The role of Welsh language media in the construction and perceptions of identity during middle childhood. PhD: Helen Davies Aberystwyth University Volume I of II Abstract The aim of this research was to identify the role that minority language media plays in the construction and perceptions of identity during middle childhood, focusing on 10 to 12-year-old bilingual children in Wales. Often referred to as the ‘transition phase’, this period represents an important developmental milestone in the context of identity formation, where ‘the individual who was a child is now en route to becoming an adult’ (Durkin 1995: 508). The focus of this work is to attain a better understanding of how young [Welsh/English] bilingual children in Wales navigate these multiple identities. In order to achieve the aims of this research, the focus was placed on language and identity in relation to children’s use of and engagement with minority- language media. For many bilingual communities, there is a natural interaction that occurs between both languages through code-switching (cf. Wei, 2000). For multilingual children and young people, issues of cultural belonging and cultural identity can add to issues and challenges of self-representation and identity. Language competencies can vary and, for many, confidence in their own language ability can determine language use. Acknowledgements The completion of this doctoral research could not have been possible without the continued support from the staff at Aberystwyth University, family and friends. I would like to give special thanks to both Dr Merris Griffiths and Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones for their guidance and support throughout this process. Special thanks must be given to Merris for her detailed feedback, endless discussions over coffee and curry, and when needed, her tough love approach! I would also like to thank the staff at the Postgraduate office, especially Ceris Medhurst Jones for all her help with the administrative side of things. An enormous thanks must go to the schools and parents for allowing this research to happen but most importantly the children, for without them this research would be nothing. The focus group sessions were always fascinating, insightful and extremely good fun. The maturity they brought to the research process made data-gathering an interesting and pleasurable experience, and for that I thank you all. In terms of family and friends, the support I have received has been overwhelming, making this journey considerably more bearable. To my husband, Barrie Weston, I would like to thank you for the endless cups of tea, late night proof readings and your incredible sense of humour that has kept me sane over the past four years. I’d also like to thank my Dad, my sister Catherine and brother-in-law Karmelo for your continued support! Finally, the biggest thanks must to go to my mother, Dr Marlene Davies, who has been my rock through this process. Thank you for taking the time to read every single piece of work connected to this project providing feedback and encouragement along the way. Both you and Dad have always stressed the importance of education and have instilled a can-do attitude in me, for which I am eternally grateful. Diolch! Preface As a bilingual child growing up in Wales during the 1980s and 1990s S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru1), the designated Welsh-language broadcasting service (S4C), had always been there, nestled in the pre-digital, analogue service. Though perhaps not my first channel of choice as a child, it was nevertheless a feature, occupying its own designated media space, providing an alternative Welsh-language option. For those who fought relentlessly for the right to provide the Welsh-language with a broadcasting voice, the channel represented the fight against language oppression and became a symbol of the Welsh-language maintenance campaign. For thousands of Welsh-speaking children, however, it simply represented a platform whereby characters such as SuperTed and Wil Cwac Cwac came to life. Understanding the significance that bilingual children during middle childhood place on Welsh-language media was one of the driving forces behind this research. This doctoral research project came about following a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Aberystwyth University and the Cardiff-based production company Boomerang+ (now Boom pictures). While the KTP project sought to better understand the media practices and preferences of young Welsh speaking audiences in Wales, little attention had been given to the wider issues relating to the role Welsh-language media play in the construction of linguistic identity. 1 Channel Four Wales Table of Content 1 CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Foundation of the Research ............................................................................................................... 7 1.3 A Brief Historical Account of Broadcasting in Wales and its Impact on National Consciousness ................................................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 Aims and Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 16 1.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................. 24 1.6 Breakdown of Chapters ..................................................................................................................... 28 2 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................... 31 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 31 2.2 The Basic Themes: Identity construction in relation to Language, Media and Childhood. .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 2.2.1 Language and Linguistic Identities: Contextualising the Welsh Minority-language Maintenance Campaign in Relation to Identity and Language Choice .................................................. 34 2.2.2 Bilingualism and Diglossia: The Complexities of Bilingual Communities ........................... 36 2.2.3 The Media and Media Identities: Onscreen Visibility and the Changing Media Landscape in the Production of Children’s Content ...................................................................................... 42 2.2.4 Childhood and Childhood Identities: The Social Construction of Childhood ..................... 45 2.3 Organising Themes: A Cross-Disciplinary Study: Understanding the Relationships that Exist Between Each Theme ................................................................................................................. 48 2.3.1 The Media as a Nation-Building Tool................................................................................................... 50 2.3.2 Language Prestige and Minority Language Media ......................................................................... 54 2.3.3 The Importance of Scheduling in Children’s Broadcasting ........................................................ 57 2.3.4 Children’s Minority-Language Media in the Digital Age.............................................................. 63 2.3.5 The Complex Relationship between Welsh Medium Education and Welsh-language Media 65 2.3.6 Welsh-language Education: A Varied Approach ............................................................................. 67 2.4 Global Themes: The Transition Phase ......................................................................................... 70 2.4.1 Peer and Adult Relations: Language Choice and Self-Expression ........................................... 71 2.4.2 Education and the Transition Phase .................................................................................................... 74 2.4.3 Self-Identification and Affiliation to Culture and Place During the Transition Phase ... 75 2.5 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 75 3 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 78 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 78 3.2 Section 1: Data Gathering Research Methodologies ............................................................... 80 3.2.1 Theoretical Overview: The Importance of Conducting Research with Children and Appropriate Methodological Approaches.......................................................................................................... 80 3.2.1.1 Focus Groups ........................................................................................................................................ 81 3.2.1.2 Creative and Task-Based Research Methods .......................................................................... 84 3.2.1.3 Ethical Considerations .....................................................................................................................