The negotiation of language in college settings

The study examines the role of language for college students that grew up in African American communities and that are speakers of African American English. The study looked at the participants’ everyday talk and how they talked about their language practices and experiences, socially and academically. The purpose of this study is to understand students’ practices and experiences with language in college settings. The method that was used to collect data was a focus group. The major themes that emerged from this study were centered on the labeling of languages/and or dialects that the participants spoke, code switching, negotiation of space and racialization of language. The participants showed the complexities of being an AAE speaker in higher education. Throughout the paper, there have been instances of the participants implying that their experiences on campus and, in general, schools go further than their language use. Research that further investigates how AAE speakers navigate college spaces and how they perceive language is needed to get a better understanding of student language needs in school settings. This research supports that language practices, behaviors and attitudes are complex; they are fluid and change as the social context changes.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Clayton, Dominique

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dixson, Adrienne

• African American English
• race
• higher education

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2014 Dominique Clayton

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/72991

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72991