“You have to learn the language of where you are”: language policies, ideologies, and the educational experiences of Puerto Rican transnational youth

Abstract

Transnational movement to and from the United States is a social phenomenon that impacts all aspects of life in Puerto Rico. This includes language and education for minors who move back and forth between both locations. The present investigation focuses on the educational experiences of first-generation Puerto Rican transnational students in the public education system in Puerto Rico. The data presented are part of a larger ethnographic study conducted in two public schools in western Puerto Rico with transnational students and the analysis encompasses the language policies established for this student population and resources available to them as they adjusted to a new educational setting. Although translingual practices were the most effective source of support observed for participants in the study this option was not always available. Due to the lack of an efficient support system for transnational students in schools this responsibility was relayed to teachers and their decisions were primarily informed by their own language ideologies and their life experiences.