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Identity and Language Learning in Multilingualism
Get PDFWhy does a language learner learn a new language? How is one’s identity negotiated in certain language learning contexts? One’s identity has a tremendous impact on his/her language learning trajectory. This presentation describes key concepts of identity research in the Second Language Acquisition field. Also, the presenter suggests an imagined identity option for an English language learner as a legitimate multilingual citizen, not as a deficient non-native speaking second-class citizen
Epigeal fauna of Bosque Protector Cerro Candelaria
Get PDFPitfall traps are commonly used to sample epigeal fauna, and are especially utilized for the collection of ground-dwelling arthropods; however, this sampling method has yet to be employed in Cerro Candelaria, a protected cloud forest reserve in Tungurahua, Ecuador. Pitfall trap systems were established at two different sites in the reserve that differed in elevation and forest type. Although individuals from 4 different phlya, 11 classes and 17 orders were encountered over the duration of the study, pitfalls were most effective at sampling Coleoptera, which comprised 40% of the total catch across both sites. The two communities of beetle surveyed had similar alpha diversities and shared 6 out of 9 total families. However, over half of the morphospecies described at each site were found only at that particular site, indicating some degree of dissimilarity in diversity between the two locations. Overall, pitfall traps are a promising method for the long-term monitoring of beetle communities in Candelaria, and have the potential to provide information about other epigeal fauna inhabiting the reserve as well.
Trampas de pitfall están usadas para estudiar fauna epigeal, y están utilizados especialmente para colectar artrópodos que viven en el superficie del suelo; sin embargo, este método no ha sido empleado en Cerro Candelaria, un bosque protector en Tungurahua, Ecuador. Sistemas de trampas fueron establecidos en dos sitios diferentes en la reserva que diferenciaron en elevación y tipo de bosque. Aunque individuales de 4 phyla, 11 clases y 17 ordenes fueron encontrados durante el estudio, las trampas eran más eficaces para la colección de Coleoptera, que representaron 40% de la captura total. Las dos comunidades de escarabajos tuvieron diversidades alfas similares, y compartieron 6 de 9 familias en total. Sin embargo, más de la mitad de los morfoespecies encontrados en cada sitio sólo estaban presentes en ese sitio, lo cual indica un cierto grado de disimilitud entre los dos lugares. En total, trampas de pitfall son un método prometedor para monitorizar las comunidades de escarabajos en Candelaria a largo plazo, y tienen la potencial para proveer información sobre otra fauna epigeal que habita la reserva también
“Ellas miran la realidad”: La sequía y la gestión de mujeres en Santa Julia, Nicaragua
No full textPor los últimos dos años, Nicaragua ha experimentado una sequía con efectos drásticos en la población rural. Esta investigación estudió los efectos de la sequía en las mujeres de Santa Julia, una comunidad de 60 familias en El Crucero, Managua que estaba una hacienda monocultivo. Santa Julia fue escogida porque su acceso a agua ha sido limitado mucho tiempo, y porque tiene una cooperativa de mujeres que es activa en su gestión. La investigación involucró alrededor de 40 entrevistas y observaciones continuas como participante durante tres semanas en la comunidad. A través de entrevistas que involucraban las historias de las vidas de las mujeres en la comunidad, la investigación encontró que las condiciones de sequía dificultan más el trabajo tradicional de ellas. Además, se encontró evidencia que la cooperativa, mientras enfrenta los efectos de casi un siglo de la agricultura insostenible y la falta de atención del gobierno, ha cambiado la cultura de la comunidad por motivar la participación y liderazgo de mujeres. Un análisis ecofeminista señala los sistemas vinculados de poder que oprimieron y que están oprimiendo a las mujeres, que pone en más contexto los esfuerzos de la cooperativa. El trabajo de las mujeres es cada vez más difícil debido a la sequía, mientras intentan mantener a sus familias dentro de un sistema mundial que ignora su trabajo. Las acciones de la cooperativa de mujeres salen de la historia de la comunidad, pero también reflejan una rebelión contra los sistemas que marginalizan las mujeres y destruyen el medioambiente.
For the last two years, Nicaragua has experienced a drought with drastic effects on the rural population. This study investigated the effects of the drought on women in Santa Julia, a former monoculture plantation that is now a community of 60 families in El Crucero, Managua. Santa Julia was chosen because its access to water has long been limited, and because of the active presence of a women’s cooperative in its organization. The study involved conducting roughly 40 interviews and ongoing participant observation over the course of a three-week stay in the community. Through interviews that incorporated the life histories of women in the community, the study found that drought conditions make women’s traditional work more difficult. Further, it found evidence that the cooperative, while confronting the effects of nearly a century of unsustainable agriculture and lack of government attention, has changed the community’s culture by motivating women’s participation and leadership. An ecofeminist analysis points out the linked systems of power that oppressed and are oppressing women, contextualizing the drought’s effects on women and the efforts of the cooperative. Women’s work is increasingly difficult due to the drought, as women try to maintain their families in a world system that ignores their labor. The cooperatives actions come from the community’s history, but also reflect a rebellion against the systems that marginalize women and destroy the environment
The Use Versus Availability of Wood Extraction at the Baga II Forest Reserve Border Adjacent to Kizanda Village in the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania
Get PDFTropical forests, especially in developing countries, continue to face serious threats of deforestation due to human pressures and poor management. These forests are at risk of disappearing and taking their water catchment and ecosystem services with them. Kizanda Villagers’ illegal woodfuel and polewood extraction poses a threat to the future health and existence of the Baga II Forest. This study, conducted from April 5th to April 19th, 2016, aimed to examine the use versus availability of tree species along the forest border. Twenty disturbance transects, each 4 meters wide, were conducted perpendicular to the Baga II forest border. The transects were extended for 50 m or until no cuts were observed for 10 m. Each transect was spaced 50 m apart and transects bordered both the Kwekulo Village Forest Reserve and village farms. Villager’s use, measured as cuts greater than 1 cm in diameter, were compared using descriptive statistics to the available stems that were \u3e2 cm at DBH (Diameter at Breast Height). Location on the transect, cut age, and cut health were also recorded. To put these results in context, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a translator to understand villagers’ wood use and perspectives on forest conservation. The researcher’s guide, a Baga II patrolman, was also interviewed. Two hundred eighty one cuts and 1334 stems were observed. Six of the top ten cut species were also in the top ten most common species. All but three of the top eleven commonly cut species are known to be good fuelwood and timber. Species that were common, but not cut, all had smaller average DBHs than the species that were cut. The results supported the hypothesis that species cut roughly match the species present in the forest, however wood quality and stem size also appear to impact cut patterns. Villagers had generally homogenous, positive responses to forest conservation. All mamas (N = 20) grew Eucalyptus grandis and either Grevellea robusta (N = 17) or Acacia mearnsii (N = 16) on their farms for fuelwood. Responses to why forest conservation is important centered on rain, water resources, and climate. Cuts remain prevalent in the Baga II Forest, however agroforestry efforts appear to be partially meeting local demands. Efforts should continue to improve management, minimize illegal cutting of trees, and address the environmental and social concerns surrounding woodfuel and polewood consumption in developing countries
Youth media and social change: Using digital storytelling as a tool that engages youth to become change agents
Get PDFToday the importance of digital technology has significantly increased worldwide, as cameras, laptops, and easy-to-use applications and software have become available to educators and activists, enabling them to join the digital world. Through a digital storytelling workshop, I examined the use of digital storytelling as a potential means of empowerment for teenagers participating in the Access Micro-scholarship Program. Using qualitative methods, I looked at the students’ interactions with each other as well as with technology in the process of digital storytelling. The main purpose of this project was to investigate the opportunities that digital storytelling practices hold for youth in order to promote agency and self-expression, adding more data to the literature since digital storytelling has not drawn the attention it needs in Morocco. My main objective is to examine whether digital storytelling can be used as a change agent, that is, an inclusive tool that encourages Moroccan youth to express their concerns about social justice issues. In this regard, I describe the digital storytelling process and the impact that it has on youth, including the factors that turn storytelling into a tool for social change and community building. The results indicate that digital storytelling provided an opportunity for these youth to build their communication and leadership skills and amplify their voices so that in the future they could become advocates for themselves and the issues they care about
Beyond Embracing A Multicompetent Self: An Autoethnography of A NNEST
Get PDFThis article represents the identity transformation process of a non-native English- speaking teacher (hereafter NNEST) in the format of an autoethnography. Through the vignettes of the author, the evidence that English language plays a vital role as cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1991) in expanding circle countries (hereafter ECCs) (Kachru, 1985, 1986) such as South Korea (hereafter Korea) becomes apparent. Also, her narrative adds more credence to how the newly imagined identity options such as multicompetent self and English language teaching (hereafter ELT) professional have a tremendous constructive impact on the personal and professional development of NNESTs. Lastly, this study proposes the reconceptualization of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (hereafter TESOL) programs to address NNESTs’ needs for further language improvement. The NNESTs’ efforts for language development should no longer be seen to be rooted from a sense of inferiority, but as a desire to broaden their linguistic reservoirs in order to become more effective teachers. By moving forward from simply discussing multilingualism to making further efforts to accommodate NNESTs’ desired level of English proficiency, TESOL programs will see an exponential growth in professional practice among participants
Educating Global Citizens: Moroccan University Students’ Global Awareness and Perceptions
Get PDFGlobalization has affected the world in many ways: socially, economically, and culturally. It has also affected the education system as well as the daily life of individuals across the world, including the Kingdom of Morocco in North Africa. This paper will explore the success of a globally focused education in the Moroccan context, as well as, analyze the affect that globalization has had among the Moroccan youth, specifically university students. Additionally, how aware are the students of the current events that are unfolding in our global community. How has globalization affected their preferences and their perceptions towards global issues and current events? In order to analyze such areas that include the topics of geography, history, religion, political science, as well as current events, questionnaires were administered to Moroccan university students studying at the Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. The results reveal valuable insights into the country’s educational systems and cultural values as well as the major role that globalization has made in the daily lives of individuals all across the world. It reveals the importance of living in an interdependent world and what it really means to raise global citizens
¿Quién tiene la voz? Un estudio de murales y movimientos estudiantiles / Who has got the voice? A study of murals and students’ movements.
No full textEste estudio aborda los temas de murales y los movimientos estudiantiles. Trata de recoger información sobre el rol de los murales en el ambiente escolar y el vínculo entre los murales y los movimientos estudiantiles a través de entrevistas, conversaciones, y observaciones en La Escuela Alemania, el Liceo Miguel de Cervantes, el Liceo de Aplicación, y la marcha del 11 de mayo de 2016. Adicionalmente, fueron pintados dos murales en el proceso de recoger esta información, uno en la Escuela Alemania representando su identidad, y otro en el Liceo Miguel de Cervantes ilustrando los movimientos estudiantiles
The Women of Helamb: Life After the 2015 Earthquake
Get PDFDisasters exacerbate inequalities that are already present in the society, put particular groups of individuals at risk, specifically women. The vulnerabilities of women shape the way they experience disasters as well as their ability to recover from them. Although it has now been over a year since the earthquake that occurred in Nepal on April 25, 2015, the recovery has been slow, and the destruction that it has caused is still greatly visible. For this project, women in the Helambu region of Nepla were interviewed to learn about how their lives were affected by the earthquake and the challenges that they faced over the past year.
As time passes, society tends to forget about disasters and the people they greatly affect, but individuals are still struggling from last year’s earthquake and it is important that they not be forgotten. As in the case with other disaster, the experiences of women during and after the earthquake in Nepal have been different from those of men. The women of Helambu opened up to me about the obstacles they faced after the earthquake, the troubles they are still facing now, and the issues in their communities that have been present long before the earthquake. By understanding some of the specific difficulties faced by these women after the earthquake, we can gain a better understanding of their needs during the recovery process and learn about better ways in which to assist them in future disasters
Women’s Views on the Challenges and Solutions in Preventing the Gendered Spread of HIV in Masxha, Cato Manor
Get PDFDespite numerous national prevention efforts, South Africa remains at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The burden of the epidemic is extremely heterogeneous, with province, race, gender, age, and socioeconomic status serving as key variables in determining HIV prevalence rates. Black African women are disproportionately affected by the epidemic, with those between the ages of 20 and 34 having an HIV prevalence rate of 31.6%, the highest in the country (Shisana et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to engage with black African women about the challenges they believe women face in protecting themselves against HIV, and potential solutions. Participants were recruited from Masxha, Cato Manor, located in KwaZulu-Natal. Interviews were conducted in order to allow participants to describe their opinions on the topic. This study was grounded in the culture-centered approach (CCA), which is a health communication model that emphasizes the importance of having members from a community at the center of defining important problems and developing solutions. The prevention challenges and solutions identified by the women were compared with current prevention programs, policy, and existing research. While some commonalities existed, it is clear that the challenges and solutions expressed by participants were not fully addressed. Ultimately, this study showed that there is a great need for more community engagement in the battle against HIV