Exploring language ideologies in the transition to an international baccalaureate curriculum : a case study of an executive elite school in Puerto Rico

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how language ideologies shifted after 2014 when the International Baccalaureate program was implemented in an executive elite school in Puerto Rico. The research investigates the language that characterized the linguistic landscape of this private colonial school, one where eighty-five percent of the students use Spanish as their first language. After the implementation of the international curricular framework additional linguistic and cultural groups were evident in the school context. This qualitative investigation follows a case study design and uses photos, document analysis, and staff interviews using a semi-structured protocol as data collection strategies. The analysis provided an account of how language ideologies have shifted through the history of the school and the different ideologies that influenced the approach to language. This research revealed advancement around language policy and how it influenced practices shifting away from an English-only environment and accepting more translingual discourses in the classroom. In addition, it was observed that the school’s language practices were influenced by the socio-political context of the island. This resulted in openness to Spanish and other languages being present in the school and for teaching and learning purposes. This shift promoted the learning of English as an additive language while simultaneously accepting translingual discourses in the classroom which provided students with more democratic participation in their academic experience