The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Winter 2017 Understanding Translanguaging and Identity among Korean Bilingual Adults Nancy Ryoo University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, and the Linguistics Commons Recommended Citation Ryoo, Nancy, "Understanding Translanguaging and Identity among Korean Bilingual Adults" (2017). Doctoral Dissertations. 412. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/412 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco UNDERSTANDING TRANSLANGUAGING AND IDENTITY AMONG KOREAN BILINGUAL ADULTS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education Department of International and Multicultural Education In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of the Degree Doctor of Education By Nancy Eunjoo Ryoo San Francisco, CA December 2017 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DISSERTATION ABSTRACT “Understanding Translanguaging and Identity among Korean Bilingual Adults” This qualitative study, conducted at a Northern California university, explored how six Korean bilingual adults expressed their unique identities while utilizing both Korean and English in their daily and academic lives. The six study participants shared their journeys as bilingual adults who migrated to the United States from South Korea to attend graduate school. Several will return to South Korea at the conclusion of their graduate studies. Research data included narratives from in-depth personal interviews as well as focus group discussions. This qualitative study postulated that translanguaging is commonly observed within bilingual/multilingual populations and can be utilized as a source of meaning- making as well as a means to express one’s identity among bilingual learners. The key findings of this study illustrate that one’s languaging practices, environment, support systems, and academic experiences can have an impact on one’s ability to navigate multilingual spaces in authentic and empowering ways. This study also highlighted the participants’ resilience and reliance upon familial, social and linguistic wealth in order to successfully express their unique identities and ways of being. Keywords: Korean bilinguals, translanguaging, language and identity, English as cultural capital ii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Nancy Eunjoo Ryoo____________________ Dec. 14, 2017_______ Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Dr. Susan Katz _____________________ Dec. 14, 2017_______ Chairperson Date Dr. Sedique Popal_____________________ Dec. 14, 2017_______ Date Dr. Sue Bae ___________________ Dec. 14, 2017_______ Date iii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family. Not a day goes by that I am not truly blessed by their presence in my life. My parents continuously devoted their lives to helping others and have inspired and supported me throughout my life. My brothers have filled my life with laughter and provided a shoulder to cry on during difficult times. I could not have taken this path without their unconditional love and strength of spirit. Paul ShiWook Ryoo, my father. Sunny SungAe Lee, my mother. David Ryoo, my brother. Peter Ryoo, my brother. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply grateful to all those who continuously supported me and never stopped believing in me, throughout this doctoral journey. I became aware, very early on, that I was surrounded by an incredible and loving community of supporters. For this, I feel I am truly blessed. This was not a journey that I made alone. In fact, from the very first day that I entered the classrooms of University of San Francisco (USF), I felt a strong sense that guardian angels were guiding me on my path. First and foremost, I must give thanks to the Creator/God Almighty. I believe it was not an accident or coincidence that led me to USF (the only doctoral program in the United States with a human rights focus) or to Dr. Katz’ human rights course where I met my amazing mentor and USF classmates that inspire me every single day with their scholarship, activism, and compassion for others. From that very first class, I knew I was in the right place and that we would gain important knowledge and tools to use in the fight for social justice. I will always be grateful that the tremendous energy and passion of that initial class set the tone for me during the next six years and continued to inspire me throughout my doctoral journey. I would like to thank Dr. Susan Katz, my dissertation chair, for always believing in me. Dr. Katz, you are the kind of mentor that every doctoral student dreams of having! Your constant encouragement and guidance was such a blessing to me! I, only, hope to share with others what you have taught me during the dissertation process and throughout the doctoral program. I don’t think I can express how special this whole experience has been for me -because of your constant support, wisdom, and friendship. All I can say is, I hope to make you proud in the years to come. v Dear Dr. Popal, I want you to know, “it’s all your fault!” Our first conversations about Whorf and Chomsky inspired me more than you will ever know! You helped me to think like a linguist. I don’t think I would have begun the doctoral program when I did, without your fervent support and insistence that I could complete my dissertation. You believed in me, before I really thought it possible! As I said in the dissertation defense, I have had the best dissertation committee anyone could ever hope to have, and I thank you for all the times you provided guidance, scholarship, and support. Dear Dr. Bae, you made my dissertation committee complete! Thank you Dr. Bae for providing so much insight on bilingualism, Korean language and culture, as well as the Korean education system. Your support and knowledge was so pivotal for me in the final stages of my dissertation. I am so grateful for your insight and continuous support. I believe the final dissertation results, would not have been the same – without you. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart! I must also thank my loving family who stood by me and helped me through many years of struggle. I have two angels, my mother and father, watching over me. My father’s ability to translanguage, in multiple languages, inspired me to begin investigating this topic from the beginning of my doctoral program. My mother’s love and ability to understand me (without words) was something that sustained me throughout my life. I love and miss you both dearly, and I know I would not be here without all that you both taught me and sacrificed for me in our lives. To my two brothers, thank you for always making me laugh and for giving me the strength to keep going on this crazy journey! To Wan, my lovely sister-in-law – thank you for all your help with my Korean translations and “fighting” texts and for always exuding positivity, no matter what! Yes, yes, yes! To vi Kimberly and Kaitlyn, thank you for taking care of me as only two daughters can do! This dissertation is your proof that your brain can still function after age 50! So, I hope you both follow your dreams and passion, wherever they may take you. I would also like to acknowledge my extended family, who were the first that my brothers and I translanguaged with as children. To my cousins, aunts and uncles, who frequently prayed for our well-being and helped our family in immeasurable ways, thank you! ByungHa (Oppah), thank you for being so kind and for always being there for me! Aunt ShinJa, Aunt JinHee, and EunYoung (Unnie), thank you for supporting our family and having the energy of five people! All of you inspire me each and every day! We may live all over the United States, but I hope you know that you are always in my thoughts, and I keep you close to my heart. I would also like to thank my many friends and colleagues who have provided moral support more times than I can possibly count! Thank you Christine, Bill, Brian, Yoko, Victor K, SoYoung, Michelle, Connie, Billy, Victor C, Karen, Mark, Samantha, and Jennifer! Your constant friendship means the world to the whole Ryoo family! To all those at UC Berkeley, who have been so supportive for the past 10 years, I am glad that I had the opportunity to work with such wonderful colleagues and friends! Thank you Sigrid! I don’t know how I could’ve gone through this past year, without your constant support and virtual hugs! Thank you Carol, Angela, Sedique, Steven, Wayne, Yuko, Curt, Ilze, Patti, Shoshana, Carrie, Gabriella, Felicia, Brian, Amy, Chelsea, Thelma, Gloria, Lindsey, Sarah, Jamie, Olivia, Khai, Garth, Meaghan, Nithya, Regan, Alexsis, Liz, Stephanie, Martin and Helen, Tom and Dorbina! Our experiences in the TESOL, IDP, and IAEP programs will be ones that I will always cherish. vii To my friends in faraway places, thank you for your friendship over the years! I will not forget your kindness, and I am eternally grateful to have known you, and call you my friend! Thank you Eunsoon, HwaHyun, Daria, Semin, John and SooJung, Yeonmun, JinSung, Nga, and Susie Young! I will never forget your kindness and always believing in me, regardless of the situation! I hope that we will see each other again soon! To my USF family, I cannot imagine completing my dissertation in any other place.