Zappa-Hollman, S. (2025)

We are excited to announce that Caroline Hamilton has been awarded the Faculty of Education PhD Dissertation Prize for her dissertation: “(Re)Mapping Youth Mobilities and Citizenships with Young Adult Literature“! She successfully defended in March 2024, and was nominated by her supervisor, Dr. Theresa Rogers.

The Faculty of Education PhD Dissertation Prize is awarded annually to two Ph.D. graduates whose doctoral dissertations are of exceptional quality and originality and make a significant contribution to their field of study. Members of the Adjudication Committee from each of the five academic units within the Faculty of Education were impressed with many aspects of your doctoral dissertation, including its theoretical sophistication and methodological distinctiveness and its potential to advance new understandings of spatiality, literary studies, and ELA classrooms.

Read more about the award and other funding opportunities in the Faculty of Education here: Graduate Funding Opportunities

Congratulations, Caroline!

Leila Hedley Rezvani will defend her MA thesis on Friday, April 4th from 10:00am to 12:00pm in PCN 3128.

All are welcome to attend.

Supervisory Committee:

Dr. Maureen Kendrick (Supervisor),
Dr. Margaret Early (Committee Member),
Dr. Theresa Rogers (Committee Member)

Title:

Smartphone Use Among Youth with Refugee Experiences: Affordances and Constraints

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of digital tools for developing features of language and literacy practices and social “integration” of youth with refugee experiences in an ethnically diverse neighbourhood in Surrey, British Columbia. The study examined the affordances and constraints of smartphones (and social media) for enhancing literacy learning and facilitating “integration” (i.e., positive social connections and a sense of belonging) in the local community. The theoretical frameworks employed were Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems (1979, 2001), multiliteracies (New London Group, 1992), and multimodality (Kress, 1996). The research design was a multiple case study, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and multimodal artifact creations. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method as described by Taylor and Bogdan (1984), as well as Rose’s visual methodology (2016). Findings revealed that smartphones can help to deepen literacy capacities, and learn new words and information; however, they do not replace the role of teachers, mentors, and others that they trust in their language and literacy development. Additionally, smartphones assist youth to interact with people in multiple ways, expose them to various elements of culture and values, and express emotions around their transition to Canada, nevertheless, they can inadvertently be subjected to contrasting values and spend more time than intended on their screens. The study offers a deeper understanding of the ways that smartphones can afford and constrain the “integration” of youth with refugee experiences and developing features of their language and literacy learning in classroom, family, and community settings.