Exploring Identity and Belonging: A Comparative Study of Immigrant Students in Classroom Contexts in South Korea and the United States

• In Event: Pedagogies & possibilities: Evidence from literacy studies across contexts and spaces

Proposal

In today's complex and rapidly changing world, understanding one's identity has become a crucial tool for comprehending individuals and their social interactions. This study’s purpose aims to explore the expression of identities among immigrant students in different contexts: elementary classrooms in South Korea and the United States (referred to as Korea and the US). The school environment is widely recognized as a significant factor in shaping children's socialization and identity (Saville-Troike, 1996). Moreover, the classroom, where children interact with their peers, is a pivotal space for the development and nurturing of self-awareness (Saville-Troike, 1996; McNamara, 1997).

To comprehensively investigate how identity is formed and negotiated in both the homeland and the diasporic space, highlighting the complexity and fluidity of diasporic identity, this study adopts poststructural perspectives. From a poststructuralist view, identity is constantly contested and under transformation. Understanding the formation of identity as a dynamic process of intersubjective discourses, experiences, and emotions, identity constantly offers new configurations. Due to the understanding of identity formation in discursive practices, even small events within a particular context of culture and politics have a crucial role in creating social meanings (Zembylas, 2003). As identities are constructed through narratives and engagement in various communicative activities, my study aims to understand how marginalized children’s identities are shaped by people in-between in terms of a sense of belonging and its formation in a social context. In this engagement and interaction, belonging encompasses “the maintenance, reproduction, and contestation of community boundaries to limits of Us and the Other” (Holopainen, 2020, p. 34). Therefore, to understand children’s sense of belonging, I traced the complex negotiations, representations, and struggles taking place in their contexts. The study is guided by two research questions: 1) How do immigrant children negotiate themselves differently in their classrooms across these two distinct sites? And 2) How do the language and literacy practices of immigrant children in classrooms contribute to their sense of belonging and cultural identity?

Methodologically, this case study employed a comparative ethnographic approach (Bartlet & Vavrus, 2017; Simmons & Smith, 2019) to document the literacy practices of two Korean children, one in Korea and the other an immigrant in the United States. This approach allowed for the examination of the flow and interaction of literacy practices across the two countries and the children’s construction of a sense of belonging during their interactions. Two public elementary schools, one in Seoul, South Korea, and the other in the northeastern United States, were chosen as fieldwork sites to capture the complexities and hybridity of the children's experiences. To analyze the participants including one ten-year-old male Chinese in a Korean classroom and one female Korean elementary student in a US classroom, I employed ethnographic content analysis (Altheide, D. L., 1987). Fieldwork, including participant observations, go-along interviews, and child-centered activities such as mapping, child-generated class work, artifacts, and documents, was conducted to gather qualitative data that documented the children's various forms of literacy practice at school. By examining how children make meaning through literacy practices in different classroom spaces and situations (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007), this approach provided a comprehensive picture of the children's experiences.

The findings of this study shed light on the significant roles played by both the school/classroom community and the child as a subjective agent in the formation of identity. Firstly, children make sense of themselves through continuous interaction within their respective spaces. This interactive process enables them to navigate their identity in relation to their peers and the environment. Through language use, participation in classroom activities, and engagement with their cultural backgrounds, children construct and negotiate their identities. For instance, a Chinese student in a Korean classroom used a combination of other languages (i.e., English and Chinese) and Korean language resources to communicate and express her strong belonging to the country. This translanguaging practice reflects their negotiation of multiple linguistic and cultural identities. Second, the findings emphasize the importance of acknowledging and valuing diverse forms of language and literacy practices in the classroom (i.e., a Korean student in a US classroom drew her comfortable space in school by using images of Korea). Multiliteracy, which encompasses the ability to engage with multiple languages and literacies, is crucial in facilitating students' learning, meaning-making, and sense of belonging.

The discussion surrounding these findings highlights the implications for literacy education and the importance of creating inclusive learning environments. By embracing students' diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, educators can enhance students' learning experiences and foster a sense of belonging. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the need for educators to incorporate translanguaging pedagogy into their teaching practices. By creating opportunities for students to use multiple languages, educators can tap into the rich resources that students bring to the classroom and promote a deeper understanding of content across different languages and cultures. Educators need to be aware of these dynamics and actively work towards creating an equitable and inclusive language environment where all students' languages and cultures are valued.

Immigrant children often experience a sense of longing for their home country and may struggle with forming a strong sense of belonging in their new educational settings. Educators should strive to create a classroom culture that embraces and celebrates diverse cultures and languages, fostering a sense of belonging for all students. This comparative ethnographic study underscores the importance of understanding the role of multiliteracy in their learning, meaning-making, and sense of belonging. Further research is needed to explore the implications of translanguaging pedagogy in diverse classrooms and to develop practical strategies for educators to support the linguistic and cultural diversity of their students.

Author

• Seongryeong Yu, Old Dominion University