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Teacher-Researcher Profile
by one student learning English as an additional language in Saskatchewan .
( The following is reprinted with the permission of the Saskatchewan Teachers of English Language Arts )
Interview with Kyla Wendell McIntyre
Kyla Wendell McIntyre ’ s Master ’ s Thesis : Attending to the Lives of Saskatchewan Students Learning English as an Additional Language : A Narrative Inquiry
Research Abstract
Kyla Wendell McIntyre
This narrative inquiry explored the life experiences of an EAL student in Saskatchewan who attended school in an urban context . Over a 4-month time frame , I engaged in audiotaped research conversations with the student participant during which time we discussed tensions she and I experienced in and out of schools in Saskatchewan . I then drew upon our research conversations to create found poems ( Butler-Kisber , 2002 ) 1 which were shared back with the student participant to ensure resonance . This
1
Butler-Kisber , L . ( 2002 ). Artful portrayals in qualitative inquiry : The road to found poetry and beyond . The Alberta Journal of Educational Research , XLVIII ( 3 ), 229-239 . sharing back often shaped subsequent conversations and storytelling between us , which continued to add to our found poems . Since each found poem was gradually co-composed in this way , all of our found poetry expresses the lived experiences of both the student and me . After our co-constructing of our found poems , I worked with them as interim research texts which I then inquired into as I wrote my thesis . This layer of narrative inquiry ( Clandinin & Connelly , 2000 ) 2 was also negotiated with the participant .
This study highlights the importance of listening to and inquiring into the stories told by students who speak English as an additional language . This thesis gives voice to the complexities experienced
2
Clandinin , D . J ., & Connelly , F . M . ( 2000 ). Narrative inquiry : Experience and story in qualitative research . San Francisco : Jossey-Bass .
Where have you taught before settling in Regina ?
Before settling in Regina I taught in Germany , Mexico , and Ecuador . These experiences were valuable to me as they helped me develop compassion and empathy for the daily struggles my EAL students encounter as they learn another language . It ’ s hard to live in a culture in which you do not speak the dominant language . – Really hard , and humbling too .
Did your research help you in your teaching ?
Absolutely . Research allowed me to critically examine my practice and use my methodology , narrative inquiry , to better understand myself , my students , and how I teach .
Would you recommend other teachers to do school-based research ?
I would . Sometimes there can be a gap between what goes on in research and what goes
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