Culture, L2 Self, and Emotion in the Digital Realm
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CULTURE, L2 SELF, AND EMOTION IN THE DIGITAL REALM: DEVELOPING LEARNERS’ INTEREST IN CONTINUING TO STUDY SPANISH by CLAIRE MITCHELL ISABELLE DREWELOW, COMMITTEE CHAIR ALICIA CIPRIA PHILIP GABLE BRYAN KORONKIEWICZ ERIN O’ROURKE A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2016 Copyright Claire Mitchell 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The present study centers on developing cross-cultural awareness using contextualized cultural projects. Drawing on the ubiquity of social media in learners’ lives, I used Pinterest as a means of exploring real-world cultural topics and leading learners to visualize themselves interacting in the target culture. To evaluate learners’ subjective experiences, I adopted a qualitative approach and collected data through pre- and post-study questionnaires, cultural projects, journal entries, and a focus group. Twenty-eight undergraduate students enrolled in two intensive review introductory Spanish courses collaboratively completed two cultural projects. In each project, they worked in groups to explore the target culture on Pinterest. Then they used the information from Pinterest to complete a written activity and an oral activity. After each cultural project, learners wrote an individual journal entry (in English) to reflect more deeply on what they had learned. Following an iterative approach (Charmaz, 2006), I did a line-by-line coding of all written data produced on Pinterest and in learners’ journal entries. I developed categories and themes based off the recurring words and phrases I found and analyzed the patterns through the lens of Gee’s (2011) theory of D/discourse. I also used descriptive statistics to analyze the data produced on the pre- and post-study questionnaires and triangulated learners’ responses with data from Pinterest and journal entries. Findings revealed that in the first cultural project, all 28 learners enacted a jet-setting tourist when exploring the target culture on Pinterest. However, once they had time to reflect, they began to progress in their cross-cultural awareness. In the second cultural project, results showed that when learners made emotional connections with the ii target culture, their cross-cultural awareness and interest in continuing to study Spanish increased. Findings suggest that cross-cultural awareness was not a straightforward progression nor did learners move toward cross-cultural awareness at the same pace. Instead, results indicate that cross-cultural awareness is a recursive process. Additionally, findings show that Pinterest served as a “narrative hook” (Freadman, 2014, p. 380) and piqued learners’ interests in culture. However, an integral component in cultivating a deeper, more profound understanding of culture in foreign language learning is reflection. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the many family members, friends, professors, advisors, and colleagues whose guidance and support made the completion of this dissertation possible. First, to Phillip, thank you for your constant love, support, for keeping me levelheaded, and for encouraging me to keep going. To Caroline, your joy and laughter have been a blessing to our lives this past year, and it has always come at the times that I needed it most. To my parents, Mark and Ramona Yates, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and to work as hard as possible. Thank you for everything you have done to help me achieve this goal. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Isabelle Drewelow, for the unending encouragement, guidance, and support in writing this dissertation. Thank you for the countless hours of advice and patience with me as I pursued this goal. Your dedication to both my project and me have been a tremendous help and encouragement throughout these past several years, and I am forever grateful for all that you have done. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Alicia Cipria, Dr. Philip Gable, Dr. Bryan Koronkiewicz, and Dr. Erin O’Rourke, for their feedback and support to help me better my research. To other family members and friends, I thank you for your support and for always cheering me on. Without you, this project would have been a lot harder, and I am grateful for your encouragement. To Dr. Anneliese Bolland and Dr. Brianne Stambaugh, I would like to express my appreciation for your willingness to help with my research. Finally, a very special iv thank you goes to Sara Finney for being “my village” and for the countless hours of proofreading, advice, and for endless support. Colossians 3:17 v CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 The Growing Need for Cross-cultural Awareness ...................................................................... 5 Connecting Learners to Their Foreign Language Experience: A Digital Approach .................. 6 Nurturing Cultural Awareness in 21st Century Foreign Language Learning .............................. 7 The Current Study ....................................................................................................................... 9 Culturally Focused Pedagogies Relevant to Today .................................................................. 10 Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 17 The Role of Culture in Language Instruction: Past and Present Methods and Approaches ..... 19 The communicative revolution ............................................................................................. 21 Globalization: Ushering in New Changes in Language Learning ............................................ 23 Learners’ Approach to Culture in Foreign Language Learning ............................................... 25 Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Culture in the Present Study ................................ 26 Cross-cultural Awareness: Critiques and Obstacles inside Foreign Language Learning ......... 27 History of Motivational Frameworks in Foreign Language Learning: A Cognitive Approach 28 Social psychological phase (1959-1990). ............................................................................. 29 vi Cognitive-situated phase (1990s). ......................................................................................... 31 Process-oriented phase (early 2000s). ................................................................................... 32 Socio-dynamic phase (2005-present). ................................................................................... 33 History of Emotions: A look into the Background of Emotional Theories .............................. 37 James-Lange Theory. ............................................................................................................ 38 Cannon-Bard Theory. ........................................................................................................... 38 Schachter-Singer Theory. ..................................................................................................... 39 The Current State of Emotions in the Field of Psychology ...................................................... 40 The Difference between Negative and Positive Emotions ....................................................... 42 Definitions of negative emotions. ......................................................................................... 43 Definitions of positive emotions. .......................................................................................... 45 The Role of Positive Emotion in Foreign Language Learning ................................................. 46 Interest as a Positive Emotion: Connecting Learners to Culture .............................................. 48 Motivational intensity of interest: The effect on foreign language learning. ........................ 48 High motivational intensity. .................................................................................................. 49 Low motivational intensity. .................................................................................................. 51 Cross-cultural awareness: The link between interest, motivation, and culture. .................... 52 Interest Low in Motivational Intensity, Future L2 Self, and Motivation in the Present Study: A Process of Learning .................................................................................................................. 53 Social Learning