Toward Critical Consciousness: The Transcategorical and Dynamic Consciousness of Refugee English Learners

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Cross-Cultural Context

Abstract

The current study was conducted to illuminate how middle school refugee English Learners (ELs), who are marginalized by default, perceive and respond to societal inequities in their immediate environment. This study examined ELs’ verbal and written expressions and semi-structured interviews in order to understand the nature of their consciousness.
Thematic analyses were conducted using an iterative template analysis approach with Freire’s continuum of consciousness levels as the basis. Overall findings indicated that each participant showed transcategorical and dynamic tendencies in their consciousness indicating the complex nature of forming critical consciousness. Important implications include how educators can impact the trajectory of refugee ELs’ lives by nurturing critical consciousness development, especially by fostering a sense of agency.

Authors

• Robin Foster Schell, Miami University - Oxford

• Clara Lee Brown, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville