Revised Research Proposal

     By this research, Literacy among international students at Texas A&M- Commerce, I would like to examine the blatant factors that affect literacy. Does someone’s literacy develop when they speak another language? Do the speakers of the second language get anything helpful from their native language? When speakers of the second language live in a country where their native language is not dominant, do they use their native language? How can we add all the answers to these questions to our understanding of literacy? Since the project confided to the international students at Texas A&M-Commerce, all ultimate answers should help researchers on literacy in this community. Also, it should be helpful to any future studies on Commerce as a town and especially to Texas A&M- Commerce as a school. Generally, examining literacy among international students should be paid more attention since those students considered to be part of the community. They live either on campus or in outside apartments and some of them share rooms and houses with people from the community. Also, in some cities there are many American families that allow students to live at their houses, as it called: home-stay family. Researchers of literacy gave extensive time and effort examining literacy and its development and questioning the factors that affect literacy either positively or negatively. I believe that studying literacy among international students at any school is going to help finding new and intangible factors of literacy that we were not aware of in the past. Needless to say, any research regarding the international students at any particular school is going to help that school to offer specific facilities as they prepare for an increase in international students enrolments.

        I have chosen this topic because I considered myself part of it. I’m an international student and I would like to know more if my native language helps me to become more literate and able to get access to different fields of knowledge. I know I can do all that in my second language, but what about the role of the native language? Also, it is a good idea for me to listen to some people’s views and opinions on the usage of the first language in a completely different environment. No one can admit that he or she does the right thing, but it is always helpful to share with the others since all of us are in the same boat. And, of course, since my research deals with people, I promise myself to respect their cultures, beliefs, and the ways they live or behave. Thus, all the questions I have designed and will design must serve the benefit of the project, not to get any other information that might be considered private or personal. Moreover, I will not compel anyone --even if they are personal friends-- to participate in the research-- they have the complete freedom to choose or to refuse.

     The research plan depends on two methods: surveys and interviews. In survey, I wrote fifteen questions- both open-ended and closed-ended questions- examining the student’s usage of native language and English while they were at their home schools and here at Texas A&M- Commerce. I am planning to make a comparison between their previous ways of reading, researching, using the resources, taking notes inside the class, etc, and while they are here at this school. I will see if their previous habits of reading, taking notes, visiting the library develop when they came here or not. Their previous skills, when they used their native language at their homes, should help them to improve new skills while they use English at this school. This kind of improvement I call it literacy. In a nutshell, I am questioning whether the international students use their native language plus English while they are attending Texas A&M-Commerce. If so, I believe they are more literate because they benefited from their previous skills. Among different skills, language plays a vital role in this research.

    Also, I am planning to make interviews after I collect all the data of the surveys. I already wrote the questions of the survey which works mainly on the comparison between their home schools and Texas A&M commerce. The questions are:

1- Do you read in English or in your Native Language, or in both?

2- In order to look for any information that is related to your classes, do you read in English or in your native language? Or in both?

3- Do you take notes in class in English or in your native Language? Or in both?

4- Do you have a dictionary? If so, is it English- English, or, English- your native language?

5- Do you visit the library? How often?

6- Do you read books that are not required in the class? How often? In what language?

7- If you have the call-number for a book in the library, are you able to find it by yourself or, you had to consult the reference desk? How often?

8- For what purposes do you go to the library?

9- Do you feel comfortable reading out loud in class?

10- Can you easily read the professors’ notes on the board and on your papers?

11- What level of education are/were you?

12- How many languages do you speak?

13- Do you prefer reading out of printed books or on the computer screen?

14- From where do you usually get your books?

15- At what age did you start learning English?

     Since my research is connected with people, I am trying to find the most comfortable place for them to participate effectively while they are filling out the surveys or being interviewed. I am also interested in Deborah Mutnick’s methodology of research—the idea of place. I will make interviews with some international students as one group while they are sitting in a circle. I will ask them about their studying habits while they were at home. The goal of the circle is that they can easily remember their home and provide more information, and while sitting in groups they can remind themselves of more information. Needless to mention, that talking in groups gives more comfort for the participants. I found those two methods- the interview and the survey- are the best two methods when a researcher deals with people. Of course, my research has something to do with the history since their studies at home belongs to the past, so the idea of the oral history can be used here. Finally, regarding the signatures and permissions, I will contact the director of the International Students Service Office to let me look at the data regarding the number and the percentage of the international students, and the countries they came from.

      I will jot down all the notes of the surveys that I’ve collected already—there are 11 surveys. I will break the results into three groups: reading, writing, in a library. Each category tells more about literacy, but at the same time all of them are overlapped. The reason of breaking the results of the surveys into three categories is to be more specific while talking about literacy—literacy is a broad term, and I want to make sure to show specifically what kind of literacy skills the international students have or used to have when they were at their home institutions. After I jot down all the results, I will analyze them as a single unit. I will see how I can come up with new edges toward my research thesis.

      After analyzing the first extensive field notes--the surveys-- I’m going to make some interviews, as I wrote above, the participants would sit in a circle indicating the idea of the place and space. I will record these interviews. And then I’m going to analyze what have been recorded, similar to what I would do to the surveys’ notes. This later conceptual memo should also add new insights to my general topic research. I will make sure that I write and print out the permission forms, especially to include that they interviews may be posted on-line. I’m pretty sure that some students don’t mind being recorded but when it comes to posting on-line they might think. I have to make sure that I respect their privacy and follow whatever decision they choose.

Field Notes# 1

A photo I took when I visited some international students at their house. This is a verse from the Quran, and it was hanged on the wall.

     I found many international students very helpful when it comes to filling out surveys. On the other hand, and I’m ashamed to say that, there are some who took the surveys and never turned them back claiming that they have exams and they didn’t have time to fill them out. I kept reminding them that the survey would not take more than 2 minutes to get it completed, but, alas. Consequently, I learned something, whenever you have a survey, try to let the participants fill it out right away. If you let them take the surveys home, it is more than likely you will not see them again. Generally, people are willing to help, but the major problem for some is that they are lazy and careless. I advise also to let people know what the survey is about. Although everything is written on the top of the survey, people don’t read the instructions and just start directly answering the questions. So, tell them briefly what the survey is about, and remember also to read the questions for them. If you do those two things, people will become a big fan of you and will help you a lot; having everything ready, is a nature of humans--people don’t want to “waste” their time thinking or reading the instructions. Also, I don’t know why some people start feeling very tired when it comes to filling out the surveys. Teachers at school should train their students and tell them how important the surveys are on both the individual and the societal level. Last tip I want to add is give more spaces for the answers. People have very different styles of writing, and more awfully if they write a long sentence and decide in the end to cross it out.

Reading Response# 9

Communication: Another Method

       In Ways with Words, the author teaches many lessons and presents many facts she collected throughout her long, detailed visit and living experience with the two communities—Roadville and Trackton. First, she points out the importance for the ethnographer to be present in the field that he or she wants to research about. Second, people are willing to be literate—they only need institutions, libraries and books. Third, the ordeals of the past should not affect the present. Fourth, parents should teach their children what they have learnt from the past. Fifth, it is true that poverty is an issue, however, people can surmount that by “working hard”(41). Sixth, disagreement with other people is hard, and the only way “to stay away of trouble is to keep out of trouble” (42). Seventh, students should share what they learn at school with the society members, also they should participate and work to build the society-- their job should not only be confined to doing the homework.

      The author wrote, “A good family man takes seriously his responsibilities to his mother first, then those to his children”(emphasis mine) (p. 69). Despite the discrimination based on the child’s gender, people of the Tracketon community were fully aware of the importance of the communication roles. Therefore, they enhanced those skills and trained their children to master them from a very early age by taking them on stage. Apparently that helped those boys to become prominent speakers in the future. Here, the word speaker refers to a person who does not accept the unjust or keeps quiet when his rights violated. Having said this, the author/ethnographer did mention this long description of the communication practices for a purpose, she wanted to draw attention on an important stage that the African-American community went through which changed many generations because they knew how to make that change.

Reading Response# 8

A Very Structured Strategy

    FieldWorking paves the way for the researchers and the ethnographers because it almost talks about everything one needs in the field of research. Personally, I see it very helpful since it gives me a clear strategy on how to do the research. A very interesting sentence I found in chapter 1 says: “Detachment and involvement, subjectivity and objectivity, insider and outsider stances are equally coupled in fieldworking” (p. 9).

          My research is associated with people and their cultures. And this book warns me- and every ethnographer- to be aware of cultural differences. Powdermaker was trapped in colonization when she studied a culture of foreign people and subconsciously named them “stone-aged” (4). Ironically, the researcher should not let their previous stereotypes prevent them from researching about people. Jennifer Toth accomplished an amazing job when she went to the field of homeless people in New York City. Personally, I should do the same thing. I thought I knew about the cultures and the studying habits of the international students- whom my research is concerned- but when I went there, I discovered I had known just a little. The same thing is true with the research made by the anthropologist Renato Rosaldo who “stepped out” and examined his family during the breakfast time. By looking from outside, the insider Rosaldo gave very astonishing information about something people might consider very “trivial” since it happens every day in every family. However, the field notes written by Rosaldo were so important since it tackled power and gender differences, the thing that many theories in different fields cling to.

        The idea of field writing is so important for researchers. Personally, I sometimes go to the field without a notebook and even without a pen thinking that I can remember what I see and will be able to jot it down when I return home. Apparently, this way leads to unorganized and scattered information that becomes problematic when the researcher tries to publish them, besides its difficulty for the reader to grasp. “The difference between doing fieldwork and just ‘hanging out’ is the writing. Without writing, the sharp, incisive details about people, places, and cultures are lost to us” (p. 66).

Research Proposal

      By this research, Literacy among international students at Texas A&M- Commerce, I would like to examine the blatant factors that affect literacy. Does someone’s literacy develop when they speak another language? Do the speakers of the second language get anything helpful from their native language? When speakers of the second language live in a country where their native language is not dominant, do they use their native language? How can we add all the answers to these questions to our understanding of literacy? Since the project confided to the international students at Texas A&M-Commerce, all ultimate answers should help researchers on literacy in this community. Also, it should be helpful to any future studies on Commerce as a town and especially to Texas A&M- Commerce as a school. Generally, examining literacy among international students should be paid more attention since those students considered to be part of the community. They live either on campus or in outside apartments and some of them share rooms and houses with people from the community. Also, in some cities there are many American families that allow students to live at their houses, as it called: home-stay family. Researchers of literacy gave extensive time and effort examining literacy and its development and questioning the factors that affect literacy either positively or negatively. I believe that studying literacy among international students at any school is going to help finding new and intangible factors of literacy that we were not aware of in the past. Needless to say, any research regarding the international students at any particular school is going to help that school to offer specific facilities as they prepare for an increase in international students enrolments.

      I have chosen this topic because I considered myself part of it. I’m an international student and I would like to know more if my native language helps me to become more literate and able to get access to different fields of knowledge. I know I can do all that in my second language, but what about the role of the native language? Also, it is a good idea for me to listen to some people’s views and opinions on the usage of the first language in a completely different environment. No one can admit that he or she does the right thing, but it is always helpful to share with the others since all of us are in the same boat. And, of course, since my research deals with people, I promise myself to respect their cultures, beliefs, and the ways they live or behave. Thus, all the questions I have designed and will design must serve the benefit of the project, not to get any other information that might be considered private or personal. Moreover, I will not compel anyone --even if they are personal friends-- to participate in the research-- they have the complete freedom to choose or to refuse.

       The research plan depends on two methods: surveys and interviews. In survey, I wrote fifteen questions- both open-ended and closed-ended questions- examining the student’s usage of native language and English while they were at their home schools and here at Texas A&M- Commerce. I am planning to make a comparison between their previous ways of reading, researching, using the resources, taking notes inside the class, etc, and while they are here at this school. I will see if their previous habits of reading, taking notes, visiting the library develop when they came here or not. Their previous skills, when they used their native language at their homes, should help them to improve new skills while they use English at this school. This kind of improvement I call it literacy. In a nutshell, I am questioning whether the international students use their native language plus English while they are attending Texas A&M-Commerce. If so, I believe they are more literate because they benefited from their previous skills. Among different skills, language plays a vital role in this research.

      Also, I am planning to make interviews after I collect all the data of the surveys. I already wrote the questions of the survey which works mainly on the comparison between their home schools and Texas A&M commerce. The questions are:

1- Do you read in English or in your Native Language, or in both?

2- In order to look for any information that is related to your classes, do you read in English or in your native language? Or in both?

3- Do you take notes in class in English or in your native Language? Or in both?

4- Do you have a dictionary? If so, is it English- English, or, English- your native language?

5- Do you visit the library? How often?

6- Do you read books that are not required in the class? How often? In what language?

7- If you have the call-number for a book in the library, are you able to find it by yourself or, you had to consult the reference desk? How often?

8- For what purposes do you go to the library?

9- Do you feel comfortable reading out loud in class?

10- Can you easily read the professors’ notes on the board and on your papers?

11- What level of education are/were you?

12- How many languages do you speak?

13- Do you prefer reading out of printed books or on the computer screen?

14- From where do you usually get your books?

15- At what age did you start learning English?

     Since my research is connected with people, I am trying to find the most comfortable place for them to participate effectively while they are filling out the surveys or being interviewed. I am also interested in Deborah Mutnick’s methodology of research—the idea of place. I will make interviews with some international students as one group while they are sitting in a circle. I will ask them about their studying habits while they were at home. The goal of the circle is that they can easily remember their home and provide more information, and while sitting in groups they can remind themselves of more information. Needless to mention, that talking in groups gives more comfort for the participants. I found those two methods- the interview and the survey- are the best two methods when a researcher deals with people. Of course, my research has something to do with the history since their studies at home belongs to the past, so the idea of the oral history can be used here. Finally, regarding the signatures and permissions, I will contact the director of the International Students Service Office to let me look at the data regarding the number and the percentage of the international students, and the countries they came from.

Reading Response# 7

 

This photo belongs to Dr. Shannon Carter’s artifacts. I could say that I asked more questions when I first looked at this picture. I questioned who lives there; their backgrounds, their ethnicity and their social status, and why they live their not others. I think this is the spirit of the outsider researcher who might ask “trivial” questions but they of course give a firmer ground for a research.

What is the Best Way to Look?

          I am very interested in the idea of the difference between the insider and the outsider ethnographer.  In Ethnography and Composition: Studying Language at Home, Beverly Moss pointed out that the job of the insider ethnographer is easier because of the complete awareness of the community. I agree that this job seems easier; however, it is not that fruitful as we think. I believe that the outsider ethnographer sees and questions things, while people from that community have never thought of. This outsider reminds me of children when they start questioning everything they see or hear of. Unfortunately, many parents kill those stimuli in their children. “You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers” said John Plomp. Unlike the insider ethnographer, the outsider is willing to notice every detail and to ask why it is there if it is present and why it is not there if it absent. The outsiders are always filled with the enthusiasm that instigates them to explore more and unravel puzzles.

           So what should the insider do? I suggest the insider should get rid of all past experiences and to start examining things as if they just came to presence. Also, the insiders should not rely on what they are told by culture. We know that culture is acquired-- not learned. For example, people usually say “excuse me” when they want to pass if someone blocks their way. This “excuse me” is not taught at school, but the person picked it up from culture—it is acquired not learned.  We do many things that we acquired from culture, and we don’t usually know why we do them—but this is the culture! Therefore, the insiders should “detach” themselves from this acquired “culture” and start questioning everything they see, hear, and notice—in other words, they should imitate the outsiders.