Binational Digital Narratives: Discourse and Identity Tools for University Admissions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Issues in Literacy

Abstract

University admissions have become a complex and controversial decision making process. Moreover, specific programs place value on standardized assessments such as the SAT, ACT, Accuplacer, and such verbal assessments as the TOEFL. Grade point averages, rank in high school and letters of recommendation are also considered. Given growing mobility of world populations, it becomes increasingly difficult to assess a) who should be admitted, b) who will succeed, and c) who has the oral and written linguistic—rhetorical abilities for academic work, such as addressed by Douglas Biber (1996). As was noted in a recent front-page issue of The Chronicle of High Education, intellectual skill must be assessed along with other motivational factors that have typically not been considered or for which we have no measures. These highly desirable motivational factors include drive, doggedness, and persistence on a task through its completion and are represented by a communicative style that projects these attributes.

In this presentation we provide a case study of a binational student’s struggle with admission into a prestigious university program in the sciences. In this presentation, we describe attributes of the student and present his digital narrative that portrays accomplishments in a technical field. Miguel has chosen science and engineering as his field of study. This student’s style of speaking and learning inside and outside of classrooms involves silent concentrated attention and reflection that contrasts with the highly verbal student and is often not valued in the academy (Nakane, 2008). Educational linguists and sociologists are looking at the ways in which speech and silence function (Tannen & Saville-Troike, 1985). We will present Miguel’s story and his binational digital narrative to illustrate features of his strengths and identity that are often neglected by faculty and administration in higher education, yet portray his binational identity, discourse features, and possible contributions to society.

Authors

• Rosalind Horowitz, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Thomas A. Porter, The University of Texas - San Antonio