Critical Perspectives of the Language Gap

Eric J. Johnson is currently Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, USA. His research focus involves ethnographic approaches to language minority programs and policies in public schools. His publications span a variety of topics involving language policy and planning, immigrant communities, parent and community engagement, bilingual education, and Hispanic-serving institutions. Dr. Johnson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to teacher preparation, including the theoretical foundations of bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) education, teaching methods for bilingual/ESL education, sociolinguistics, and diversity in education.

Introduction: Introducing the Language Gap 1. Exposing Gaps in/Between Discourses of Linguistic Deficits 2. Unseen WEIRD Assumptions: The So-Called Language Gap Discourse and Ideologies of Language, Childhood, and Learning 3. Meaning-Less Differences: Exposing Fallacies and Flaws in “The Word Gap” Hypothesis That Conceal a Dangerous “Language Trap” for Low-Income American Families and Their Children 4. Interrogating the Language Gap of Young Bilingual and Bidialectal Students 5. (Re)Categorizing Language-Minority Literacies in Restrictive Educational Contexts