Looking through the crystal: Considering various perspectives on an immersion program in Honduras

Abstract

While immersion research is a well-established field, few studies have been conducted on immersion programs in Central America. This paper considers the perspectives of students, teachers, and the researcher on the teaching and learning of English in an immersion program in Honduras. Research in bilingual education has identified the importance of including the perspective of both students (Hamacher, 2007) and researchers (Schulz, 1996). Through the use of Richardson and St. Pierre’s (2008) model of crystallization, these perspectives were considered in order to further illuminate aspects of the teaching and learning of English at The Pines Bilingual School in Honduras. As part of a larger study, data were collected through written reflections, focus group and individual interviews, classroom observations, and a research log. An inductive analysis revealed two complementary themes: students’ language use inside of the classroom and students’ language use outside of the classroom. The perspectives on each theme were compared to relevant research in the field of immersion education and then key implications for practice were explored.