Perspectives on Three Spanish-English Biliteracy Journeys

295 Pages·2015·3.7 MB·English

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
DDiiggiittaall CCoommmmoonnss @@ UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff
SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
January 2013
FFrroomm LLiimmiitteedd--EEnngglliisshh--PPrroofificciieenntt ttoo EEdduuccaattoorr:: PPeerrssppeeccttiivveess oonn
TThhrreeee SSppaanniisshh--EEnngglliisshh BBiilliitteerraaccyy JJoouurrnneeyyss
Elizabeth Visedo
University of South Florida, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd
Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Other Education Commons,
and the Other International and Area Studies Commons
SScchhoollaarr CCoommmmoonnss CCiittaattiioonn
Visedo, Elizabeth, "From Limited-English-Proficient to Educator: Perspectives on Three Spanish-English
Biliteracy Journeys" (2013). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/4787
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations at
Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. It has been accepted for inclusion in USF Tampa Graduate Theses
and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. For more
information, please contact [email protected].
From Limited-English-Proficient to Educator:

Perspectives on Three Spanish-English Biliteracy Journeys

by

Elizabeth Visedo

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Technology
College of Education
and
College of Arts & Sciences
University of South Florida

Co-Major Professor: Deoksoon Kim, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor: Valerie Janesick, Ph.D.
Steven Downey, Ph.D.
Janet Richards, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:
June 17, 2013

Keywords: academic achievement, culturally and linguistically diverse, empowerment, Latino,
online qualitative research methods

Copyright © 2013, Elizabeth Visedo
DEDICATION

Para Pettita
Todo a fuerza de madre
To Pettita
Mother-powered, through it all
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Foremost, may respect, kindness, and compassion garnish my co-major professor Dr.
Deoksoon Kim’s path in as much abundance as she relentlessly dispensed me for the past four
years. Then, my heart-felt thanks to Dr. Steve Downey, for his straightforward advice and
encouragement; to Dr. Janet Richards, for her solid support and her unparalleled coffee; to my
participants for their work and reliance; to those who helped me find them, Rosie Castro-
Feinberg, Dr. Linda Evans, and Eulises Avellaneda; to Dr. Dustin DeFelice and Dr. Oksana
Vorobel, for their professional audits and personal friendship; and to Dr. Phil Smith, for his
backing, understanding, and prayers in my hardest times. Also, my gratitude goes to Florencio
Visedo Navarro, my father, for showing me the way; to Mabel D’Alessio de Markus, my teacher
of English and mother of the heart, for presenting me with another way; to Petti Visedo, my
mother, for taming terrible dragons, fighting fierce minotaurs, smiling along every way until
the very end; and finally and forever to my co-major professor Dr. Valerie J. Janesick, for
mentoring and trusting me, always in my corner with wisdom and passion; I owe you tea for
life.
i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xii

ABSTRACT xiii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Contextual Background 2
At the End of the Literacy Decade 2
Some National Statistics 3
Spanish in America 3
Educational achievement 3
L1-Spanish students and college 4
College choices 4
Implications of L1-Spanish learners’ achievement for
America 4
Theoretical Framework 5
Antecedents: Dewey and the Frankfurt School 5
Exponents: Freire, Giroux, and McLaren 7
Postponements: Critical Pedagogy in L2 English 10
Applying Critical Pedagogy to Educational Research on Biliteracy 11
A Political Approach to L1-Literacy, L2-Literacy, and Biliteracy 12
Critical-Pedagogy Research 13
The Dialectical Method as a Research Approach 14
My Positioning in Biliteracy Research 14
Personal Background 14
Biliteracy experience 15
Teaching experience 16
Discursive Mode Exposé 16
The Problem 18
Purpose 19
Exploratory Questions Guiding the Study 19
Importance of the Study 19
Theoretical Importance 19
Methodological Importance 20
Practical Importance 20
Definitions 20
Biliteracy 21
Code-Switching 21
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners 21
Culture Shock 21
Educator 21
High Achievers 21
Identity 22
L1-Spanish 22
ii
The need for an unbiased term 22
L2-English 22
Language Shock 22
Organization 23

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE 24
Literacy in the 21st Century 24
L1 Literacy 26
Digital technologies and L1 literacy 27
L2 Literacy 29
Digital technologies and L2 literacy 30
Biliteracy in the 21st Century 31
Culture Contact 32
Similarity-attraction principle 33
Culture distance principle 33
Categorization and stereotyping 33
Primary socialization 33
Cultural syndromes 33
Intercultural contact dimensions 34
Intercultural contact outcomes 34
Identity 34
The Continua of Biliteracy 36
Overview 37
Contexts 37
The micro-macro continuum 39
The oral-literate continuum 39
The monolingual-bilingual continuum 39
Media 39
The simultaneous-successive exposure
continuum 40
The similar-dissimilar structures continuum 40
The convergent-divergent scripts
continuum 41
Content 41
The minority-majority continuum 42
The vernacular-literary continuum 42
The contextualized-decontextualized
continuum 42
Development 42
The reception-production continuum 43
The oral-written language continuum 43
The L1-L2 transfer continuum 44
Biliteracy Contexts 44
Biliteracy Media 48
Digital technologies as biliteracy media 48
Biliteracy Content 49
Biliteracy Development 50
L1-Spanish CLD Learners 51
Academic Underachievement 53
Beyond Deficit Perspectives 54
School versus Family? 55
Home literacy practices 55
Home as the context of biliteracy 56
Maintaining the L1 56
Cross-Cultural Respect and Biliteracy 57
iii
Con respeto 57
Linguistic Autobiographies 58
A painful choice 59
Two sides of one coin 59
A multilingual self 60
An analysis of linguistic autobiographies 61
L1-Spanish CLD Learners in Higher Education 61
Filling In a Research Gap 61

CHAPTER 3: DESIGN AND METHODS 63
Methodological Rationale for Qualitative Inquiry 63
Design 64
Qualitative Case-Study Research 64
The qualitative multicase study 65
The quintain 65
The cases 65
Why three? 65
Snowball selection 66
Participants’ Biliteracy Autobiographies as Data-Collection Tools in Case
Studies 66
Development of the Study 67
Preliminary Phase 67
Assessment and modification of instruments 67
Participant referral procedures 68
Informed consent 69
Selection of participants 69
Participant training 70
Human subjects’ protection 70
Pseudonyms 70
New email addresses 70
Protected blogs 71
Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation 71
Methods of Qualitative Data Collection 71
Blogs 72
e-Journals 73
e-Journal guide 73
Artifact e-portfolios 73
Artifact e-portfolio guide 74
Blogging procedures 74
Semi-structured interviews via Skype 74
Individual interview protocols 75
Group interview via Skype 75
Group-interview protocol 75
Interview recording, transcription, and editing 75
Recording 75
Transcription 76
Editing 76
Summary of Data Sources 77
The Role of the Researcher 77
Researcher’s reflective e-journal 78
External audits 79
“Extreme” Member Check 79
Negative Case Analysis 80
The Dialectical Method of Data Analysis and Interpretation 80
Ontological moment 80
iv
Epistemological moment 80
Coding and multiple recoding 81
Moment of inquiry 81
Intellectual reconstruction 81
Exposition 81
Audits by the critical friends 82
Praxis 82
Cross-Case Analysis, Answers, and Report Writing 82
Trustworthiness 83
The Critical Criteria 83
The Constructivist Criteria 84
Credibility 84
Transferability 85
Dependability 85
Confirmability 85
Triangulation 85
Methods 86
Technology 86
Investigators 86
Data 86
Theories 87
Ethics 87
Limitations 87
Summary 88

CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION OF THE DATA 89
Chapter Overview 89
How to Read the Cases 90
Code-switching 90
Sources 90
Paralinguistic features 90
Pseudonyms 91
Famous quotes 91
Headings 91
Participant Profiles 91
Fátima: A Journey of Hope 92
Fátima’s Context 93
A rich symbolic universe 93
L1 literacy 93
School in Peru 94
Coming to the U.S. 94
School in the U.S. 94
Plans for college 95
A vocation 95
Teaching ESOL 96
Lately 96
Fátima’s Ordeals 97
Fátima’s identity at play 97
Fátima: What might have been 98
Fátima’s culture shock 99
Uprooting and homesickness 99
Confusion 100
Prejudice 100
Information chasm 104
Health 105
v
Fátima’s language shock 105
Self-doubt 107
Fátima’s Breakthrough Paths 108
Fátima’s helpers 108
Family 108
Mentors 112
Friends and buddies 113
Fátima’s tools 114
Books and letters 114
Technologies 115
Fátima’s belonging 115
Fátima’s acknowledgement 116
Fátima’s empowerment 116
Fátima’s identity revisited 117
Fátima’s advocacy 119
Fátima’s Evaluation 120
Findings in Fátima’s Case 121
Addressing Sub-Question 1: Key Factors in Fátima’s Biliteracy
Experience 121
Addressing Sub-Question 2: Relevance of Fátima’s Biliteracy
Experience to Become an Educator 123
Addressing Sub-Question 3: Impact of Digital Technologies in
Fátima’s Biliteracy Experience 124
Addressing the Main Exploratory Question from Fátima’s
Perspective 124
Final Thoughts on Fátima’s Journey of Hope 125
Séneca: A Journey of Praxis 127
Séneca’s Context 127
A rich symbolic universe 127
L1 literacy and school in Colombia 128
Coming to the U.S. 129
Seizing an opportunity 130
In college 130
Lately 131
Séneca’s Ordeals 131
Séneca’s identity at play 132
Séneca: What might have been 133
Séneca’s culture shock 133
Uprooting and homesickness 133
Confusion 134
Prejudice 135
Information chasm 137
Health services 139
Séneca’s language shock 140
Self-doubt 142
Séneca’s Breakthrough Paths 144
Séneca’s helpers 144
Family 144
Mentors 144
Friends and buddies 145
Séneca’s tools 145
Books 145
Technologies 146
Séneca’s belonging 148
Séneca’s acknowledgement 148
vi
Séneca’s empowerment 149
Séneca’s identity revisited 150
Séneca’s advocacy 151
Séneca’s Evaluation 151
Findings in Séneca’s Case 152
Addressing Sub-Question 1: Key Factors in Séneca’s Biliteracy
Experience 152
Addressing Sub-Question 2: Relevance of Séneca’s Biliteracy
Experience to Become an Educator 153
Addressing Sub-Question 3: Impact of Digital Technologies in
Séneca’s Biliteracy Experience 154
Addressing the Main Exploratory Question from Séneca’s
Perspective 155
Final Thoughts on Séneca’s Journey of Praxis 157
Victoria: A Journey of Dialogue 157
Victoria’s Context 158
Survival in Cuba 158
Her parents’ education 159
“No” to the pioneros 159
Leaving Cuba 159
Arrival in the U.S. 160
School in the U.S. 160
Her parents’ English 161
Parental involvement 161
Familial values 161
Academic excellence 162
Lately 162
Victoria’s Ordeals 162
Victoria’s identity at play 163
Victoria: What might have been 164
Victoria’s culture shock 164
Uprooting and homesickness 164
Confusion 165
Prejudice 167
Information chasm 171
Victoria’s language shock 173
Self-doubt 173
Victoria’s Breakthrough Paths 173
Victoria’s helpers 173
Family 173
Mentors 175
Friends and buddies 177
Victoria’s tools 178
Books 178
Technologies 178
Victoria’s belonging 179
Victoria’s acknowledgement 180
Victoria’s empowerment 181
Victoria’s identity revisited 184
Victoria’s advocacy 185
Victoria’s Evaluation 186
Findings in Victoria’s Case 187
Addressing Sub-Question 1: Key Factors in Victoria’s Biliteracy
Experience 187