The Construction of Teacher Candidates' Imaginaries
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The Construction of Teacher Candidates’ Imaginaries and Identities in Canada, Colombia, and Chile: An International Comparative Multiple Narrative Case Study by Marlon Valencia Cabrera A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto © Copyright by Marlon Valencia Cabrera 2017 The Construction of Teacher Candidates’ Imaginaries and Identities in Canada, Colombia, and Chile: An International Comparative Multiple Narrative Case Study Marlon Valencia Cabrera Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto 2017 Abstract Preparing future language teachers to address the needs of diverse learners has made it imperative for teacher education programs to embed reflective components in their curricula. As part of these efforts, researchers and teacher educators have become more aware of the need to have future teachers examine their own teaching selves (Kumaravadivelu, 2012) and their language teacher identities (LTIs) (Barkhuizen, 2016, 2017a; Morgan, 2004; Varghese, Morgan, Johnston & Johnson, 2005). One of the notable advances in this burgeoning field is understanding that teachers’ identities can be viewed as the constant intersection between: teachers’ past selves, their current selves, and their ideal or imagined selves (Kubanyiova, 2012). It is precisely within this area of understanding the role of future teachers’ imagination in language teacher education (LTE) and LTIs that this dissertation aims to contribute. The present study provides a detailed account of how future language teachers construct their imaginaries in three five-year teacher preparation programs, one in Ontario, Canada (preparing teachers of French as a second language); one in Chile (preparing teachers of English as a foreign language; and one in Colombia (preparing teachers of both English and French as foreign languages). ii This goal is achieved through an international, comparative, multiple, narrative case study. Data was collected through questionnaires, document collection, familiarization with the contexts, as well as innovative data collection tools like multimodal identity texts (Cummins & Early, 2011; Valencia & Herath, 2015), and online memes (Shifman, 2014). Findings show the presence of six recurring narratives in the accounts gathered from participants. These include: 1) globalization; 2) neoliberalism; 3) contemporary mediated globalized (mostly Eurocentric) culture; 4) a narrative of interconnectedness in a globalized world; 5) a predominantly Eurocentric understanding of LTE; and 6) images and stories of teachers and learners. This study highlights the influence of these six narratives in the construction of participants’ imaginaries, as well as their agency to transform such narratives to suit their needs and use them to negotiate their own professional identities. Implications for the further exploration of teacher candidates’ imaginaries in LTE programs, as well as future avenues for research are discussed. iii Acknowledgements I am truly grateful to having the fortune of meeting people who constantly inspired me and guided me along the way in my journey to complete this doctoral degree. First and foremost, I need to thank the members of my dissertation committee, who have done a colossal amount of work to help me with this thesis. My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Antoinette Gagné. I still have vivid memories of the time we first met when I was admitted to the program. Back then, you kindly mentioned how your job was to make sure I would learn to think outside the boundaries of the research plans outlined in my application documents. You gently dared me to explore new possibilities and grow during my doctoral studies. Your support along the way and scaffolding of my emerging scholar identity through collaboration has been fundamental in allowing me to stretch as a doctoral student. Proof of your devotion to mentoring my academic growth is the 4000+ e-mails (and counting) that Microsoft Outlook tells me I have received from you over the past 7 years. Thus, I must thankfully say: ¡MUCHAS GRACIAS querida Antoinette! I am also extremely thankful to Dr. Jim Cummins. It is because of you that I came to OISE. You were the first professor who listened to my research ideas and gave me advice before applying to the Language and Literacies Education program. Your kindness, integrity, and generosity are truly inspiring. Dr. Normand Labrie: Merci beaucoup for sharing your wisdom in and out of the classroom during our conversations with or without a beer. It really is a humbling experience to have scholars like you unselfishly share their knowledge and wisdom with me. Dr. Stephen Anderson and Dr. Joseph Flessa: Thanks for accepting the invitation to join my oral defense committee and providing valuable feedback in the last stage of this journey. Dr. Manka Varghese: Thanks a lot for being my external appraiser. I am truly delighted by the idea that such a stellar scholar and person read my work and provided me with such detailed feedback. iv Thanks to all the amazing scholars who taught me or with whom I had rich conversations during my days at OISE: Dr. Nina Spada, Dr. Alister Cumming, Dr. Ruth Hayhoe, Dr. Carly Manion, and Dr. Julie Kerekes. Thanks to my OISE Family: Special thanks to Sreemali Herath and James Corcoran. Sreemali: you are my academic sister with whom I grew in many ways. Collaborating with you has allowed me to redefine the meaning of friendship and co-authorship. James: mi hermano, thanks for giving me unsolicited advice when I most needed it. Your sixth sense to know when I was due for a talk to bring me back to my doctoral journey is highly appreciated! Special thanks to mi amigo Yecid Ortega, whose kindness, friendship, and big ideas are always welcomed. June Starkey: Your support during this final stretch of my Ph.D was instrumental and I am extremely grateful for it. We made it! Thanks to my dear friends John McGaughey and Heejin Song. You have been along the way next to my family and I throughout the years. Additional thanks to my cohort friends: Inchull Jang, Hyeyoon Cho, and Maggie Dunlop. Thanks to my other amazing friends Victorina Baxan, Angelica Galante, Robert Kohls, Mario López-Gopar, Ranya Khan, Danielle Freitas, Stephanie Arnott, Reed Thomas, Christian Chun, Choongil Yoon, Jennifer Wilson, Maryam Wagner, Saskia Stille, and Bapujee Biswabandan. I have learned lots from every one of you and highly value your kindness and friendship. Your thoughtfulness has made my journey at OISE a lot easier. Special thanks to Megan McIntosh for accepting to edit this dissertation in record time. You rock! Thanks to the OISE staff who also made my life easier during my Ph.D.: Lisa Juan, Mariana Jardim, Michelle Pon, Lyennette Lobo, and Danny Cavanagh. Thanks to Professor Susy Rosvelti, and Dr. Ann Lopez for their assistance during my data collection in Canada. Muchas gracias a mi clase de español: Dr. Clea Schmidt, Dr. Geri Smyth, Dr. Kirsten Lauritsen, and Dr. Carrie Chassels. I learned from all of you during the fun years we met on Skype for v Spanish lessons. Thanks for your kindness. I am looking forward to continuing our Spanish adventures online. Thanks to my mentors and friends from York University: Dr. Brian Morgan, Dr. Eve Haque, Dr. Ian Martin, Professor Nicholas Elson, and Dr. Geoff Lawrence. Special thanks to the scholars who inspired me and helped me grow by sharing their work with me in different ways or trusting me with reviewing or writing academic articles, collaborating in research projects and conference presentations: Dr. Gary Barkhuizen, Dr. Suhanthie Motha, Dr. Sarah Mercer, Dr. Selim Ben Said, Dr. Elana Spector-cohen Muchas gracias a mis amigos, colegas y mentores de Colombia: A la Decana de la Facultad de Humanidades de la Universidad del Valle, Dra. Gladys Stella López, a las profesoras y profesores: Dra. Martha Isabel Berdugo, Rosalba Cárdenas, Hugo Taborda, Alexander Ramírez, Harvey Tejada, María Eugenia Ortiz, Carmen Faustino, Amparo Huertas, Dr. Lionel Tovar, Dr. José Aldemar Álvarez, Andrés Valencia y mi primer director de tesis, Dr. Timothy Keppel. Special thanks to my colleagues Maria Eugenia Guapacha and Orlando Chaves for proofreading this thesis. Your generosity, attention to detail and time are truly appreciated. Special thanks to Dr. Anne Marie de Mejía, and Dr. Isabel Tejada from Universidad de los Andes. Thanks for believing in me. Isabel: It has been an absolute privilege to count on you throughout the years. Gracias a mis amigos en la Costa. Espero pronto podamos visitarlos en familia. Gracias Adolfo Arrieta y Diana Jaraba A mi familia: A los Valencias: Jhonny, Juan Felipe y Stephania. A Boris Cabrera, Claudia Romero, Dan Vo, Camilo Romero, Catalina Vo, Marisol Romero, Diego Carvajal. Todos y cada uno de ustedes ha nutrido de alguna u otra manera mis ideas plasmadas en esta tesis y han vivido conmigo en carne propia varias etapas de este arduo proceso. ¡Así que mil gracias y mucho cariño para cada un@! vi A mis colegas chilenos: A las profesoras y profesores Cecilia Arriagada, Ricardo Núñez, Isabel Vásquez, Patricia Vargas, Candy Veas, Roberto Silva, Luis Vera, Sara Harlee, Patricio Bustos, Mary Jane Abrahams, Dr. Miguel Farías, Manuel Santibáñez, Víctor Prades y Dra. Malba Barahona. A mis amigos en Chile: Sandra Rivera, Deyby Bedoya, Cristian Rivera, Bárbara Echard y Andrés Robert, quienes con su bondad y solidaridad no sólo me acogieron en sus hogares como a un miembro más de sus familias, sino que también me ayudaron a entender el día a día de chilenos y migrantes. ¡Gracias por su gran corazón! Thanks to my North American friends: Ferdinand and Erika Vélez. Ferdi gracias por eseñarme a tomar buena cerveza. Los días que compartimos los llevaré por siempre en mis recuerdos y corazón. ¡Tómate una buena cerveza allá donde estés en mi nombre para que celebremos este doctorado! Special thanks to my dear friend Linda Good for always believing in me.