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Semin Speech Lang
DOI: 10.1055/a-2763-3161
Invited Review (Solicited)

Teachers' Beliefs About Child AAE Speakers' Language and Narratives: A Qualitative Exploration of Language Beliefs and Informal Narrative Assessment

Authors

  • Shaimaa A. Scrivner 

    1   Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, Houston, Texas

  • Grace Lee

    1   Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, Houston, Texas

  • Leslie C. Moore

    2   Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

  • Monique T. Mills 

    1   Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, Houston, Texas

Funding This research was supported by a Cross College Seed grant from the Ohio State University, an Underrepresented Women of Color Coalition Research Grant from the University of Houston (UH), UH Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, UH Provost Undergraduate Research Scholarship, UH Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Foundation.
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Abstract

This qualitative study examines Black and White teachers' beliefs about narrative language and language variation, particularly African American English (AAE), expressed in interviews following their informal assessment of second-grade students' narrative skills. Using raciolinguistics and language ideologies as conceptual frameworks, we conducted a secondary analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews. We found that the Black and White teachers prioritized narrative sequencing and downplayed grammatical and phonological variation in their assessments, but the two groups differed in how they talked about language variation. Deficit-inflected views were expressed by teachers in both groups, but Black teachers also talked about the social contexts and cultural meanings of language variation. Both groups reported evaluative and instructional practices that were informed by their beliefs. By centering teachers' voices, this study offers deeper insight into how beliefs shaped by race, experience, and context may influence perceptions of AAE-speaking students' language and narratives. The findings highlight the need for critical reflection in teacher preparation regarding language ideologies and linguistic inequity in classrooms, as well as culturally-responsive practices among speech-language pathologists, educators, and researchers working with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Keywords

language variation - teacher beliefs - language ideologies - AAE - oral narratives


Publication History

Received: 05 June 2025

Accepted: 03 December 2025

Article published online:
06 January 2026

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