Mapping Multilingual Voices: Comparing Teacher, Parent, and Child Perspectives on Bilingual Children’s Social Networks

Research Findings: This study explores similarities between how different informants characterize language interactions in childhood bilingual educational settings. Spanish–English bilingual children (n = 120, 45.8% female) from pre-kindergarten through second grade (age range: 4–9 years; M = 6.33 years, SD = 1.09 years) were recruited from four elementary schools in central Texas. Three network assessments were employed: (1) teacher-reported classroom language use networks, (2) family reports of children’s language use in and out of school, and (3) child reports about their language use in and out of school. Network characteristics included group size, gender composition, language use patterns, interaction frequency, and perceived relationship closeness. Correlation analyses were used to examine similarities across informant perspectives. Teacher network measurements revealed complex linguistic patterns not captured by other informants. Notably, language use perspectives showed moderate correlations, with the strongest alignments in concrete network characteristics like gender composition and network size. Parent–child differences emerged, with school networks showing less agreement than out-of-school. Practice or Policy: Findings underscore the importance of multi-perspective approaches in understanding bilingual children’s social-linguistic networks. Different informants provide unique and complementary insights, suggesting comprehensive network assessment requires integrating perspectives from multiple social contexts and observers.