research overview
- Dr. Deborah Palmer's research interests include ethnography and discourse analysis in diverse multilingual settings; bilingual education programs, policy and practice; dual language/two-way immersion education; and bilingual teacher leadership/agency. In particular, Dr. Palmer examines issues of race and class in bilingual settings, and the impact of critical awareness of teachers on mitigating hegemonic discourses. She also explores various ways to open equitable spaces/opportunities in the discourse for learning for linguistically diverse children in school. She is interested in how bilingual children can be positioned or position themselves in academically powerful ways within a classroom.