Enacting Critical Literacy: The Case of a Language Minority Preservice Teacher

Abstract

This narrative study of an Asian female prospective teacher describes a language minority student’s ways of enacting critical literacy in a teacher preparation program in the United States. It discusses how she exerted her agency despite her perceived marginalization as a non‐native English speaker. The findings demonstrate how she resisted the identity imposed as a “slow learner” by an instructor while simultaneously challenging the tenets of critical literacy. Ultimately, the study suggests that personal narratives in teacher education from critical perspectives can be a powerful means through which to better understand the lived experiences of language minority preservice teachers.

Notes

Notes

1. For example, Rose had a difficulty with Microsoft PowerPoint and typing pinyin, an alphabetical system for Chinese, to write with a computer.

2. As one of the editors pointed out, English can be a student’s third or fourth language. Therefore, the term “L2 academic literacy” has its limitation. However, the term was used in this article to address the academic literacy of students who learn English as an additional language.

3. Rose wanted to consult me before e‐mailing the letter to the technology instructor. When I asked her if I could include her letter in my research, she was willing to offer me a copy.

4. Rose managed to receive a B‐ for this course with help from me and a technology specialist in the program. By using this incident, I do not mean to fault Rose’s technology instructor. To the instructor’s credit, this particular course was designated as a writing‐intensive course for undergraduate students despite its stated goal to develop technological skills for language teachers/learners. Such institutional constraints as heavy workloads may have restrained the instructor, who was a doctoral student at the time of the study, from devoting more time to individual student’s request for assistance outside the classroom. This calls for more investigation to reveal the extent to which particular institutional forces play a role in influencing how instructors position non‐native‐speaking students with limited proficiency in both English and technology.

5. Her spoken English was quite comprehensible to both native and non‐native speakers although it was often grammatically incorrect (e.g., inconsistency in subject–verb agreement and confusion over personal pronouns). However, she tended to speak at breakneck speed with high pitch when she was emotionally charged. This tendency often resulted in the listener’s incomprehension of her speech. Also, she had a mild hearing problem which would have exacerbated her struggle with English.