Identity and Language Advocacy: A Critical Collaborative Autoethnography

Bilingual preservice teachers are uniquely positioned to enter into the figured world of K-12 schools, where many have experienced trepidation in their own education. Preservice teachers who are given opportunities to explore their identities, understand the big picture related to linguistic ideologies, and connect with one another are better able to grow a stronger sense of self. Through critical collaborative autoethnography, a group of undergraduates wrote their personal language identity story and explored, with their professors, their identities as influenced by languages, cultures, and educational journeys. Major findings include highlighting the identity improvisations of college students as they navigate a Primarily White Institution (PWI) dealing with discrimination, bias, and white and English hegemony. Coming together as a group to build student-led groups to be authentically themselves, honor their language and culture, and support their teacher dream created spaces to change the system. This work adds to the literature on the topic with recommendations that show the importance for PWIs to establish communities, networking and advocacy.