Speakers
KEYWORDS
Language festival; minority international students; multiculturalism
ABSTRACT
Language festivals (LF) are organized in many parts of the world to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity by offering language lessons, although the concept and practice remain under-researched. Guided by the concept of “critical multiculturalism” (Kubota, 2004; May, 2003), this action-based case study explores the experiences of five minority international students participating in LF held at an internationalized university in Japan. The data collection focused specifically on their language and culture lessons at the event, with primary sources including their lesson videos and post-event individual interviews. Drawing on identity as pedagogy (Morgan, 2004), the data were transcribed and inductively analyzed. The following themes were encapsulated in their lessons: the participants’ sense of mission to represent their home community and its complexities and their desire to resolve misconceptions about their country and culture. Further, their participation in this event increased their sense of belonging to their home and/or host communities. The findings highlight the minority students' limited opportunities to celebrate their cultural roots and experience of marginalization in the host community. The implications underscore the challenges that higher education must address to foster more inclusive environments for minority international students. Finally, the study contributes to the theorization of LF.
| TITLE | Minority students representing their roots at a language festival |
|---|---|
| RELEVANT SIG | Global Issues in Language Education |
| FORMAT | Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation (25 minutes, including Q&A) |
| First-time presenter? | First-time presenter |
