An Autoethnography on Spanish Heritage Language & Identity
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California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations Office of aduateGr Studies 9-2019 REVOLUCIÓN DE IDENTIDAD: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ON SPANISH HERITAGE LANGUAGE & IDENTITY Cristina Velazquez Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, and the Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Velazquez, Cristina, "REVOLUCIÓN DE IDENTIDAD: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ON SPANISH HERITAGE LANGUAGE & IDENTITY" (2019). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 938. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/938 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Office of aduateGr Studies at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REVOLUCIÓN DE IDENTIDAD: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ON SPANISH HERITAGE LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by Cristina Alejandra Velázquez September 2019 REVOLUCIÓN DE IDENTIDAD: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ON SPANISH HERITAGE LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Cristina Alejandra Velázquez September 2019 Approved by: Dr. Kathryn Howard, Committee Chair Dr. John Winslade, Committee Member Dr. Bonnie Piller, Committee Member © 2019 Cristina Alejandra Velázquez ABSTRACT This autoethnography narrative examines my journey as a first-generation Mexican immigrant woman from birth, through completion of the doctorate degree at California State University, San Bernardino. The purpose in writing this autoethnography is to present a personalized account of my experiences growing up, in communicating between two languages, the structural and personal motivators behind maintaining a heritage language (Spanish), and to reflect, in my experience, how I have negotiated with multiple social identities, including ethnic, academic, and bilingual identities. In this self-study, I bring the reader closer to Mexican-American identity, language, and culture. Specifically, this qualitative analysis of Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) and identity will examine the following questions: a) How did I perceive and negotiate my bilingual identity?; b) What obstacles did I face when speaking English, Spanish or both?; c) What role does SHL have in identity development? I have chosen a qualitative approach, specifically an autoethnography, to answer these questions in order to add to existing literature rooted in the lived experience of Spanish heritage language maintenance. This approach allows me to be the researcher, subject, and narrator of the study, and allows me to reflect on my education as a bilingual and bicultural immigrant student. The autoethnographer’s subjective experiences (my stories) become the primary data and encompass looking at a culture through the lens of the researcher. While searching for themes written in vignettes, my journey is an account of two worlds, iii which coexist, in the infinite intricacy of language learning, speaking, thinking, and being. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my parents, Iselda Romero and Luis Velazquez, for their sacrifices so that I could have a better life here in the United States. You taught me to always try my best and to lead with a kind heart. Thank you to my sister, Janette Diaz Rendon and to Roberto for your unconditional love and support. To my brother, Luis may you too, have the courage to discover your best self. To my beautiful nieces, Cookie, China, Nanas, and Bella for reminding me to never forget to laugh and enjoy life. You all have given me the opportunity, confidence, love, and freedom to pursue my dreams. I hope I have made you proud. I would like to thank Dr. Howard for seeing me as diamond in the rough and taking a chance on me. You believed in me, guided me, and encouraged me throughout the process. I will forever cherish our talks over coffee and our talks over politics. Thank you Dr. Piller for your wonderful lessons and warm embrace. Lastly, to Dr. Winslade, thank you for lighting a fire in me with my educational endeavors. Your charisma and articulation will forever inspire me in academia. To Svetlana Lazarova, Trinidad Rios, Jazmin Rodriguez, Josie Pantaleon, uniquely special colleagues and friends. You all have shown me the importance and beauty of being bilingual and a lover of languages, especially within the world of academia and education. Our talks have given me confidence and taught me to be proud of where I come from and to be proud of where I am going. I hope to continue to inspire others the way you have inspired me. v Thank you to my road dogs Avi, Jesse, and Erica. I am forever grateful I decided to carpool with you three because you all gave me the perseverance and positivity I needed to finish the program. I will cherish the talks, the chisme, the advice, the jokes, and the love. You were more than classmates; you are my friends, my ears, my smile, and the fire I needed to finish. Thank you to my Cohort 7 (the lucky 7)—a diverse group of individuals making this world a better place. You give me so much hope. To my amazing GIRL boss crew Lacey, Debbie, Katie, Mel, Candie, Omoh, Tammy-- the most understanding and forgiving souls. You all look for the best in people and saw the best in me. Thank you for always believing in me. vi DEDICATION I would like to dedicate my work to my parents. This is for you. My accomplishments are your accomplishments. Your dreams and struggles changed my life forever. I am who I am because of you. SI SE PUDO. I would also like to dedicate this book to my Mexican community in recognition of the blood, sweat, tears, sacrifices, struggles, and strength we have endured, hoy y mañana. Somos de aquí y somos de allá--para siempre. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Purpose Statement .................................................................................... 6 Research Questions .................................................................................. 6 Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 7 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................. 9 Defining Identity ......................................................................................... 9 Spanish Heritage Language .................................................................... 10 Research Methods ................................................................................... 12 Assumptions ............................................................................................ 13 Researcher Perspective........................................................................... 14 Delimitations ............................................................................................ 15 Summary ................................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction .............................................................................................. 17 Identity ..................................................................................................... 18 James Paul Gee's (1996) Theory of Discourses (D/d) ............................. 19 Individuals’ Agency .................................................................................. 22 First Language Loss ................................................................................ 24 Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) .......................................................... 28 vii Heritage Language Maintenance in Education ........................................ 31 A Union Between Two Different Worlds ................................................... 34 A Varied Bilingual .................................................................................... 36 Summary ................................................................................................. 40 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Introduction .............................................................................................. 43 Brief Overview ......................................................................................... 43 The History of Autoethnography .............................................................. 45 Why Autoethnography? ........................................................................... 50 Participants and Data Collection .............................................................. 50 Vignettes and Personal Memory .............................................................. 52 Data Analysis ..........................................................................................