“Giving space” and “taking place”: Adult immigrant students’ and their teachers’...

“Giving space” and “taking place”: Adult immigrant students’ and their teachers’

experiences and attitudes through their participation in courses of Greek

as an L2

Sofia Tsioli, Roula Kitsiou, George AndroulakisGreek Language and Multilingualism Laboratory

University of Thessaly

EDUCATION AND MIGRATION: LANGUAGE FOREGROUNDEDDurham

21-23 October 2016

“Giving space” and “taking place”

Projects’ Identity – MATHEME

MATHEME Lessons in Greek Language, History and Culture for immigrants from non-EU countries who are unemployed, mothers, with disabilities (PWD), and illiterate immigrants

Project Coordinator: Greek Language & Multilingualism Laboratory (University of Thessaly) Funding Institution: Greek Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction Lessons in 7 cities (Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patras, Ioannina, Larisa, Iraklion) in three levels

of Greek language competency beginners, intermediate, advanced) 410 students in sum, 80 taught hours offered to each student Main Objective: to empower immigrants during their integration process in Greece by giving voice

to their narratives and by designing specialised Greek courses Classes in Athens were realized in Kypseli - in the facilities of an institution that aims to support

immigrants through various actions – Kypseli = a region of low socioeconomic status, where many immigrants live due to cheap living costs

120 students, 9 teachers, 3 mediators in Athens and Piraeus


Stages of MATHEME

Recording the target groups and preliminary contacts Needs analysis: investigation and analysis of their social expectations, communication and linguistic needs Course design: designing the learning goals to be achieved and compilation of a syllabus for each target

group Design, development and adjustment of teaching material in print or multimedia format; organising

educational activities Course implementation: free lessons in Greek language, history and culture in appropriate learning spaces

in the 7 cities Project evaluation: assessment of and reflections on the implemented lessons. Compilation of a resource

pack to be used by future similar projects Dissemination: exploitation of the results, events for the public and the press, scientific meetings, web

portal and publicationsAfter the completion of MATHEME a second round of classes was organized only in Athens and was

implemented on a voluntary basis as an extension of MATHEME


Lessons in Greek Language for immigrants from non-EU countries including refugees (that were excluded in MATHEME due to bureaucratic restrictions – legal status)

The voluntary academic context [Greek Language and Multilingualism Laboratory] allowed for inclusion of refugee students in MATHEME 2

21 students in sum, 40 hours, three levels of Greek language competency (beginners, intermediate, advanced)

3 teachers, 2 mediators, 1 facilitator (=1/3 of the teachers who participated in MATHEME classes of Athens)

motivated to participate in this bottom-up initiative for an extension of MATHEME based on the expressed needs of their students to continue the Greek courses

Classes were realized in Plaka= an old historical neighborhood of Athens of high socioeconomic status, clustered around the Acropolis, at the facilities of the Greek Children’s Museum

Task-based educational material developed on the context of MATHEME - lessons in culture through museums visits

Projects’ Identity – MATHEME 2


Research Objectives and Questions - Focus of the research

General research questions: How does the context of the project (governmental or academic-voluntary) affect the choices,

practices and experiences of the participants (students, teachers, mediators, institutions, etc.)?

What are the experiences and attitudes of teachers and adult immigrant students who participated in the projects MATHEME and MATHEME 2?

Specific research sub-questions that are addressed in the present paper: What are the senses of places that have been experienced by participants of the courses? Are there person-place bonds that have been developed throughout the projects? If yes, how

are they reflected on the participants answers? (place dimension)


Analytic – conceptual tools

Qualitative approach - thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Sense of place is a concept which is changing a typical space to place with special behavior

and sensory characteristics for certain people (Hashemnezhad, Heidari & Hoseini, 2013). In order to answer our sub-question we adopted the tripartite model of place attachment

(Scannell & Gifford, 2010) - variables of place attachment – the three P’s: Person Process (a. affect, b. cognition, c. behavior) Place (a. physical, b. social)

Focus of the presentation: the “Place Dimension” of place attachment concerning students


The research outline

Research Tools semi-structured interviews, written reports and arts-informed methods Self-reports through interview processes and reflexive designs (Molinié, 2009; Auger, 2010)

(schemas): STUDENTS: 10 semi-structured interviews with ΜΑΤΗΕΜΕ and MATHEME 2 students, 8 reflexive

designs, students’ portfolios, photographs TEACHERS: 2 semi-structured interviews with MATHEME and MATHEME 2, 4 teacher’s reports RESEARCHERS (2 sociolinguists): Roles a. main interviewer, b. mediator & observer (field notes) Working languages: Greek (10), English (1), French (1), Greek-French (1),Greek-English-French (1) Nationalities: Senegal (4), Syria (1), Algeria (1), Albania (1), Guatemala (1), Iraq (1), Afghanistan (1) Mother tongues and other languages: Albanian, Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Wolof, Arabic, Turkish, Berber,

Spanish, Kurdish


Methodological notes – Data collection

Interview guide axes: a. geospatial trajectoriesb. learning trajectoriesc. attitudes towards their participation in the courses [ 1. motivation, 2. expectations, 3. space

memories-senses of places, 4. learning experiences, 5. learning outcomes, 6. relationships to others (classmates, teachers, mediators)].

Interview procedure: Using different maps as stimuli – ice breaking and breaking hierarchies Using photos as memory facilitators from the different courses and asking them to

comment on them At the end of the interview we asked them to make a reflexive design illustrating the way

they had their learning experiences in their minds with the use of symbols, words, drawings.


Findings: Sense of place

THEMATIC ANALYSISSense of place subsets (Different scales of sense of Place, Shamai,1991) [Sense of place = a general feeling to that place]

Place attachment (positive emotions which participants had about the place) Person Process PlaceLack of sense of place (negative emotions which participants had about the place) Claustrophobia The place of the others Constraints of the physical place


Findings: Place < Place attachment

Place attachment (positive emotions which participants had about the place)Place Social (Subjective experience of people – associations with the place) Comparing with previous experiences Memories Traditions-Culture- Learning trajectories Personal connections with classmates Physical (Objective & external influences of the environment -landscape,

smell, sound- that lead to various association of a place) Affordances of the physical place Access to the place Smells


Place Social (Subjective experience of people – associations with the place) Comparing with previous experiences SM_A_IN: φυσικά ειλικρινά ήταν αγαπημένο μου μέρος που είχα πάει για να μάθω [...] δεν υπήρχε τίποτα στη αίθουσα δηλαδή εδώ στο παιδικό μουσείο έβλεπες ότι [21:00] είχε μια ψυχή ήταν αλλιώς σε σχέση με τα άλλα που είχα πάει [soul metaphor]

MemoriesMD_AB_IN: όχι τίποτα ένας @@@ που ήτανε παιδικό μουσείο θυμηθήκαμε έτσι τα παιδικά χρόνια [nostalgia - childhood memories]

Traditions-Culture-Learning trajectoriesMD_AB_IN: αυτό ήτανε πιο σχολείο, λέμε τώρα αυτό και το άλλο [...] σχολείο κανονικό με θρανία κανονικά [...] μπαίνεις λες είμαι στο σχολείο γι αυτή τη δουλειά έρχομαι [schooling habits]

Personal connections with classmatesJE_AB_IN: ναι και μέχρι τώρα έχω μια φίλη είναι από το Μαρόκο μέχρι τώρα έχω το τηλέφωνό της και μιλάμε στο τηλέφωνο […]αλλά μιλάμε στο τηλέφωνο τη γνώρισα εκεί και έχουμε κάνουμε τώρα είμαστε φίλοι [From community of practice to friends (friendship) perseverance of friendship through telephone]JE_AB_IN: ναι το μάθημα ήταν πιο εύκολα και κάναμε παρέα γιατί είμαστε φίλοι στο facebook τώρα ξέρεις και μιλάμε::: συχνά πιο καλό είναι [30:00] [Forming digital communities through social media - Facebook friends]

Findings: Social < Place < Place attachment Data in Greek


Place Social (Subjective experience of people – associations with the place) Comparing with previous experiences SM_A_IN: of course honestly it was my favorite place where I had come to learn […] there was nothing in the classroom I mean here in the children's museum, you saw that [21:00] it had a soul, it was different compared with other [schools] I had attended [soul metaphor] MemoriesMD_AB_IN: no nothing a @@@ that was a children’s museum, we remembered our childhood this way [nostalgia - childhood memories]

Traditions-Culture- Learning trajectoriesMD_AB_IN: this was more schooly, let’s say now this one and the other one […] [it was a] an ordinary school with ordinary desks […] you walk into [the building] and you say I’m at school and that’s why I come [schooling habits] [schooling habits]

Personal connections with classmatesJE_AB_IN: yes, and up to now I have a friend she is from Morocco, up to now I have her telephone number and we talk on the phone […] but we talk on the phone, I met her there [at the courses] and now we do, we are friends [From community of practice to friends (friendship) perseverance of friendship through telephone] JE_AB_IN: yes the course was easier and we were hanging around with each other because we are friends on facebook now, you know, and we talk::: often, it is better [Forming digital communities through social media - Facebook friends]

Data translated

Findings: Social < Place < Place attachment


Findings: Physical < Place < Place attachment

Physical (objective & external influences of the environment -landscape, smell, sound- that lead to various association of a place)

Affordances of the physical placeJE_AB_IN: και από εδώ μια φορά φτιάξαμε πώς το λένε::: […] ((γελάει)) το παστίτσιο το παστίτσιο ((γελάει)) […] το κάναμε στην κουζίνα του μουσείου εκεί το κάναμε […] [building’s architecture]MD_AB_IN: χώρος πολύ καλό δροσερό δροσιά ήτανε [...] ναι αυτό ήταν δροσερό που άρχιζε ζέστη και ήταν ωραίο [building’s architecture] JE_AB_IN: ναι εδώ είναι πώς να πω είναι πιο ασφαλής εδώ αλλά πλατεία Αμερικής ξέρετε δε θέλω να πηγαίνω εκεί είναι επικίνδυνα γιατί έχει πάρα πολλούς ξένους εκεί και κάνουνε (.) δεν προτιμώ (.) καλύτερα εδώ [safety of the region- safe place]

Access to the placeJE_AB_IN: όχι δεν δυσκολεύομαι γιατί εγώ από εκεί που μένω είναι κοντά στο μετρό ((επιφώνημα από IRK)) Ανθούπολη είναι 2 στάσεις από το δικό μου σπίτι και αν έχει λεωφορείο παίρνω το λεωφορείο αν δεν έχει μπορώ να περπατάω μέχρι το μετρό είναι 2 στάσεις μόνο και μετά πάρω το μετρό μέχρι Αττική και μετά παίρνω το λεωφορείο ναι [accessibility]

Smells

ΟT_A_IN: πολύ ωραίο κτήριο καθαρό απλά ήτανε επειδή είχανε περάσει καινούριο βερνίκι πάνω στο πέτρα είχε κάποιο μυρωδιά [...] όχι εγώ ήμουν συνηθισμένος επειδή δούλευα οικοδομή οπότε δε με ενδιαφέρα για τους άλλους μπορεί να είχανε κάποιο πρόβλημα τους άλλους ντάξει μπορεί να είχανε κάποιο πρόβλημα όμως εγώ δεν είχα πρόβλημα (_) [smell associated to work environment]

Data in Greek


Physical (objective & external influences of the environment -landscape, smell, sound- that lead to various association of a place)

Affordances of the physical placeJE_AB_IN: and from here, once, we made how is it called::: […] ((laughs)) the pastitsio the pastitsio ((laughs)) […] we cooked it in the museums’ kitchen, we made it there […] [building’s architecture]MD_AB_IN: space very good, cool coolness it was […] yes that was cool that hot weather was expected and it was nice [building’s architecture] JE_AB_IN: yes, here it is, how can I say that it’s safer here but in Amerikis square (Plateia Amerikis), you know, I don’t want to go there, it is dangerous because there are too many foreigners there and they do (.) I don’t prefer [this place] (.) it’s better here [safety of the region- safe place]

Access to the placeJE_AB_IN: no I have no difficulty because I from where I live [my home] is close to the subway ((exclamation from IRK)) Anthoupoli is two stations away from my own home and if there is a bus, I take the bus, if not, I can walk to the subway, it’s only two stations and then I take the metro to Attiki and then I take the bus yes [accessibility]

Smells

ΟT_A_IN: very nice building clean it just had some smell because they had recently applied fresh varnish on the stone […] not for me, I was used to it because I worked as a builder so I didn’t care, as far as the others [students] are concerned, they may had a problem, for the others OK maybe they had a problem but I didn’t have any problem (_) [smell associated to work environment]

Findings: Physical < Place < Place attachment Data translated


Examples - reflexive designs (1/2)

“το σχεδιάζω το παιδικό μουσείο σαν ένα φως κάτι που δίνει χρώμα στη ζωή σου πριν από αυτό έρχεσαι από δυσκολίες στα σύνορα και ό.τι είναι θα έχουν περάσει και από δω και πέρα μαθαίνεις και βλέπεις τη ζωή που έχει χρώματα και πριν να περάσεις από δω δε ξέρεις πού πας μόνο πας σε ένα δρόμο από δω και πέρα ο δρόμος το ξέρεις πού πάει” SD_RD

“I am drawing the children’s museum like a light, something that gives colour to your life [pointing at the sun – up right], before this you come from difficulties in the borders and whatever it is [pointing at the black and white part of the drawing – down left], it will have gone by and from now on you learn and see the life that has colours and before you pass through here [pointing at the “door”] you don’t know where you are heading to, you just follow a road from now on [pointing at the river of letters] and you know where the road leads [pointing at the word “Αγάπη” Love]” (Data translated)


Examples - reflexive designs (2/2)

JE_AB_IN: […] εδώ στο μουσείο […] ναι εδώ είναι πώς να πω είναι πιο ασφαλής εδώ αλλά πλατεία Αμερικής ξέρετε δε θέλω να πηγαίνω εκεί είναι επικίνδυνα γιατί έχει πάρα πολλούς ξένους εκεί και κάνουνε (.) δεν προτιμώ (.) καλύτερα εδώ

JE_AB_IN: “[…] here at the museum […] yes here it is, how shall I call it, it is more safe here but in Ameriki Square you know I don’t want to go there it is dangerous because there are too many foreigners there and they do (.) I don’t prefer (.) it is better here” (Data translated)


Concluding – “Giving space and taking place” (1/3)

People experience strong attachments to places that they can identify with or feel proud to be a part of.

Examined individually places often gain meaning because of personal experiences, life milestones, and occurrences of personal growth.

Community behaviors contribute not only to place attachment experienced by students of that community as a group but also to those students individually.

Architectural characteristics of a place have a direct impact on the strength of place attachment felt by students

Students associate knowledge, memories, and meanings with the classroom learning space (places of attachment)

These elements lead to the development of people-place bonding.


Students have already developed preferences for certain types of learning spaces (e.g. “this is more schooly”) and redefine those preferences integrating new learning experiences in the context of culturally different learning environments.

Using art-based forms of research such as reflexive designs can reflect the way that people organize their beliefs and knowledge in regards to places in a multimodal not exclusively verbal way.



The dependence relation between individual and place is not one-directional consistent with Scannell and Gifford’s (2010) process dimension of place attachment

The influence of an individual over a place is related to perception of the place as: an extension of the self (a dimension of place identity; Droseltis & Vignoles, 2010), a sense of ownership of the place (identity-related symbolic meaning), or investment in place (functional meaning).(Mihaylov, & Perkins, in press, Main 2007).


“[…] before you pass through here [pointing at the “door”] you don’t know where you are heading to, you just follow a road from now on [pointing at the river of letters] and you know where the road leads [pointing at the word “Αγάπη” Love]” SM_B_RD


References Auger, N. (2010). Élèves nouvellement arrivés en France. Réalités et perspectives pratiques en classe. Paris: Éditions des

archives contemporaines. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Droseltis, O., & Vignoles, V. L. (2010). Towards an integrative model of place identification: Dimensionality and predictors of

intrapersonal level place preferences. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 23-34. Hashemnezhad, H., Heidari, A. A., & Hoseini, P. M. (2013). “Sense of Place” and “Place Attachment”. International Journal of

Architecture and Urban Development, 3(1), 5-12.

Main, K. D. (2008). Place Attachment and MacArthur Park: A Case Study of the Importance of Public Space in an Immigrant Neighborhood and Implications for Local Planning Practice(Published PhD Dissertation). Los Angeles, USA: ProQuest LLC.

Mihaylov, N., & Perkins, D. D. (2014). Community place attachment and its role in social capital development in response to environmental disruption. In L. Manzo & P. Devine-Wright (Eds.), Place attachment: Advances in theory, methods and research (pp. 61-74). Routledge.

Molinié, (2009). Le dessin réflexif - Elément pour une herméneutique du sujet plurilingue. Amiens, France: Encrage.

Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2010). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 1-10.

Shamai, S. (1991). Sense of place: An empirical measurement. Geoforum, 22, 347-358.


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“Giving space” and “taking place”: Adult immigrant students’ and their teachers’...

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