Developing an interview method

DEVELOPING AN INTERVIEW METHOD Developing an Interview Method With the increasing number of Brazilian immigrants in the Canada province of Quebec, the province is turning into a culturally and linguistically diverse society than ever before. In this research study I will be seeking to understand how children from Brazilian immigrants that have arrived in Quebec, Canada in the past four to five years feel about their new literacy language (French) and also feel according to their Brazilian roots and Portuguese language. Just as has been suggested by a number of previous studies, in multilingual contexts people negotiate their identities when positioned in specific ways. Therefore, identities are viewed as; numerous, as a site of struggle, as dynamic, where their influence on the use of language has been a subject of research severally, and especially in the western context (Rubinstein-Avila, 2005). Methodology This ethnographic research study interrogates multicultural children’s multiple language use, identities and language ideologies that are expressed in the multiple dimensions of their daily school life in Quebec. I will examine how their literary language (French) and home language (Portuguese) arguer with teachers at school and in their community, and with their classmate, and how their school life overlap with the construction of their identities. The theoretical rationale of this ethnographic study is therefore to look at the multicultural linguistic experiences and daily life of school-going children of Brazilian descent in Quebec. The purpose of this research study is to demonstrate the story of multicultural experience of children in multi-dimensions of their life both at home and in school (Woolard, & Schieffelin, 1994). This illustration is informed by the need to understand their language constructions, and to understand the relationship between a group language and its identity. In this regard, I have selected ten Portuguese-speaking school-going children from Brazilian immigrants living in the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec. There are a number of important questions that i will be seeking answers for in the interview that forms part of this study and which will immensely assist me in this research study. In this regard, i will be seeking to know; 1. How these Portuguese speaking Brazilian children have been interacting with French speaking teachers. 2. How language ideology of their native Portuguese language has influenced their classroom behavior and also the overall educational policy of Quebec. 3. Whether there is any educational practice in Quebec that can be said to have been “ ritualized” in the Quebec education system by the existence of Portuguese language in a French setting. Gatineau Primary School will be an ideal place to find a large diversity of children of Brazilian decent. Data collection In order to be sure that all the necessary information is captured without leaving out an iota of relevant data in this research study, I will be employing one data collection methods namely; a. Interviews; I will have a set of questions that will guide me while interviewing the participant. The reactions that I get from the participant will form the answers to these questions that I will fill in the questionnaire in course of the interview. It is therefore important to note that at no point will the participant get a chance to fill this particular questionnaire, if anything they are primary school children who might not be able to fill the questionnaire appropriately by themselves. Sources of data The data that will be used in this research study will come from one major sources namely; primary data. The primary data will essentially involve; Interview; in this regard, I will interview each and every randomly-picked participant. It is expected that this interview will enable me interrogate these participants on how they feel about their Brazilian roots and Portuguese language. Data recording The data recording methods that I will be employing is that of recording the interview with a participant with a tape recorder. The rationale of using this method is to avoid time-wasting and the inconveniency that might be occasioned by the interruption from me that will undoubtedly occur as i try making short notes concerning the answers that i get from the participant (Creswell, 2007). This does not however render the taking of notes unnecessary, if anything I will be required to jot down notes in my note book, notes that will have an important input in my preparation of the final comprehensive report on the research study. Analysis Some of responses that I have gotten from the ten participants school children that I have interviewed are very interesting. For instance, a boy by the name De Souza has this to say. My name is De Souza. I am an eleven years old. I speak Portuguese and French. My mum is always communicating to me in Portuguese. She even get angry with me if I answer in French yet she says she want me to excel in school, which teach in French. Cutting across all responses that I have received is the language ideologies that have been expressed by these participants. These responses describe the challenge that the parents of these participants have in equipping them with what can only be referred to as the language of the home (Portuguese) and the language of school (French), in such a way that the two are competing against one another, sentiments that were echoed by the participant who indirectly suggested that “ Portuguese is our language while French is our need”. Conclusion The study of varying practices and the strategic purpose of these children demonstrate just how a person’s family past and even present experiences influence his/her future vision of membership and participation of that particular country of origin (Maguire, & Cudt-Christiansten, 2007). The data from this study also exposes the children’s “ improvised” bilingual practices in course of their ideologies negotiation, stressing their agency in their language socialization practices while still showing their construction and presentation of multiple and shiftable identities across contexts. References: Creswell, J., W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publishers Maguire, H., M. & Cudt-Christiansten, L., X., (2007). Multiple schools, Languages, Experiences and Affiliations: Ideological Becomings and Positioning. Heritage Language Journal. Vol. 5, no. 1 Rubinstein-Avila, E., (2005). Brazilian Portuguese in Massachusetts’s Linguistic Landscape. Hispania. Vol. 88, no. 4 Woolard, K., & Schieffelin, B., B. (1994). Language Ideology. Annual Review Anthropology. Vol. 23, pp. 55-82