“I wouldn’t think nothin’ of it”: Teacher candidates survey public on nonstandard usage
Abstract
Like Delpit (1992), make teacher candidates aware that teaching Standard English to those who have another primary dialect involves teaching not only a dialect, but also its accompanying values and culture. Because of our university's teacher education requirements, my grammar course is, lamentably, the only one in which the teacher candidates learn about the structure of English and about some of its varieties. Unfortunately, keeping the two perspectives separate is sometimes difficult for students. [...]I distinguish between the two approaches early in the session and continually challenge the students to be aware of the distinction. [...]each teacher candidate creates a lesson plan for grammar for the usage category surveyed. The candidate surveying on multiple negation, for example, commented that "only those people that are in direct contact with the in-depth study of the English language would recognize the error [in `He couldn't sleep, not even with a sedative']" (Hunter, 1996, p. 10). Since the beginning of our grammar class, the teacher candidates had been asking if there were rules without exceptions.
Reference
Tapia, E. (1999). "I wouldn't think nothin' of it": Teacher candidates survey public on nonstandard usage. English Education, 31(4), 295-309.
Journal
English Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- Content area literacy course
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- student reflections
- Survey
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
What attitudes does the public have toward nonstandard usage of English?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Combination
What implications are present for a speaker who employs a particular nonstandard usage of English?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Combination
What impact, if any, will surveying the public on nonstandard usage of English have on teacher candidate's beliefs about language use?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No