Florida Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes Toward AAVE

Evolution of Euphemisms for AAVE

• Negro non-standard English/Black Bobo/Ebonics/Jive Talking/ Black Dialect/nonstandard English/Afro-American English/African American English/Black English Vernacular/Vernacular Black English/nonstandard Negro English/Negro Dialect/Afram/substandard English/Black English

Research Questions• What attitudes do selected Florida preservice

teachers exhibit toward AAVE as measured by the African American English Teacher Attitude Scale?

• What demographic variables (race, university attended, hometown size, gender, age, socio-economic status) and exposure-to-dialect variables (home/community, high school course work, university course work) are associated with these attitudes?

Independent Variables• Race

• Hometown (urban, rural or suburban)

• Dialect (Standard English, AAVE, or Both)

• School (FAMU with 94.3% black or FSU with 75.3% white )

• Gender

• SES

• Age

• Academic Exposure to AAVE (2 questions)

Dependent Variable

• Attitude Score on the African American English Teacher Attitude Scale (AAETAS).

• The AAETAS is a 46 item survey, which is comprised of actual statements made by teachers.

• 4 point Likert Scale (score ranges 46 to 184)

• Use of multiple regression analysis

Polarized Statements

• African American English is a systematic, rule-governed language variety (positive).

• African American English is basically talking lazy (negative).

• African American English should be promoted in the school as part of African American children’s culture (Positive)

• African American kids would advance further in school without African American English (negative)

Comparison of Constructs for the Previous and Present AAETAS

• Hoover et al (1997) Present Study

• Deficit under 120 Low under 110• Difference 120-159 Middle 110 - 153• Excellence 160 or above High 154 or above

Statistics for all Attitude Scores (n=153)

M = 127.4 / Mdn 129 / Mode 132

SD 16.80/ Range 85 / Min 85/ Max 170

Research Question 2

• LANGUAGE p< .007

• HOMPOP p<. 011

Results• Bidialectial Preservice teachers from

suburban areas had the highest attitude scores

• SE speaking Preservice teachers from urban areas had the lowest attitude score

• Why didn’t those who speak AAVE only have the highest attitude score?

Implications

• Teachers should become aware of AAVE and other dialects of English as international students who end up in impoverished areas usually acquire nonstandard English as a target language.

• ESOL students’ interlanguage often resemble many forms of AAVE (e.g two mens, the man, he went to the market). In addition, many fossilize these forms.

AAVE

• Whether or not Cosby et al. believe that AAVE is legitimate system of communication is a moot point because a substantial amount of research support its validity.

• Our focus should be including AAVE speaking children in programs that will enhance their acquisition of SE (like LEP strategies and methods).

• Both Brown v. Board of Ed & Lau v. Nicolas argued violation of Civil Rights laws. However, AAVE speaking children are not included in programs that promote acquisition of SE.

• The NAACP was a plaintiff in the Florida Consent Decree, but AAVE speaking children are not included in programs that promote acquisition of SE.

• This is where the focus should be.