Language Socialization of Two Languages, Classrooms, and Cultures: a Descriptive Qualitative Case Study of Korean Immigrant Children

The book focuses on schooling and language learning of five Korean elementary school aged children in the United States. On designing qualitative methods, observations of the children in a Korean language school as well as two English learning classrooms offered descriptions of their school experiences and two language practices. In addition, interviews with teachers, the children?s mothers and the children provide added background information and extended the observations. A thematic analysis led to further interpretation and understanding about the differences in the three classrooms in which the children learned Korean and English: the ways instruction was delivered, the ways the individual children demonstrated their language learning, and the cultural context in each educational setting. The study found that the Korean language school and English speaking public schools were essential for the children to improve their language proficiency in two languages as well as to learn different cultural and educational expectations.