and multicultural education.

Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities focuses on three main themes: imaged communities expand the range of possible selves, technological advances in the last two decades have had a significant impact on what is possible to imagine, and imagination at even the most personal level is related to social ideologies and hegemonies. The diverse studies in this issue demonstrate convincingly that learners and teachers are capable of imagining the world as different from prevailing realities. Moreover, time and energy can be invested to strive for the realization of alternative visions of the future. Research in this special issue suggests that investment in such imagined communities offers intriguing possibilities for social and educational change.

Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities focuses on three main themes: imaged communities expand the range of possible selves, technological advances in the last two decades have had a significant impact on what is possible to imagine, and imagination at even the most personal level is related to social ideologies and hegemonies. The diverse studies in this issue demonstrate convincingly that learners and teachers are capable of imagining the world as different from prevailing realities. Moreover, time and energy can be invested to strive for the realization of alternative visions of the future. Research in this special issue suggests that investment in such imagined communities offers intriguing possibilities for social and educational change.

Currently, linguistic minority students – students who speak a language other than English at home – represent 21% of the entire K-12 student population and 11% of the college student population. Bringing together emerging scholarship on the growing number of college-bound linguistic minority students in the K-12 pipeline, this ground-breaking volume showcases new research on these students’ preparation for, access to, and persistence in college.

Other than studies of their linguistic challenges and writing and academic literacy skills in college, little is known about the broader issues of linguistic minority students’ access to and success in college. Examining a variety of factors and circumstances that influence the process and outcome, the scope of this book goes beyond students’ language proficiency and its impact on college education, to look at issues such as student race/ethnicity, gender, SES, and parental education and expectations. It also addresses structural factors in schooling including tracking, segregation of English learners from English-fluent peers, availability and support of institutional personnel, and collegiate student identity and campus climate.

Presenting state-of-the-art knowledge and mapping out a future research agenda in an extremely important and yet understudied area of inquiry, this book advances knowledge in ways that will have a real impact on policy regarding linguistic minority immigrant students’ higher education opportunities.

Currently, linguistic minority students – students who speak a language other than English at home – represent 21% of the entire K-12 student population and 11% of the college student population. Bringing together emerging scholarship on the growing number of college-bound linguistic minority students in the K-12 pipeline, this ground-breaking volume showcases new research on these students’ preparation for, access to, and persistence in college.

Other than studies of their linguistic challenges and writing and academic literacy skills in college, little is known about the broader issues of linguistic minority students’ access to and success in college. Examining a variety of factors and circumstances that influence the process and outcome, the scope of this book goes beyond students’ language proficiency and its impact on college education, to look at issues such as student race/ethnicity, gender, SES, and parental education and expectations. It also addresses structural factors in schooling including tracking, segregation of English learners from English-fluent peers, availability and support of institutional personnel, and collegiate student identity and campus climate.

Presenting state-of-the-art knowledge and mapping out a future research agenda in an extremely important and yet understudied area of inquiry, this book advances knowledge in ways that will have a real impact on policy regarding linguistic minority immigrant students’ higher education opportunities.

Why does a public high school, despite having resources and educators with good intentions, end up graduating English learners (ELs) without preparing them for college and career? This book answers this question through a longitudinal ethnographic case study of a diverse high school in Pennsylvania. The author takes the reader on a journey with seven EL students through their last two years of high school, exploring how and why none of them reached the postsecondary destinations they originally aspired to. This book provides a sobering look into the systemic undereducation of high school ELs and the role of high schools in limiting their postsecondary options.