ACLA Student Symposium 2023

Join us for the ACLA Student Symposium 2023! We have three emerging scholars who will present their current research online. Below are the full abstracts for each speaker. See you at the Symposium!

Julianne Gerbrandt

Biography: Julianne Gerbrandt is a PhD student at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Canada. Her doctoral work examines the tensions of learning mathematics in French immersion, where both the discipline and the program are associated with gatekeeping in public education. Julianne is a Graduate Research Assistant with the Second Language Research Institute of Canada, a recipient of a SSHRC CGS-D (2022-2025), a 2023 UNESCO Janusz Korczak Fellow, a 2023 O’Brien Foundation Fellow, and a contract instructor in the Faculty of Education at UNB.

Abstract: Developing a theoretical framework is an important task for graduate students, but it can leave many of us wondering what role theory plays in undertaking research projects. What is theory? Which theory should we choose? And what role does theory play in research? In this presentation, I will share the challenges of adopting an educationally relevant theory (Siegal & Biesta, 2022) when planning a doctoral study in the field of second language research. In particular, I will explore some of the misconceptions associated with theory and theorizing in order to shine light on the ways that theory informs our research decisions. This presentation invites graduate students to consider the possibility of thinking through theory, a process that helps us to surface implicit assumptions, to notice shifts in our thinking, and to see an opportunity to contribute to academic discourse.

This presentation will be delivered in English.

Zeina Maatouk

Biographie: Zeina Maatouk est détentrice d’une maîtrise en didactique des langues de l’Université du Québec à Montréal où elle poursuit présentement ses études doctorales. Elle a également travaillé sur la conception de matériel pédagogique pour le français sur objectifs universitaires. Elle s’intéresse à tous les aspects des approches plurilingues et critiques, et plus spécifiquement aux croyances des enseignants, en formation et en service.

RA: Depuis des décennies, les chercheurs plurilingues font face à une pression pour publier dans des revues en anglais même lorsque l’anglais n’est pas leur langue dominante (Kubota, 2023). Récemment cependant, animés d’un désir d’enrichir les savoirs dans leur langue et de dialoguer avec le public dans leur communauté langagière, de plus en plus de chercheurs décident de publier dans des langues autres que l’anglais. Au Canada, ce choix se traduit en publiant des articles en français dans des revues francophones ou bilingues. Des études menées auprès de chercheurs francophones dans ce contexte indiquent que le choix de publier en français est plus établi dans le domaine des sciences de l’éducation, en comparaison avec d’autres domaines de recherche (Bégin-Caouette et al., 2023; Doghri, 2023; St-Onge et al., 2021). Cependant, nous n’avons toujours pas suffisamment d’information sur les pratiques des chercheurs dans ce domaine alors qu’ils exercent ce choix. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’examiner l’expérience de publication de chercheurs (n=13) qui ont rédigé des articles en français dans trois revues canadiennes connues dans le domaine de la didactique des langues et de la linguistique appliquée. À l’aide d’un questionnaire, nous avons élicité leurs opinions quant aux défis rencontrés, leurs émotions, ainsi que les facteurs qui ont influencé leur choix de la langue de publication. Les résultats seront situés dans le courant critique plurilingue (Englander & Corcoran, 2019) et les implications liées au soutien dont ces chercheurs ont besoin seront discutées.

This presentation will be in French and English.

Rosalie MacDonald

Biography:Rosalie Lacerte-MacDonald is a Carrier First Nations from Lake Babine Nation. Rosalie is from the Small-Frog clan and belongs to the house of many eyes in the Wit’suwit’en potlatch system, her hereditary chief name is “Muklalais”. She has been married for 22 years to her husband Brian MacDonald, and together have 3 children, Brian Jr, Marianne, and Emily MacDonald with 1 grandson, James Michell. Rosalie is in the first year of her Doctoral program with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., and in the Language and Literacy program. She has been a classroom teacher for 7 years in elementary and taught K to 5. Rosalie has recently had 3 years of experience teaching the Language Proficiency Degree program with the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology where she has grown the passion for teaching adult learners the Wit’suwit’en language through storytelling.

Abstract: Sharing through an Indigenous lens of the Wit’suwit’en ways of knowing by the methodology of storytelling. Incorporating literature into Indigenous storytelling, and revitalizing the Wit’suwit’en language through stories is an essential way to restore language learning. The importance of containing Wit’suwit’en stories from our Carrier ancestors is vital in filling the gap of knowledge from our elders to future generations. Many teachings and knowledge are passed down through storytelling when it comes to revitalizing the Wit’suwit’en language and ways of knowing and doing. Storytelling is a practical way of bringing back historical stories, knowledge, and cultural values. Storytelling incorporates a diversity of teaching topics and strategies such as oral, written, visual, and digital storytelling. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life. Storytelling is universal and can be utilized in every culture. A story of the Wit’suwit’en ways of knowing will be shared through a TPRS (Total physical response story) method that has been known to be an effective way of teaching language. TPRS includes fun strategies in how others can teach language through the method of storytelling and teaching by using TPRS.

The language of the presentation will be in English, and Wit’suwit’en (Carrier).