Excuse Me, are You the Teacher?: The Experiences of Racialized ESOL Teachers in Private-language Schools in Toronto
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Like other service workers, racialized English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers in private-language schools are judged on their embodied traits, which are their (perceived) language proficiency and race, sometimes along with other social markers. Research has suggested that because they are not the ideal White, native-English-speaking instructor, racialized teachers usually experience awkward, confusing, and discriminatory encounters in their workplaces. These interactions are racial microaggressions because they send insulting messages to these teachers. Employing a critical race methodology, this study examines the microaggressions that 10 racialized teachers experience in various private ESOL schools in Toronto. Moreover, it looks at how these microaggressions impact the teachers' professional identities. The findings highlight how the teachers experience a range of microaggressions that occasionally go beyond issues of language and race, all of which promote internal and external identity work. Furthermore, these findings provide the impetus to prevent microaggressions in the ESOL context.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Anil Vijay Ramjattan
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2580959602