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Description
This linguistic ethnography follows three journalism students (Petra, Penélope, and María) as they engaged in experiential language learning (EX-LL) via collaboration with community members during their Spanish for Specific Purposes (SSP) internship sites in the fields of journalism and medicine within the local Metro Phoenix community. Data were collected over the course of a 15-week semester via ethnographic methods (field notes, interviews, observations, and participant-reported data) to explore how the interns (i) took advantage of their SSP internship experiences to engage in identity work that exceeded the goals of the program and how they (ii) implemented their strategic knowledge via communicative strategies (CSs) during breakdowns in communication with community members related to their SSP internship sites/the social function of such strategies.
In order to answer the first research question, the data were analyzed via open and focused coding (Dyson & Genishi, 2005), followed by discourse analysis (Gee, 2005) informed by Critical Applied Linguistics (Pennycook, 2001) and Positioning Theory (Davis & Harré, 1990). To answer the second question, all instances in which the interns implemented communicative strategies were analyzed based upon the categorization repertories established by Dörnyei and Scott (1995a, 1995b, 1997), Lafford (2004), and Tarone and Yule (1987). To go beyond understanding what the interns were saying to why were they saying it, discourse analysis was used (Gee, 2005).
The findings show that Petra, Penélope, and María appropriated their SSP internship to engage distinct, yet interrelated language- and ethnic/racial-based identity work. Each intern utilized language (and extra-linguistic elements, such as corporeal expression) to position themselves in different ways within social discourse. Furthermore, this identity work influenced which CSs they utilized, as the social function of many of these strategies was to maintain and/or protect their desired identities.
Drawing on these insights, a variety of implications are offered from four viewpoints: implications for (i) EX-LL-based research: colonized versus humanizing research, (ii) critical community collaboration inside and outside of EX-LL, (iii) CSs and communicative competence, and (iv) EX-LL/Languages for Specific Purposes pedagogy and internship design.
In order to answer the first research question, the data were analyzed via open and focused coding (Dyson & Genishi, 2005), followed by discourse analysis (Gee, 2005) informed by Critical Applied Linguistics (Pennycook, 2001) and Positioning Theory (Davis & Harré, 1990). To answer the second question, all instances in which the interns implemented communicative strategies were analyzed based upon the categorization repertories established by Dörnyei and Scott (1995a, 1995b, 1997), Lafford (2004), and Tarone and Yule (1987). To go beyond understanding what the interns were saying to why were they saying it, discourse analysis was used (Gee, 2005).
The findings show that Petra, Penélope, and María appropriated their SSP internship to engage distinct, yet interrelated language- and ethnic/racial-based identity work. Each intern utilized language (and extra-linguistic elements, such as corporeal expression) to position themselves in different ways within social discourse. Furthermore, this identity work influenced which CSs they utilized, as the social function of many of these strategies was to maintain and/or protect their desired identities.
Drawing on these insights, a variety of implications are offered from four viewpoints: implications for (i) EX-LL-based research: colonized versus humanizing research, (ii) critical community collaboration inside and outside of EX-LL, (iii) CSs and communicative competence, and (iv) EX-LL/Languages for Specific Purposes pedagogy and internship design.
ContributorsVollmer Rivera, Alexis Ann (Author) / Lafford, Barbara (Thesis advisor) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Bernstein, Katie (Committee member) / Beaudrie, Sara (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Across the world, nations manage their borders in various ways. Brazil and Uruguay share a non-militarized dry border, which creates a range of unique challenges and assets for that region. Through historical, linguistic, and cultural context as well as ethnography-inspired mixed method research, this paper demonstrates that the border region serves as an area of cultural blending. While elements of national affiliation are still present, at times, semiotic and linguistic elements are neither Brazilian nor Uruguayan, but have taken on their own identity.
ContributorsAraiza, Ulises (Co-author) / Desper, Tate (Co-author) / Escobar, Edward (Thesis director) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Transborder Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
I never feel completely comfortable with someone until I know I can make them laugh. Humor has played an important role in all of my personal relationships, with friends, family and coworkers. For this reason, humor has always fascinated me. One person's sense of humor can differ so greatly from another's, yet the reaction of laughter is the same. Entering college, I saw the field of psychology as the most direct path to studying humor. My thesis was always going to address humor in some way, and I decided that the best way to study humor was through stand-up comedians. These performers spend most of their time trying to make other people laugh, but they don't seem very happy. I decided to watch local shows and interview local comedians, with the goal of better understanding this relationship between humor and sadness. Specifically, I wanted to find out how these comedians use humor to deal with negative experiences in their lives. I conducted interviews with six local stand-up comics, who have experienced varying degrees of success in their stand-up careers. The questions for the interviews were developed to best determine how the comics had decided to work in stand-up comedy, what their career trajectories had looked like, how they develop their material, how humor connects to negative experiences in their lives, and how committed each comic was to performing stand-up. Also, I hoped to gain a better understanding of what role stand-up played in shaping the identity of each comic. Interviews lasted between 40 and 75 minutes. I interviewed the local stand-up comics Iesha Renee, Shapel Lacey, Anwar Newton, Mike Enders and Charles Engle, and Michael Turner.
ContributorsLucas, Peter J. (Author) / Meloy, Lisa (Thesis director) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This study observes two fanfiction speech communities, Danny Phantom and Detective Conan. The members of these communities write stories based upon the canon within these two animated cartoons and interact with one another through reviews, author's notes, and story summaries. Using the speech community model, this community's unique practices and communicative repertoire will be identified and analyzed. Both of these fandoms show similarities with the overarching general fanfiction speech community, but they also possess key differences that define them as their own separate community. Fan jargon is used frequently in author's notes, reviews, and summaries to indicate fan expertise and membership within the fandom as well as exclude newcomers from understanding the information. This jargon remains largely the same across languages, and using it properly is important to being considered a true fan. Furthermore, many stories share similar elements that are not present within the source material, indicating that the fandoms possess a shared communicative repertoire. Review practices also show strong cultural norms that demand that reviewers offer praise and encouragement to the writers. Most criticism is phrased extremely kindly to avoid breaking cultural norms. Those who do not follow these cultural norms are shunned by the community, and required to apologize to maintain proper fan membership. Fan hierarchy is also examined, including the ways that big name fans and reviewers exert centripetal and centrifugal forces upon the language, simultaneously pushing it towards standardization and variation. Authors also use many face saving techniques to demonstrate their own lack of knowledge within the community, especially if they are new or inexperienced. The members of these communities share a deep cultural connection that is strengthened by their practices and repertoires.
ContributorsDial, Ashtyn Nicole (Author) / Friedrich, Patricia (Thesis director) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Education is known for being powerful in reducing poverty, improving health, promoting healthier economies, and providing peaceful and productive opportunities for young people worldwide. It’s a key to success that has been threatened in the state of Arizona through low funding, teacher shortages, and a lack of resources. Inadequate learning environments further educational inequalities and hinder academic achievement among students. In finding a solution, the objectives of education policy in Arizona are analyzed from an economic and equity standpoint.
ContributorsHernandez Martinez, Chelsea (Author) / Bizuneh, Abyssinia (Co-author) / Bolosan, Kaleo (Co-author) / O'Connor, Brendan (Thesis director) / Garcia, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of Transborder Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This dissertation explores the possibility of Critical Communication Pedagogy outside of traditional classrooms through a critical and performance ethnographic approach from 15-months of data collection. Specifically, the author embraces the Chicana/Latina feminist methodology pláticas to co-create space with Latinx high school students who have experienced the foster care system. Through sixteen pláticas, the major themes explored include interrogating power, embracing embodied knowledge to question civility, and examining culture and identity. Additionally, the author embraces critical auto/ethnography to grapple with the tensions that arise for her, as a communication scholar, embracing a radical approach to laboring with youth beyond the classroom.
ContributorsTerminel Iberri, Ana Isabel (Author) / LeMaster, Loretta (Thesis advisor) / O'Connor, Brendan (Thesis advisor) / Chávez, Karma (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This qualitative study explores the perspectives of six Indigenous learners and two instructors to analyze and reconceptualize pedagogical practices in the Spanish as a Heritage Language (SHL) classroom. Although there have been numerous proposals and perspectives that have successfully incorporated the sociopolitical realities of SHL learners, there is progress to be made to better understand the multifaceted identities of learners and instructors in the Latinx community. Thus, the perspectives of Indigenous learners and pedagogues are necessary to not only acknowledge but to meet the needs of a part of the Latinx community that is often erased by centering mestizaje. Thus, the present study utilizes Critical Latinx Indigeneities (CLI) as a framework to uncover salient themes in the individual testimonios, sharing circles, and written reflections of these eight Indigenous instructors and learners that have taken and/or taught an SHL course. The findings in this study indicated eight prominent themes: 1) dynamic identity development and identity negotiation, 2) connections between language and identity, 3) impacts of anti-Indigenous discrimination among Latinx people, 4) maneuvering language and identity in K-12 education, 5) implications of teachers’ positionalities and practices, 6) discrepancies on knowledge and holders of knowledge, 7) inclusion of indigeneity in SHL courses, and 8) tensions between taking/teaching SHL courses and being Indigenous. Additionally, pedagogical suggestions and reflections are offered alongside a discussion on the concept of allyship. By foregrounding Indigenous Latinxs, I argue that decolonial theory and praxis, based on Indigenous ways of being and knowing, can lead to crucial advancements in SHL Education. By extending the theoretical boundaries of critical pedagogies in SHL Education, we can begin to dismantle deficit- based orientations to researching and teaching SHL learners with dynamic and racially diverse identities. This study has the potential to make an invaluable contribution by disrupting ongoing settler colonial logics that persist in language education by offering pedagogical considerations from Indigenous instructors and learners that would result in an increasingly inclusive Spanish classroom in which Latinxs of varied backgrounds can thrive.
ContributorsOchoa, Valeria Alejandra (Author) / Beaudrie, Sara (Thesis advisor) / Gradoville, Michael (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The oppressive legislative policies and polarizing media narratives of undocu/DACAmented Latinx im/migrants in the United States have created unfavorable campus climates, which have further marginalized those students in higher education who fit into this category. As a result of Donald Trump’s presidency and rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that soon followed, undocu/DACAmented Latinx students are experiencing an increase in stress, anxiety, and fear to the point that they become silent, depressed, and feel the need to advocate more for their existence and worth on campus. My critical ethnographic case study investigates the everyday experiences of Mexican undocu/DACAmented students enrolled at a public university in Arizona – a state that borders Mexico – as they pursue their undergraduate degrees in the Trump era. This study is guided by critical race theory and LatCrit, sense of belonging, and resistance capital theoretical frameworks, and seeks to answer the following: (a) how race and racism shape their collegiate experiences, (b) where these collegians find belongingness to persist towards graduation while navigating an anti-im/migrant sociopolitical climate, and (c) how these students exercise agency via their activism efforts. The broader case study includes individual collaborative interviews, twelve months of participatory field observations, and a collection of documents. This study aims to expand the field of higher education’s understanding of how federal, state, and institutional policies and policymakers affect undocu/DACAmented students’ experiences in and persistence through college, highlight the agency exercised and assets these collegians bring with them to college, and offer research, policy, and practical recommendations for higher education and student affairs institutional agents.
ContributorsSanta-Ramirez, Stephen (Author) / McGuire, Keon (Thesis advisor) / Cisneros, Jesus (Committee member) / Jimenez-Silva, Margarita (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Muñoz, Susana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Despite the increase in enrollment of first-generation college students at four-year institutions, this student population was more than twice as likely to drop out before their sophomore year compared to their non-first-generation peers. Specifically, a subgroup of first-generation college students that has been identified as greatly disadvantaged yet received little attention in the literature are those from migrant and seasonal farm worker (MSFW) backgrounds. The unique educational needs and risk factors of these students demand that postsecondary institutions develop resources and support services in an effort to better serve them. While the literature identified co-curricular involvement as a factor contributing to the sense of belonging and retention of college students, it failed to acknowledge the unique experiences of minoritized and/or marginalized student populations. This study introduced and supported the argument that merely offering involvement opportunities did not work for this student population, and suggested that institutional agents who interacted or worked closely with them had to facilitate validating conversations and build close relationships early on to encourage co-curricular involvement. The innovation supported first-generation MSFW students’ participation and engagement in conversations and activities in an effort to help enrich their experiences, and enhance their overall sense of belonging and college retention. The innovation demonstrated the many benefits stemming from first-generation MSFW students’ participation in a peer mentor program, and allowed for collection of feedback in an effort to better serve this student population. Further, based on the results of this study, the innovation may have positive impacts on the sense of belonging and college retention of first-generation MSFW students.
ContributorsOrnelas, Zujaila Mizar (Author) / Basile, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Aska, Cassandra (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) practitioners (including policymakers, scholars, and nonprofit leaders) in the U.S. and Canada have often focused their attention on the United Nations’ WPS initiative as a strategy for responding to conflicts abroad, particularly in the Global South. As a result of these limitations, black, Latino, and Indigenous advocates and peacebuilders in the U.S. and Canada remain largely unable to take advantage of WPS frameworks and resources. The subjectivity of the term “conflict” and the range of circumstances where it is used inspire this research. The selective application of the word “conflict” is itself a challenge to security, for conflicts can only be addressed once they are acknowledged and so named. Where does WPS intersect with contemporary Indigenous advocacy? A case study of the #noDAPL movement and the ways that nonviolence and women’s leadership emerged at Standing Rock, ND in 2016 provide a partial answer. Four challenges and recommendations are offered to WPS practitioners who seek to expand the availability of WPS resources to Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Canada. These challenges and recommendations draw upon existing National Action Plans, legal and policy documents, and data from four interviews conducted with Indigenous women advocates in the U.S. and Canada in 2019. Above all, this paper seeks to encourage WPS practitioners to move beyond “gender mainstreaming” to consider not only how policies and practices impact women and men differently, but also how they may impact Indigenous people and settlers differently.
ContributorsMarques de Mesquita, Carolina (Author) / Lomawaima, K Tsianina (Thesis director) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05