Representations of Immigrant Language Minorities in US Higher Education

This article explores representations of language minority student identity in US post‐secondary education. Arguing that representations of attributes such as ethnicity are locally constituted and manifested in curricula, institutional organization, and teacher beliefs and practices, the study explores how dominant representations of diversity in higher education settings normalize and perpetuate images of deficits in ethnically diverse students even as they provide support and advocacy. Employing case studies of four immigrant first year US college students, the study examines student experience in two different academic assistance programs in US higher education, Educational Opportunity Programs and English to Speakers of Other Languages. By comparing divergent representations of same immigrant students’ backgrounds and experiences across these two settings, it is shown how different traits and deficits are ascribed to the same individuals depending on context.