Citizenship in Interaction: A Comparative Case Study of Civic and Linguistic Experiences in Multicultural Schools in Costa Rica and the United States Open Access
Solano-Campos, Ana Tristana (2014)
Published
Abstract
In their everyday interactions at school, students in multicultural classrooms build civic and linguistic knowledge and skills to participate in increasingly diverse societies. Recognizing the role of schooling to shape children and youth's abilities for active participation in multicultural societies, nations around the world have worked to acknowledge students' diverse backgrounds in education policy and curriculum. In the Americas, Anglo-American multiculturalism and Latin American interculturalidad are two of the models of diversity that permeate efforts to address difference and promote national cohesion. Alongside these models of diversity, each country's particular history contributes to the creation of unique narratives about who is considered a citizen and about the characteristics of an "ideal" citizen.
By comparatively looking at two top migrant destination countries in the Americas--the United States illustrating multiculturalism and Costa Rica illustrating interculturalidad--I set out to explore how these distinct models of diversity, and the statal narratives that accompany them, promote different civic and linguistic outlooks and abilities in students. Using critical sociocultural theory and the framework of statal narratives, I examined classroom dynamics embedded in larger cultural narratives in one multicultural fourth grade classroom in each country. Through document analysis, ethnographic observations, interviews, and focus groups, I explored the ways in which students' constructions of language and citizenship appropriated, contested, or perpetuated each country's approach to difference.
Findings indicated that the children's understandings of citizenship and language aligned with statal narratives that encouraged nation-centered approaches and promoted ideologies of linguistic deficit. Children's constructions of citizenship were located along a citizenship continuum and their practices of citizenship varied across structured, guided, and monitored school spaces. I also identified linguistic ideologies that systematically excluded and compartmentalized the repertoires of students from different linguistic backgrounds. In all of these contexts, teachers and children also found opportunities to interrogate and resist dominant narratives and used strategies and resources to construct citizenship and language in interaction with each other.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem 1
Purpose of the Study 2
Research Questions 3
Theoretical Framework 4
Critical Sociocultural Theory 5
Intercultural Viewpoints 7
Narrative Perspectives 8
Significance of the Study 9
Definition of Terms 10
Chapter 2: Literature Review 18
Children as Citizens 18
Citizenship and National Affiliations 20
Comparative Perspectives of Citizenship and Civic Education 24
Comparative Studies in Latin American Countries 29
Scholarship in Intercultural Citizenship 32
Cross-Border Dynamics and Education 33
Chapter 3: Methodology 40
National Contexts 40
Structure of Schooling 42
Immigration Patterns 44
Research Sites 45
Escuela Montaña Verde 45
River Song Elementary 47
Participants 49
Data Sources 52
Documents 52
Fieldnotes 56
Focus Groups 57
Individual Interviews 58
Researcher's Log 59
Data Analysis 59
Content Analysis 59
Constructivist Grounded Theory 60
Triangulation 61
Researcher's Positionality 62
A Note on Translation, Terminology, and Conventions 63
Chapter 4: Extranjero and Immigrant, National Narratives of Difference 66
The Myth of Costa Rican Exceptionalit 67
No Tengo Extranjeros: Deficit Perspectives and Teacher Mistrust 70
Interculturalidad: Colonial Past and Liberatory Hope 73
Entreculturas: Continuties and Discontinuities in the Costa Rican Narrative 75
La inclusividad lo es todo: Teacher Infiltration and Resistance 80
A los de Nicaragua les dicen Nicas 83
The United States: A Land of Freedom 88
The Multiculturalist Turn 90
Neoliberalism, Civics, and the Nation 94
Embracing Global Visions, Facing Nation-Centered Realities 97
International and Global Narratives 97
State Standards 99
Chapter 5: Every day and Everywhere Constructions of Citizenship 103
The Citizenship Continuum 103
EMV: Everyday Citizenship 108
Ecologies of exclusion at EMV 109
Performing citizenship 111
Actos cívicos 112
Negotiating decisions and action 114
Current Events 116
Mejengas 117
RSE: Citizenship as Expression 122
Standardized Test Rally 123
Friday Talent Shows 124
Micropolitics in action 125
Sites of Citizenship Learning 126
Chapter 6: Linguicism and Linguistic Duality, the Exclusion and
Compartmentalization of Language 131
Con la lengua que se me enreda: Language Ideologies at EMV 132
Branding: A Semantic Device for Exclusion 136
Linguistic Dualities and English Dominance at RSE 140
Language Ownership 142
Linguistic Compartmentalization 143
The Dominance of English 148
Chapter 7: Discussion 153
Understandings of Citizenship and Language 155
Performances of Citizenship and Language 155
Narratives about Citizenship and Language 157
Positions and Dispositions towards Statal Narratives 158
Implications for Citizenship Education 159
Implications for Language Education 164
Concluding Remarks 169
References 171
Appendices 206
Appendix A: Observation Guide 207
Appendix B: Focus Group Interview Protocol 208
Appendix C: Student Interview Protocol 209
Appendix D: Teacher Interview Protocol 210
Appendix E: Costa Rican Statal Narratives 211
Appendix F: United States Statal Narratives 213
Appendix G: Costa Rican Social Studies Program 215
Appendix H: State Performance Standards for Fourth Grade Social Studies 216
Tables 41
Table 1: Contextual Considerations 41
Table 2: Country Demographics 41
Table 3: Classroom Schedule at EMV 48
Table 4: Classroom Schedule at RSE 50
Table 5: Participating Students at Escuela Montaña Verde 51
Table 6: Participating Students at River Song Elementary 51
Table 7: Methodology 53
Table 8: Analysis of Statal Narratives 61
Table 9: The Citizenship Continuum 105
Table 10: Static Citizenship Traits 106
Table 11: Dynamic Citizenship Traits 107
Table 12: Structured, Guided, and Monitored Sites in EMV and RSE 127
Table 13: Student Responsibilities in Each School 128
Table 14: Constructions of Citizenship at EMV and RSE 130
Table 15: Language Ideologies 131
Table 16: RSE Students' Languages and Language Choice 143
Table 17: Research Questions and Findings Matrix 154
Figures 3
Figure 1: Domains of Study Addressed by Research Questions 3
Figure 2: Theoretical Perspectives 4
Figure 3: Documents Costa Rican Case 54
Figure 4: Documents United States Case 55
Figure 5: Data Analysis Process 60
Figure 6: The Costa Rican Citizen 80
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