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English Learners and Their Transition to Postsecondary Education

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

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Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

Part of the book series: Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research ((HATR,volume 31))

Abstract

In this review, we aim to bridge the established scholarship on English Learners (ELs) in K-12 schooling with the comparatively emergent research in current higher education literature, to address how ELs navigate the transition from K-12 schooling to postsecondary education in the U.S. Our objectives are to: (1) advance terminology for describing these students in higher education, (2) provide an understanding of political and legal developments shaping their academic preparation in the K-12 system that have consequences for their success in higher education, (3) identify key themes in the literature on these students once they arrive in higher education, (4) highlight promising theoretical perspectives to guide future research, and (5) advance higher education policy and practice implications. Our primary findings are that precollege and college academic experiences, financial considerations, sociocultural experiences, and cultural and linguistic assets influence EL students’ transitions from high school to college. Based on these findings, we advance theoretical perspectives that emphasize: (1) addressing the multiple social and historical contexts that shape ELs’ educational trajectories, (2) taking into account the multiple social identities associated with EL status, (3) recognizing the resources that support these students (including the assets they bring to education), and (4) challenging deficit ways of framing EL students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. Cesar Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, TX, 78207, USA

    Anne-Marie Núñez

  2. Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California Los Angeles, 3005 Moore Hall, Los Angeles, 90095, CA, USA

    Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

  3. College of Education, Temple University, Ritter Hall 462, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave., Philadelphia, 19122, PA, USA

    Yasuko Kanno

  4. New York University, NYU Pless Annex, 82 Washington Square East, Room 783, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Stella M. Flores

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  1. Anne-Marie Núñez
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  2. Cecilia Rios-Aguilar
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  3. Yasuko Kanno
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  4. Stella M. Flores
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Correspondence to Anne-Marie Núñez .

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  1. College of Education, The University of Iowa, IOWA CITY, Iowa, USA

    Michael B. Paulsen

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Núñez, AM., Rios-Aguilar, C., Kanno, Y., Flores, S.M. (2016). English Learners and Their Transition to Postsecondary Education. In: Paulsen, M. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 31. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26829-3_2

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