Exploring the Efficacy of Dialect Diversity Workshops in Higher Education

• In Event: Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: The Impact of Internationalization on U.S. Faculty

Abstract

Language and dialect represent an invisible yet salient type of diversity rarely addressed on college campuses, though language is often used as a proxy for characteristics such as race, gender, social class, etc. This study explored the effect of dialect diversity workshops on the attitudes and beliefs of undergraduate students related to language at a large research institution. Pre- and post-workshop surveys which assessed students’ beliefs and attitudes about language and dialects were analyzed. Findings suggest that the workshop was effective in improving students’ attitudes and beliefs about dialect diversity and that students found the workshops to be valuable and informative. Students’ pre-workshop attitudes, beliefs and knowledge underscore the need for this type of diversity training on college campuses.

Authors

• Stephany Brett Dunstan, North Carolina State University

• Audrey J. Jaeger, North Carolina State University

• Rebecca Crandall, North Carolina State University