Vernacular Literacies in the Lives of Young People
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Their Own Voices: Vernacular Literacies in the Lives of Young People Inran Choi, B.A., M.A. Submitted for the degree of PhD Department of Linguistics and Modern English Language Lancaster University July 2002 ProQuest Number: 11003791 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11003791 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Acknowledgements I would like to thank firstly my supervisor, David Barton, who has given me such insightful comments throughout my Ph D and has encouraged me to continue my study when I was doubtful about the direction my research was taking. I am grateful to the young people and their parents who participated in my study. Without their hospitality and their warm welcome into their personal lives, this research would not have been possible. Although they may not have fully understood what my curiosity about their ordinary reading and writing habits was leading to, they willingly let me peep into their world. I am grateful for their willingness to let me do that and for the open-mindedness they showed. My gratitude also goes to my relatives in Korea. Throughout my long period of study my parents, sisters and brothers have helped me in various ways. Whenever I went to Korea to do fieldwork, they did everything they could to ensure I had the right environment to enable me to concentrate on my research. I appreciate in particular my father's help through my physical low points. The support and care family members gave me strengthened my determination to complete my study. Last but not least there is the debt of gratitude I owe my nuclear family who have been with me in the U.K. My husband, Neil, deserves the most enormous thanks which anyone on earth could imagine. It was he who gave me the support and encouragement I often needed in order to go on through the long tunnel of my PhD journey. He took on many different roles, ranging from that of colleague who was available to discuss my work to that of friend to cheer me up when I was frustrated. His help was just one more reason for me to give him a permanent place in my heart. I would also like to thank my two children, Taehee and Minnie, who accepted without complaint the fact that I could not always be available for them. I am so proud of them, not only for their maturity but also for their amazing adjustment to a new culture and a new society. Their success in integrating themselves into British society made it easier for me to dedicate myself to my academic work. This thesis is dedicated to my mother, Song-yun Jung, who was as eager as only a mother can be to see me complete my work, but who regrettably did not live to do so. Her hopes and affection for me will forever remain in my memory. 3 Abstract This research study explores the uses and meanings of vernacular literacy practices engaged in by Korean young people. Utilizing an ethnographic approach, the ways in which eleven adolescents integrate print and electronic media into their lives are demonstrated through participant observation, in-depth interview and the study of realia. In place of the traditional autonomous model of literacy conceptualising literacy as a set of decontextualised skills and competences, the central theoretical framework for this study is the ideological model of literacy, which acknowledges both the ideological nature of, as well as the power structures embedded in, literacy practices. The social approach adopted by this research is consistent with the ethos of New Literacy Studies. The multiplicity of literacy practices and the variety of forms of interpersonal interaction exhibited by them are presented and interpreted in order to show how young people leam to use unsanctioned literacy practices as communicative, expressive, and transformative tools for shaping their social worlds, their thoughts, and their identities. The power relations embedded in literacy practices, the ways in which the power dynamic is played out in home, school and church, and how people resist, negotiate and perpetuate power structures are all subjects which are discussed. There is an exploration of the relationship between literacy and gender and how gender identity and representation is treated in textual experience, with particular emphasis on texts used by young women. The study concludes that vernacular literacy is best understood as social practice and that it deserves much greater recognition and 4 academic investigation in that it holds significant potential for a greater understanding of youth. This thesis is my own work, and has not been submitted in substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. 5 Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................2 Abstract.................................................................................................................................... 4 Tables......................................................................................................................................10 Chapter 1 Introduction....................................................................................... 11 1.1 Why I chose my subject for research.........................................................................11 1. 2 A chapter-by-chapter summary of my thesis...........................................................14 Chapter 2 The ethnographic context .............................................................. 18 2.1 Geography and History.................................................................................................18 2.2 Language ..........................................................................................................................21 2. 3 Dominant and vernacular literacies ...........................................................................22 2.3.1 The role of Confucianism .......................................................................................22 2.3.2 Some dimensions of the dominant literacy ......................................................... 24 2.3.3 Why vernacular literacy? ........................................................................................35 Chapter 3 Theoretical framework for literacy and adolescence..............38 3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................38 3. 2 The literature on literacy............................................................................................. 38 3. 2. 1 Different models of literacy ..................................................................................39 3. 2. 2 Studies of adolescent literacies ..............................................................................44 3. 2. 3 Definition of terms ..................................................................................................50 3. 3 The literature on adolescence......................................................................................52 3.3.1 Theoretical definitions of adolescence in the Western context .........................54 3. 2. 2 Reflection of these theories in the Korean context ..............................................62 3.4 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 4 The methodology underpinning my research........................... 67 4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 67 4. 2 First phase of research fieldwork............................................................................... 69 4. 2. 1 Criteria for participant selection ............................................................................69 4. 2. 2 Approach to data collection ...................................................................................70 4. 2. 3 Explaining research purpose..................................................................................75 4. 3 Second phase of research fieldwork.........................................................................76 6 4. 3. 1 Selection of participants ........................................................................................ 76 4.3.2 Approach to data collection (second phase) ........................................................78 4. 3. 3 Other aspects of data collection ............................................................................80 4. 4 Role of researcher...................................................................................................... 82 4. 4. 1 Perceptions of researcher's role ............................................................................ 82 4. 4. 2 Power relations between researcher and research informants .......................... 84 4. 6 Analysing the d a ta .........................................................................................................88