Generation 1.5 in Hawaii: Gaining Critical Tools for Reading the World
This
project was based on a two-year long study previously conducted by four
graduate students in the Department of Second Language Studies who worked
with the CSLR. The ethnographic study explored the needs and challenges
of Generation 1.5 (G1.5) students and their instructors at Kapiolani
Community College (KCC). The study concluded that lack of public school
attention to this population’s particular linguistic and
sociocultural needs had resulted in students’ limited academic
English literacies skills and low self-esteem regarding their educational
abilities. However, rather than end our work at KCC with a set of discouraging
findings, we offered to use the study as a spring-board for developing
and implementing curricula intended to transform G1.5 student experiences
from academic failure to school success. During the 2000-2001 academic
year, CSLR staff members explored how critical language and literacy
theories can be applied to L2 educational settings. Based on these discussions
and further research, our instructor for the project developed and implemented
an innovative academic English curriculum for G1.5 students. By documenting
the content, processes, and outcomes of this curriculum, the instructor
provided a model of critical praxis (Skarin, 2005). This model illustrates
how students developed the critical thinking and academic literacy skills
that allowed them to participate in informed ways in social and political
life. The model further demonstrates how students explored the root causes
for their own educational, economic, and social challenges and developed
the capacity to envision possible and better futures (see Skarin 2005).
