Poster Session III

Crossing Deep Divides: Exploring the Dynamics of Multilingual College Students’ Language and Literacy Experiences

Abstract

This study examines the relationality of social and material “forces of encounter,” or affects, in multilingual college students’ becoming. Using participants’ interviews, photos, and online literacy activities, this study highlights two key points of entry: deterritorialization, where participants begin learning English, and reterritorialization, where they reconnect with their heritage language. This research emphasizes the fluid nature of multilingual identities and how literacy practices foster resilience and agency in navigating linguistic and cultural challenges.

Authors

• Rachel Kook, University of Kansas

• Emily Tummons, University of Kansas

• Kwangok Song, University of Kansas

• Sarah AlRasheed, University of Kansas

• Liyan Yang, University of Kansas

From colonial erasure to decolonial resistance: Reclaiming literacy through Bengali folktales

Abstract

This study proposes a decolonial literacy framework through Bengali folktales against colonial and neoliberal literacy practices. By analyzing “Thakurmar Jhuli,” a collection of folktales, we explore how they can sustain alternative literate identity, reclaim intergenerational literacy practices, and resist colonial erasures. Through qualitative content analysis, we conceptualize a relational literacy framework that centers cultural, environmental, and communal ties and contributes to decolonial literacy movements, challenging hierarchical and market-driven models, advocating for educational justice, and belonging.

Authors

• Moutushi Mahreen, The Pennsylvania State University

• Md Rifat Hassan Liju, The Pennsylvania State University

Refining Measures of Cohesion and Complexity in “Silent” Graphic Narratives

Abstract

Prior research has suggested that narrative elements such as characters, objects, action, setting, and time could influence readers’ understanding of graphic narratives. In the current study, we conducted multi-level regression analyses to test whether our measures of visual content cohesion in graphic narratives predict readers’ comprehension of those graphic narratives, as measured by recall responses. We found that character and object overlap across panels did not significantly predict readers’ recall.

Authors

• Heather Ness-Maddox, Middle Georgia State University

• Amanda Dahl, Michigan State University