Students Present on Collaboration with the Oregon Judicial Department
On May 4th, members of the Activist Applied Linguistics team will present their work at the 2022 Portland State Research Symposium. This project stems from a partnership started in Fall 2020 between the Applied Linguistics Department and the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD).
Since the start of 2022, we have been teaming up with the OJD Juvenile & Family Court Programs Division, striving to make legal concepts and language about Domestic Relations Trials more accessible to everyday people in stressful circumstances. In trying to get the word out about Informal Domestic Relations Trials (IDRTs) and how they offer a great alternative to traditional trials, we have had to put our heads together to negotiate meaning and representation, take the time to do serious research, and even break out our artistic skills to create brochures and tables that simplify these complicated documents. The OJD has been a great partner to collaborate with by supplying us with informative resources and offering a vital legal perspective along the way. Bryan Marsh, our main OJD connection for this project, has enthusiastically conveyed the OJD’s appreciation of our materials and the significant impact they will have for Oregonians.
Our presentation shows how, in collaboration with community partners, activist applied linguists’ analytic skills, empathy, and knowledge about language structure and use contribute to creating solutions to real-world problems that Oregonians face on a regular basis.
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Update on Literacy, Language & Technology Research Group (LLTR) Projects The Literacy, Language & Technology Research Group (LLTR) is a community of faculty, staff, and students working together on a related set of research projects centered on the acquisition of literacy, digital literacy and second languages among adults, especially members of economically vulnerable and socially excluded populations. The focus of this update is on two of these projects; both are under the direction of LLTR Director Kathy Harris, with four graduate and two undergraduate students helping with the research.
For those interested in learning more about the work we’re doing, you can visit the LLTR page. Additionally, we are looking for undergraduate research interns. Details can be found here.
PROJECTS
EHEALTH READINESS
This project is a partnership between LLTR, Dr. Julie Reeder, Senior researcher with the Oregon WIC program, and Dr. Sunny Lin with Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. As we’ve seen in the pandemic, there is an increasing reliance on digital tools for health, and for public health. However, a question remains about the readiness of public health agencies, those that support them, and the participants themselves about their readiness to participate in telehealth. With a focus on digital inclusion, including access to the internet, access to devices, and skills to use both, the eHealth Readiness Project is examining the readiness of the Oregon WIC staff and WIC participants to participate in WIC visits via telehealth.
Data collection included surveys of Oregon WIC Participants, WIC staff, and IT professionals who support public health in Oregon, as well as interviews with and contextualized digital literacy assessments of 28 participants, 13 in English, 10 in Spanish, and 5 in Russian.
Qualitative and quantitative data analysis is in progress. Initial findings on the digital divide as a barrier to telehealth are below.
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21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities (21CLEO)
This project is a 4-year partnership between LLTR and the EdTech Center at World Education. Funded by Walmart.org, investigators Dr. Kathy Harris, Dr. Jill Castek, Dr. Gloria Jacobs, and Dr. Jenifer Vanek, assisted by the LLTR student team, collaborate to explore the forces that support frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support the development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner. Data collection includes semi-structured interviews with working learners and support providers across the United States and throughout industries such as food service, retail, and hospitality.
In our analyses, we strove to understand who working learners are, in order to help employers, educators, and the workforce system to understand that working learners are not a monolithic archetype. To do that we created a series of persona. Persona are a set of characteristics of frontline workers made into the story of a person. We are using this approach to create a compelling and approachable representation of our aggregated interview data. The personas and explanation of our methodology are linked below.
Persona Development as a Research Tool
Neberu: Working To Feel Comfortable Interacting With English Speakers
Alimayu: College-educated Retail Worker Learning English
Elise: Juggling Work, Required Training, And Long-term Goals
Regina: Healthcare Worker Seeking To Establish A Career
Dani: Front-line Supervisor Paid Hourly Seeking Certification For Advancement
Naomi: Learning for Future Possibilities
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World Englishes LING 4/581 offered virtually this summer
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Come to the Linguistics Road Show May 18th and 19th and learn more about language diversity on campus!
The LRS is an interactive event where people can learn about topics like linguistic diversity, language attitudes and language bias.
Have you ever been curious about how many languages are spoken at PSU or even how many languages are spoken in the world? Come on down to the Linguistics Road Show and learn these answers from linguists! There will be pizza, and games and opportunities to socialize.
This event is open to ALL PSU students, faculty, and staff; no previous background in languages or linguistics is necessary to attend!
Aren’t able to make the 18th? Don’t worry, there’s another on the 19th!
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Upcoming Virtual Undergraduate and TESL Certificate Information Sessions- Thursday, May 19th 12-1 pm
Email linginfo@pdx.edu to R.S.V.P. if you'd like to attend a session and we'll provide the Zoom address!
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2022/2023 MA TESOL Admissions
Applications to the program are open for the 2022/2023 academic year. While the priority deadline was February 1st, applications received beyond that date will be reviewed as space in the program allows.
Attend a virtual M.A. TESOL info session! RSVP here and we'll email you a link to the Zoom session on Friday, May 13th at 1 p.m.
Sessions are held monthly. To receive notifications of upcoming info sessions, email linginfo@pdx.edu.
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Professor Susan Conrad retiring at the end of spring term
This June, the department will say goodbye to Professor Susan Conrad, who is retiring after 20 years at Portland State. Many of you will remember Susan’s love of grammar and her expertise in corpus linguistics. Susan touched many lives through her teaching and was awarded the John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award four times. She also mentored many students in research skills, presentation skills, and publishing.
Susan is a renowned scholar with a broad range of expertise in the analysis of English grammar, applications of corpus linguistics in language teaching and learning, and writing in civil engineering with corpus techniques. Her most recent project on writing in civil engineering elucidated differences between academic and professional writing in the field and then worked with faculty from historically Black and Hispanic serving institutions to develop instructional materials for civil engineering writing.
After retiring, Susan is planning on moving with her husband to Bend. There they will enjoy hiking and biking, the increase in sunshine and a slower pace of life in their newly built house. We wish them both the best. Susan, you will be missed!
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More department news
Read more news from the Applied Linguistics department here.
All department newsletters can be found archived on the department's website.
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