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Indigenous Language Preservation Programs and Language Policy in Education: a Web-Based Intertextual Analysis

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Indigenous Language Preservation Programs and Language Policy in Education: a Web-Based Intertextual Analysis AN ABSTRACT FOR THE DISSERTATION OF Gloria J. Bock Muñiz for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education presented on June 8, 2007. Title: Indigenous Language Preservation Programs and Language Policy in Education: A Web-Based Intertextual Analysis. Abstract Approved: _________________________________________ LeoNora M. Cohen There are more than 6,900 known living languages in the world, half of which could be extinct within one hundred years. Approximately 150 indigenous American languages are still spoken in the United States; however, it is estimated that by the year 2050 only twenty of them will remain. Language preservation programs are a part of the struggle for the cultural and economic self-determination of indigenous peoples. These programs often operate within public school systems governed by laws and policies that are linked both with the goals of economic globalization and with basic human rights. This study explored the congruity of these policies, and their impact on indigenous language preservation programs. Its purpose was to provide information that can be used for planning and advocacy for indigenous language preservation programs that reflect the interests and values of indigenous cultural and linguistic communities. The research question addressed by this study was, In what ways do educational standards impact indigenous language preservation efforts? During the process of determining the impact of state policies and standards on language preservation program implementation, the context for the programs and the process of bridging the differences between university research procedures and building relationships with Indian tribes was explored. Using policy documents available online through state department of education websites, the study used intertextual analysis and a set of criteria to evaluate of the degree of alignment of state standards with the national standards movement and with national content standards, and to evaluate the degree to which state education standards are compatible with American Indian language and cultural preservation efforts. States that had policy support for American Indian language preservation programs were those least closely aligned with the national standards movement and grounded their education standards in state needs and values. These states had formal venues for American Indian participation in policy development, gave foreign language credit for American Indian languages, addressed American Indian sovereignty in social studies standards or benchmarks, and included standards on cultural processes. ©Copyright by Gloria J. Bock Muñiz June 8, 2007 All Rights Reserved Indigenous Language Preservation Programs and Language Policy in Education: A Web-Based Intertextual Analysis by Gloria J. Bock Muñiz A DISSERTATION submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented June 8, 2007 Commencement June 2008 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Gloria J. Bock Muñiz presented on June 8, 2007 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Education Dean of the College of Education Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes relation of my dissertation to any reader upon request. Gloria J. Bock Muñiz, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author expresses sincere appreciation to LeoNora Cohen for her guidance and mentorship, and to my parents, Harold and Louise Bock, and daughters, Angela and Julie Muñiz, for their encouragement and support. For sharing their wisdom, perspectives, and experience with me, I would like to thank Karen Higgins, Ken Winograd, Joseph Krause, Anselmo Villanueva, Brenda Frank, Lou Farrow, John Kelly, Wendell Jim, Mildred Quaempts, Kurt Peters, Allison Davis-White Eyes, Janne Underriner, Tony Johnson, Myra Shawaway, Mary Reynolds, and Zenaida Lyles. COVER PAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 The World’s Languages.................................................................................................. 1 A Tension between Western and Indigenous Ways of Being......................................... 2 My Involvement with Minority Language Students and the Standards Movement ....... 4 The Research Problem .................................................................................................... 5 The Purpose of This Study.............................................................................................. 8 Research Questions Addressed in This study ................................................................. 8 Overview of the Dissertation Chapters........................................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO: Review of the Literature.................................................................... 11 Introduction and Overview ........................................................................................... 11 Non-Western Ways of Knowing................................................................................... 12 Oral Narrative: The Chief Basis of Culture .............................................................. 12 Threatened Languages, Threatened Cultures............................................................ 13 Why We Should Care ............................................................................................... 14 Orality and Ways of Perceiving.................................................................................... 15 Differences Between Oral and Print Cultures............................................................... 16 Auditory and Visual Perception................................................................................ 16 Temporality............................................................................................................... 17 Perceiving and Processing ........................................................................................ 18 Silence....................................................................................................................... 19 The Social Orientation of Oral Cultures ....................................................................... 19 Communal Knowledge ............................................................................................. 19 Validation of Knowledge.......................................................................................... 20 Personal Knowledge ................................................................................................. 21 Preserving Relationships........................................................................................... 21 Thought in Oral and Print Cultures............................................................................... 23 Oral Cultures: Schema and Imagery......................................................................... 23 Print Culture: Objectivity and Distancing................................................................. 24 Western Bias Against Oral Cultures............................................................................. 25 Indigenous Ways of Learning....................................................................................... 28 Seven Shared Themes............................................................................................... 28 American Indian and Alaska Native Epistemology.................................................. 31 Experiential Learning................................................................................................ 35 Tutoring, Coaching and Modeling............................................................................ 35 Learning and Teaching: Sacred and Ceremonial Knowledge.................................. 36 A Comparison of Indigenous and Western Approaches to Education ......................... 37 Indigenous Education: An Integrated System Embedded in Community ............... 37 Western Education: Bodies of Knowledge............................................................... 39 Indigenous Language Preservation: Challenges and Strategies.................................... 41 Global Education Initiatives ......................................................................................... 43 The 21st Century: A World of Competing Interests.................................................. 43 Definitions................................................................................................................. 43 Globalization............................................................................................................. 44 Human and Indigenous Rights.................................................................................. 45 Relationship Between Education and Globalization..................................................... 46 Promoting a Global Economy: The Role of Education ........................................... 46 Creating Norms and Standards: The Role of International Organizations ................... 47 Organizations Involved in International Education Improvement Efforts ................... 48 The United Nations and Human Rights Standards ................................................... 49 Key United Nations Organizations with a Role in Education ...................................... 52 United States Education Standards and
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