Living Here, yet Being There: Facebook as a Transnational Space for Newcomer Latina/o Adolescents

Mary Amanda (Mandy) Stewart University of North Texas Mary.Stewart@unt.edu

Living Here, yet Being There:Facebook as a Transnational Space for Newcomer Latina/o Adolescents

Stewart, 2012 LRAFrameworkDiaspora Media Studies (Lam & Warriner, 2012) TransnationalismTechnology

Stewart, 2012 LRATransnationalStewart, 2012 LRANoun: Those who have "moved bodily across national borders while maintaining and cultivating practices tiedto their home countries" (Hornberger, 2007)Adjective: To depict social practices, political processes, and cultural phenomena among individuals who do cross geopolitical borders regularly as well as those who do not." (Warriner, 2007)

TechnologyStewart, 2012 LRATechnology uniquely affects the hybridization of cultures occurring in transnationalism. (Garcia Canclini, 1995)

Digital media has sparked the greatest change in literacy since the printing press. (Warschauer, 2009)

Technology and Immigrant YouthStewart, 2012 LRAExtant research primarily focuses on how Asian immigrant youth in North America develop their multilingual and multicultural identities in digital spaces through the use of a variety of technology. (Black, 2006; Lam, 2000, 2004; McGinnis, et al., 2007; McLean, 2010; Yi, 2007, 2010)

Research Questions1) For what purposes do the participants use Facebook? 2) How does their transnational Facebook use challenge their label as at-risk students?

Part of a larger study of newcomer Latina/o immigrants out-of-school literacies.High school: 2,000 students of many races with 13 in the ESL classesStewart, 2012 LRAParticipant Information as of Jan. 2012Stewart, 2012 LRAName*pseudonymAgeCountry of OriginTime in U.S. Grade in SchoolLevel of Education Completed in Country of OriginLevel of L2 Acquisitionas of todayValeria19El Salvador20 monthsSophomoreIn first year of bachillerato = 10th gradeBeginnerAlejandra(Valeria's sister)17El Salvador20 monthsJuniorIn second year of bachillerato = 11th gradeIntermediateCelia17Mexico18 monthsJuniorFinished secundaria = 10th gradeBeginnerMiguel20Guatemala9 monthsJuniorIn third year of universificado = 12th gradeBeginnerMethodologyInterviews, n=5-8 for each studentObservations in their ESL classes, n=15Analysis of Facebook data: All posts from creation to June 2012Facebook information as of June 2012

Stewart, 2012 LRADate Started Page# of FB FriendsAll Post s by ParticipantAll Posts to ParticipantValeriaJanuary 2011241543965AlejandraDecember 20107991364CeliaAugust 2010693162MiguelMay 20118311291) For what purposes do the participants use Facebook? Demonstrate sophisticated transnational literacies through Facebook in order to:Connect to HomeMaintain their Latina/o IdentitiesAcquire EnglishStewart, 2012 LRAConnect to HomeStewart, 2012 LRAWhy do you use Facebook? "For my sister and my mom. "Para mis hermanos y mis primos" For my brother, sister, and cousins.Vecinos neighbors

Mother/daughter relationship: "El otro da me rega [mi mam] porque eso, haba una foto donde tena el cabello todo arreglado y me gusta que lise el cabello. Se enoj por eso." The other day she got onto me because there was a picture of me with my hair all done up and she likes my hair straight. She got angry because of that.

Connect to Home"feliz cumple pollo happy birthday chicken"feliz cumple aki en guatemala lo qeremos muxo bndiciones muaa ..!! cuidece. happy birthday here in guatemala we love you many blessings mwaaa ..!! take care.

Protect younger siblings: "Hey victor mucho respeto a mi hermana ok" Hey victor respect my sister okStewart, 2012 LRA

Maintain Latina/o IdentitiesStewart, 2012 LRA

soy puro chaplin

Latina/o Identities: FB LikesStewart, 2012 LRA

Latin American Music Artists, TV Shows, and Soccer Teams

Youth Codes in SpanishStewart, 2012 LRA

TQMTe quiero mucho/I love you a lot

XPorFor

XKPorqueBecauseAcquire English"Aqu en la escuela casi no tengo amigos de americano, as que los tengo en Facebook." Here in school I really don't have American friends, so I have them on Facebook. "i love" "me too" "what up" "They are sooo precious!" "yes i know >>they are Hilda's baby"

Stewart, 2012 LRAAcquire English: Youth CodesStewart, 2012 LRACuando yo leo, yo pregunto que es esto, y ellos me dicen. When I read it, I ask what is this, and they [co-workers] tell me." (omg, lol, XD)

omg!!!!!!-Posted by Alejandra on Celias pageCelia: omg? Hola mi amiga?

Celia on why she does not post much on FB: "Es que quiero escribir en ingls, pero no puedo. It's because I want to write in English, but I can't."

Celia posting on her page: "omg tomorrow i have test"

SignificanceMore than a decade ago, the New London Group (1996) asked us to consider how the notion of literacy must change to address educational inequalities in response to: 1) the increasing local diversity through global connectedness; and, 2) the development of new technologies. Stewart, 2012 LRA2) How does the students transnational Facebook use challenge their label as at-risk students? Stewart, 2012 LRAOutsiders in their high schoolLost in mainstream classesFailing high stakes tests required for graduationLimited English proficient

Posses transnational skills needed in the 21st century that are rare in mainstream populationsCommunicate in multilingual and multimodal waysEmergent multilinguals

ImplicationsFacebook facilitates their English acquisition more effectively than their school environment.Use for writingFacebook provides a safe place for them to interact with americanos.Use to create dialogue in classes between the newcomer and mainstream studentsShared funds of knowledge (Paris, 2012)Facebook allows them to get news and information from other parts of the world. Critical literacy, cultural consciousness

Stewart, 2012 LRAFuture ResearchStewart, 2012 LRAStudies that demonstrate how immigrant students social networking can be leveraged for academic learningStudies at the college level show how FB has been used in the classroom to:analyze literature (Skerrett, 2010)safely develop an academic discourse (Reid, 2011)foster intercultural communication (Lang, 2010)create a sense of community within the class (Reich, 2010)

Muxo gracias X venirThx 4 coming

XDStewart, 2012 LRASlides available at maryamandastewart.weebly.com.

Paper on LRA site.

Mary.Stewart@unt.edu