ERIC Number: EJ1135811
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-8458
EISSN: N/A
From Deficit to Asset: Locating Discursive Resistance in a Refugee-Background Student's Written and Oral Narrative
Shapiro, Shawna; MacDonald, Michael T.
Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, v16 n2 p80-93 2017
This article examines how a refugee-background student of Somali Bantu heritage employs linguistic resources to make sense of his experience with forced migration, resettlement, and formal education. Much of the educational research on refugee-background students (and other groups of English learners) propagates a deficit orientation in which educational gaps and challenges, rather than educational resources and potential, are the central focus. In contrast, this student's written and oral narratives construct a different identity, reframing his experience in terms of asset rather than deficit. Our discussion of asset discourse focuses on three central themes: agency, critical awareness, and contribution. This analysis suggests broader implications for research in educational linguistics and related fields.
Descriptors: Refugees, Resistance (Psychology), Personal Narratives, Experience, English Language Learners, Case Studies, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Autobiographies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A