Moira Mullaney

I had never coded research before – I didn’t even know it was a part of researching before we started this project. Any previous research-related work I had done was entirely up to my own discretion, and it was entirely different in that it was more library research of others’ work instead of original research. I would pick the topic and what I wanted to focus on, then find relevant and useful sources to support my argument. Our process, however, looked much different. We were given a set of data (years of research conducted mostly by students no longer at Colby) to work with, then had to sift through it all in search of recurring and potentially important topics. Once all the data had been read for the first time, our group members returned to it to “code.” We decided to focus on the role that language plays in students’ schooling experiences at TES, especially with foreign language policy and practice, inside and outside of the classroom. We made a list of the codes we were going to use, focusing on mentions of language and globalization, then divided up sections of the data among group members to individually code by going through the data for the second time. Although initially I had no idea what I was doing, I eventually got the hang of it and actually enjoyed it. Little did I know, this seemingly tedious aspect of the project was only the beginning, and perhaps one of the easier parts. Although the bulk of the research was completed by other students so I felt somewhat distant from it, and I was unfamiliar with the coding process, I already read the data before the coding process, so I knew what I was working with.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383509724499211880/?lp=true

Once we gathered our coded data, we joined heads to choose which two major themes emerged from our coding process and analysis: how English-dominated curriculum and language policies perpetuate western ideologies both inside and outside of the classroom. As we began to collect specific pieces of data and quotes to use for our themes, I began to wonder – are we just picking and choosing what we want to see (with a westernized bias) in order to construct a narrative that fits our findings? Especially at this stage, in many ways, we are doing that; it will be important for us to include some data that opposes what our narrative says. Taking our themes the next step has proved most challenging thus far for me; the school’s culture in relation to language is what it is, but what does that really mean? What are the larger implications of imposing westernized ways of living and learning?

This process of understanding is crucial as we begin to write our research paper. Correlating outside sources and applicable theory with our findings to develop a larger narrative is no doubt a difficult process, but one that will be well worth it.

Before starting this research project, I have to admit I was slightly unaware of my privilege in regard to English as my first language: a form of cultural capital highly valued throughout the world. Both of my parents are native speakers, so I grew up learning and speaking the language without fully processing what was happening. As I’ve written about before, I studied the Spanish language for years and struggled enough with that; I know that English is one of the hardest languages to learn because of all its nuances. I have taken my English language skills for granted, which I am now able to realize is problematic.

https://makeameme.org/meme/english-english-everywhere

Our current political climate and the increasing usage of the terms “nationalism” and “nationalist” along with my increased knowledge through Colby’s education department about Westernized ideologies shed light on the international implications of the United States’ culture, and all that goes along with that culture. Reading through our data I began to understand what a profound impact the English language and the Western world has on TES in Taiwan, specifically the United States’ influence. As an international “American” school, parents pay tuition for their children to be immersed in the English language in their schooling experience with an end goal of sending these elite students to Westernized countries, especially the United States. Students, parents, and teachers alike describe the idea of becoming globalized through this process – with one student defining what it means to be a global citizen as “Americanized.” The frequent repetition of American ideals makes me uncomfortable, as I grapple with this idea of students separating themselves from their native culture in order to join one that is viewed as superior and providing more opportunities for success. As I am American, I am part of a culture deemed successful, and I am now forced to question the benefits and complications that come along with it.

I have begun to wonder about Bourdieu’s idea of “outsiders within” in relation to this research – as these Taiwanese students begin to abandon their own culture to align themselves with the standards and expectations of Western culture, how do they hold onto their senses of self as they lose pieces of their identities? As they become “global” and begin to travel internationally to Westernized countries, do they feel like outsiders within a culture they have tried to become a part of? While I agree with beneficial qualities of being bilingual, I struggle to understand why English is becoming seemingly necessary to succeed in our modern world.

http://www.quotemaster.org/global+citizen

When we decided that language was going to be our focal point of the research, I immediately drew connections to my own experiences with language at an elite boarding school in Massachusetts. Students were not only required to study a foreign language, but also encouraged to join language clubs and jump at opportunities for global adventure when they arose. During my junior year of high school, an opportunity arose and I jumped faster than you can say opportunity. I went with two Spanish teachers and fourteen peers to a small, impoverished town in the Dominican Republic. We spent a week working with a nonprofit organization that brought us to a local school where we taught students the English language. The philosophy behind this organization is to enable these students to “live a life of choice.” That is to say, by learning English, a world of possibilities awaits outside of their small town. While I enjoyed my time spent there, looking back on it now, there was definitely a “westernized” ideology present; it was as if the only way these children could live successful and fulfilling lives was if they learned English.

Additionally, it is now obvious to me why my school pushed this opportunity on us: an international service trip? What better way to maintain our eliteness! As a seventeen-year-old high school student barely able to hold a conversation in Spanish, it is difficult for me to say that I was qualified for the position. Learning more about eliteness and elite schooling through my classes with Adam has made me hyper-aware of my own privilege, especially in relation to my schooling experience. As a white student from an elite prep school in the United States, my expertise certainly did not lie in the realm of international education for disadvantaged children. The presence of globalization, even in an impoverished town on the small island of the Dominican Republic is evident; the emphasis of multilingualism is becoming an increasing global force.

I fostered a love for the Spanish language during high school that I brought with me to Colby, but unfortunately I lost it. For the first two years of my Colby career I was a Spanish major, thrilled at the idea of studying the language in a foreign country. However, the department requires Spanish majors to spend a minimum of a semester abroad, strongly encouraging an entire year. This policy threw a wrench in my plans – as a captain of the women’s ice hockey team (a winter sport overlapping both semesters) I could not imagine missing out on one of my four precious seasons here, even if it was for an amazing educational opportunity. After all, hockey was a deciding factor for me in choosing to attend Colby and is a significant part of my identity, and I was not ready to give that up and let my team down. I hoped that I would be given the chance to study abroad during the summertime to work around my conflicting commitments and interests, but based on the few conversations I had, it seemed like a compromise was not a possibility, and even if it was, I lacked the drive needed to fight for this opportunity. I ended up dropping my Spanish major and I have yet to take a Spanish class since. I am thrilled to return to studying language by examining the theories behind the emphasis placed on learning language, especially as we work on a global scale.

Although I fell off the path to bilingualism in my own schooling experience, I hope that this research project will reinvent my understanding of the importance of language in schooling. Our group is focusing on the influence of language at our school in Taiwan (TES), specifically English as the language of instruction, as well as foreign language curriculum and the role of Chinese inside and outside of the classroom. As an elite international school, some aspects of globalization are immediately evident, such as language diversity and the emphasis placed on multilingualism. One of my group members, Xavier, visited Taiwan this summer and worked specifically with foreign language curriculum in Spanish classes.  I am interested to learn more about how language affects the schooling experience of these students, especially how the ideologies supporting multilingualism have manifested in the institutional structure.