Transnational migrant children constitute a special type of second language learners, who experience language-learning interruption in two phases. In the context of this presentation, transnational child migrant refers to a child born in the parents’ country of immigration (or immigrated with the parents as a baby) who, at a certain age, gets involuntarily sent to the parents’ country of origin for a longer stay and, later on, come back to live with their parents again. Whereas the case of students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) is familiar in TESOL literature, little is known about unaccompanied transnational migrant children. This presentation will provide understanding of who these children are, the complexity of their language and cultural socialization, and how to ensure their smooth transition back into the US classrooms.
