Data as Drama: The Possibilities and Limits of Knowing Adult English Learners

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Experience Into Graphic and Performance Texts

Abstract

In this small qualitative study, the authors discuss the affordances of using ehtnodramatic/dramatically inspired methods to analyze and present interview data with adult English Learners (ELs) studying at a community college. The authors conducted several interviews throughout the course of one academic year with two English Learners who were newcomers to the U.S.A. The participants’ reflections and impressions about learning about the language and culture were woven into two dramatic scenes. The study suggests that these methods have much to offer, both to researchers hoping to engage with qualitative data with greater reflexivity and to educational practitioners striving to understand and meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse adult English Learners.

Authors

• Anneliese Cannon, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Alissa Anne Blair, University of Wisconsin - Madison