| Bilingualism is an experience that is shared by many students in the United States. As the number of students who speak a language other than English has continued to increase, English-only instruction in schools have been measured by English-only outcomes, perpetuates an oppressive race and social order. This project examined the role of bilingualism through the trajectory of language policy in the United States. It explored how monolingual English gained dominance as a result of exclusionary language policies that continue to influence bilingual education today. It also considered the impacts of being bilingual and bicultural on students' development, and discussed social, political and cultural influences on bilingual and bicultural identities. An original case study was presented to demonstrate therapeutic issues related to bilingual and bicultural students, and it suggested a potential intervention from Multicultural and Introspective Developmental Counseling theory. |
