Li, G., Fu, S., Qiu, T. (2024)

Please join us for Etovre Vese’s MA thesis defense on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 1:00 PM. The defence will take place in Room #313 – 3rd Floor (Scarfe).

Supervisory Committee: 
Supervisor: Dr. Guofang Li
Committee Members: Dr. Margot Filipenko and Dr. Laurie Ford 

Title of Thesis:
Preservice Early Childhood Educator Perspectives of Educator Relations with Primary Caregivers: A Survey Study

Abstract:

There is little research about the functional creation and maintenance of effective family and childcare relationships and less about PSECE perspectives on educator relations with primary caregivers. Little is known about what PSECE think about their future work with primary caregivers and how they come to have these perspectives, which may eventually be the basis for their practice with primary caregivers. In light of this context, this exploratory study utilized a survey to gather the views of public post-secondary Preservice Early Childhood Education students (PSECEs) (N=111) in Vancouver, B.C., concerning their perspectives on educator relations with primary caregivers. An analysis of the survey data using SPSS statistical software showed that most participants were born outside Canada. The participants’ perspectives on educator relations with primary caregivers mostly aligned with traditional educator-focused interactions. The participants indicated that the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) they learned in their Early Childhood Education (ECE) coursework significantly influenced their perspectives on educator relationships with primary caregivers. Understanding these perspectives contributes to refining a curriculum that supports PSECEs in developing the attitudes and skills necessary to create and maintain supportive relationships with primary caregivers, fostering optimal outcomes for children in childcare settings.

Please join us in person or on Zoom for Motoki Nozawa’s MA thesis defense on Monday, December 9 at 1pm Pacific Time (US and Canada).

This defense will be held in hybrid format. All are welcome to join.

The room for in-person attendance is PCN1306A (Ponderosa Commons North).

Supervisory Committee: 
Co-supervisors: Dr. Meghan Corella and Dr. Meike Wernicke 
Committee Member: Dr. William Pinar 

Title of Thesis:
QUEER STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF CIS-, HETERO-, AND HOMONORMATIVITIES IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

Abstract:

Despite growing interest in gender and sexuality, research on the link between gender and sexual identities and language learning has not yet been extensively examined in the field of Japanese language education. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of queer-identifying students in Japanese language classrooms within a university in Western Canada and the impact their experiences had on queer identity construction and language learning. The data were generated from one-on-one semi-structured interviews and reflective writings over a six-month period through the lens of research as social practice (Talmy, 2011) and poststructuralist and queer theories (Norton, 2013; Nelson, 2009) to analyze queer identity construction and queer inclusion. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method, I identified the following three overarching themes that were of particular concerns for the participants: (1) instructors’ linguistic and/or teaching acts and practices, (2) usage of pronouns, and (3) queer representations in learning materials. The findings include positive experiences, which opened up possibilities for participants’ queer identity construction and language learning. In other interactions, participants struggled with marginalizing experiences due to cis-, hetero-, or homonormativity, which hindered access to the language they needed in order to construct their queer identities. The analysis of the data illustrates both positive and negative interactions that discursively emerged in Japanese language learning where queer persons exercised agency to become competent langue users. The implications of the findings highlight the need for queer-inclusive curriculum and pedagogy that validates queer identities and helps to develop queer persons’ criticality and creativity on a discourse level.