The relationship in a bilingual conversation between language choice and identity has been the subject of research in different disciplines such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and second language acquisition among others. The purpose of this research was to understand why and how language alternation occurs in bilingual interviews and its potential connection with identity. The data analyzed was from interviews from Proyecto Latino@, a previous research on Latin@ high school students’ experiences in schools and their academic engagement and/or disengagement. Participants’ narratives of their experiences indicated that code-switching is a result and a process of cultural adaptation. Code-switching in this research presented ways in which participants re-created their own concept of identity. Bilinguals of the Proyecto Latin@ portrayed a multiple identities construction –Spanish- English – when code-switching.

The study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) children’s language and literacy development. Family Literacy programs aim to encourage parents’ involvement in their children’s early literacy development and are associated with children’s increased performance on measures of early literacy. FI students typically lag behind their English program (EP) peers in English reading. It was hypothesized that a Family Literacy program for FI children would assist them in developing their English and French language and literacy skills. The study involved 71 Grade 1 children. The sample included both FI and EP children and their parents. The FI sample included a group of families who participated in the Family Literacy program and a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. The EP sample acted as a second control group. All children were administered a battery of language and literacy measures in English and in French (FI only) at three time points throughout Grade 1. Results showed that FI children who participated in the program made significantly larger gains in English writing than the FI control group. In addition, findings suggest that gains made by FI children following their participation in the program did not differ from those made by their EP peers who did not attend the program. Qualitative findings provide evidence that FI families who participated in the Family Literacy program increased their engagement in home literacy activities throughout the program, indicating that they adopted the strategies and techniques that were promoted by the program.

The study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) children’s language and literacy development. Family Literacy programs aim to encourage parents’ involvement in their children’s early literacy development and are associated with children’s increased performance on measures of early literacy. FI students typically lag behind their English program (EP) peers in English reading. It was hypothesized that a Family Literacy program for FI children would assist them in developing their English and French language and literacy skills. The study involved 71 Grade 1 children. The sample included both FI and EP children and their parents. The FI sample included a group of families who participated in the Family Literacy program and a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. The EP sample acted as a second control group. All children were administered a battery of language and literacy measures in English and in French (FI only) at three time points throughout Grade 1. Results showed that FI children who participated in the program made significantly larger gains in English writing than the FI control group. In addition, findings suggest that gains made by FI children following their participation in the program did not differ from those made by their EP peers who did not attend the program. Qualitative findings provide evidence that FI families who participated in the Family Literacy program increased their engagement in home literacy activities throughout the program, indicating that they adopted the strategies and techniques that were promoted by the program.

In this qualitative research study, I examine eight elementary educators perspectives on teaching science to diverse students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A critical pedagogy and antiracism conceptual framework is used to examine elementary educators perspectives on the interrelationship between student sociocultural background and science education. Ontario Ministry of Education policies and curriculum documents and science educational research are used to interpret themes/codes from the official literature on student diversity and science education. Key findings of my research study show that: (1) elementary educators’ are ‘socio-culturally conscious’ of diverse students in the science classroom; (2) elementary educators require a more complex and broader understanding of official discourses on the sociocultural contexts of science education and implications for scientific literacy development; and (3) professional development (i.e., workshops and training) and teacher collaboration opportunities are identified as effective strategies for supporting elementary educator in diverse science classroom spaces.

In this qualitative research study, I examine eight elementary educators perspectives on teaching science to diverse students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A critical pedagogy and antiracism conceptual framework is used to examine elementary educators perspectives on the interrelationship between student sociocultural background and science education. Ontario Ministry of Education policies and curriculum documents and science educational research are used to interpret themes/codes from the official literature on student diversity and science education. Key findings of my research study show that: (1) elementary educators’ are ‘socio-culturally conscious’ of diverse students in the science classroom; (2) elementary educators require a more complex and broader understanding of official discourses on the sociocultural contexts of science education and implications for scientific literacy development; and (3) professional development (i.e., workshops and training) and teacher collaboration opportunities are identified as effective strategies for supporting elementary educator in diverse science classroom spaces.

Because of its ambiguous function and usage, silence is a major source of intercultural miscommunication, which frequently leads to negative judgments, and breeds stereotypes. Grounded in a cross-cultural and interactive framework, I conducted a five-month descriptive qualitative study, which explored silence perceptions among Chinese, Korean, Russian, Colombian and Iranian ESL speakers, and Canadian native-speakers of English (NS). Multiple perspectives were investigated using stimulated recall, in a context of intercultural mentoring sessions and interviews. Eight ESL 'silence producer' participants were asked to explain their silence use, and their interpretations were compared with the functions attributed to these silences by other participants, one from the same cultural background as the 'silence producer', and a NS. Participants' silence perceptions were described, and most negatively-interpreted silences were identified. Analysis revealed intra-cultural acrimony, that high language proficiency perceptions increase negative silence attributions, cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards fillers, and the systematic silencing of ESL speakers.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / Educators teaching English as a second language to adult students must keep course materials relevant, up-to-date and low cost. This research examines the possibility of using television commercials to supplement existing teaching materials, making lessons more culturally relevant. Often direct translations reveal that the translator, while knowing the rules of the language, did not fully understand the nuances of that language's culture. The idea that language and culture are interwoven is well established. While some understanding of one without the other is possible, finding ways to blend language and culture in the classroom can give non-native speakers an aid to understanding implied and literal meanings. This dissertation describes research on how American culture is intertwined in the ubiquitous television commercial and how these 30-second "slices of life" could benefit ESL education. It examines American concepts depicted in television advertisements on the four largest networks and then investigates the relative merits of using TV commercials as a teaching tool. This study uses the Map of Culture, developed by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1959, for content analysis of ten primary message systems that can categorize cultural descriptions. A sample of nearly 2,000 national television commercials was recorded from four major networks—ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC—during primetime in November 2001. Only national commercials aired more than six times that month were analyzed for trends in illustrating both manifest and latent cultural meanings, and even cultural taboos. Random examples were then selected to create a suite of ESL classroom materials. Television advertising was chosen for this study because of its accessibility and its ability to provide both visual and auditory content. Materials created for use in the classroom included a discussion model with pretest component, a video of selected commercials, a Q&A format follow-up discussion guide, and a post-test measurement instrument. ESL teachers and students who tested the materials and were surveyed on feasibility, logistics, students' interest level, content, and cultural relevance. Television commercials were found to include cultural content useful in ESL lessons and in class testing showed favorable outcomes. The study results could positively impact ESL pedagogy.

An increasing number of newcomer English language learners (ELLs) in Canadian high schools are from refugee backgrounds, have a history of interrupted formal schooling (IFS), and do not have alphabetic and numerical literacy skills in their first language (MacKay & Tavares, 2005; Yau, 1995). While ELLs with IFS pose challenges for Canadian high schools and teachers, the struggles faced by these learners to integrate and succeed in their new educational environments are far more complex. This study aimed to gain insight into how two teachers are attempting to support the academic, linguistic and social integration of ELLs with IFS. Through classroom observations, interviews and document analysis, I examined the envisioned, enacted and experienced stages of two Manitoba high school programs that were created specifically for ELLs from refugee backgrounds who have disrupted or limited formal schooling and are at high risk of academic failure. The findings from this study revealed how teacher agency and divisional as well as administrative input significantly alter current and future learning opportunities for ELLs with IFS. The unique circumstances of each school’s Intensive Newcomer Support classrooms, i.e. student population, support services, teaching practices and administrative decisions, were found to impact the design and delivery of each school’s program and thus the experiences of the students. This study identifies how two teachers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, attempted to provide a meaningful and relevant education for their ELL with IFS students. It is the researcher’s hope and intent that this study will inform educational policy, teacher education and educational development initiatives both in Canada and in the various international contexts that serve refugees.

This thesis is based on an ethnographic study conducted in a split grade five and six classroom in Toronto during the 1985/86 academic year. Data were collected through participatory observation, as well as through individual and focus group interviews. A group of eight activist African-Canadian high school students, as well as 26 Euro- Canadian “drop-backs” were also interviewed. The time during which I conducted the study was a period of intensive education activism of parents and the community in Toronto. I was interested in determining whether or not, and this activism was reflected at the school level, and if it was reflected, how. I also wanted to examine whether or not the historically supportive auxiliary role that parents played during this period was elevated to more substantive and meaningful active involvement in the education of their children during the last half of the 1980s. This study shows that activities in the classroom were driven by pre-packaged curriculum materials and were implemented with very few modifications. Coupled with teacher-centred practice, this closed the door for any diversifying opportunities that could have found their way into the classroom, not only from the homes of the children and the school community, but also from critics of the use of prepackaged material and, most importantly, from the students themselves. Furthermore, teacher-centred classroom discourse pushed students to develop a cynical attitude towards schooling. Having no say in what or how they were taught provided the children with few choices but to develop a coping mechanism of passive resistance. Their short-term survival strategies included appearing as though they were striding along, but not embracing their school experiences fully. By the same token, they were not challenged to think critically, to evaluate or to problem-solve. A link was also established between the students’ passive resistance at the elementary level with ‘fading out’ or ‘dropping out’ and successful resistance at the high school level.

This study examines French-as-a-second-language (FSL) learning in Canada through the lens of an educational publisher. The fields of language and policy planning, second language learning, and educational publishing provide a focus for the study. The principal purpose of this thesis is to identify key stakeholders in second language learning and to analyze the impact of their actions on the development of FSL resources in Canada. Through qualitative field research with representatives from significant Canadian publishing companies, this analysis of relationships and roles will assist future Canadian second language stakeholders in better understanding the impact of their decisions on the field of publishing, on educational resources, and ultimately, on FSL students in classrooms across the country.