"The Elephant in the Classroom: A History of Linguistic Justice in Inst" by Tawnya Annette Hillin-Smith

The Elephant in the Classroom: A History of Linguistic Justice in Instructional Notes of Teaching English in the Two-Year College

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

Department

Literature and Languages

Date of Award

Fall 2024

Abstract

This dissertation extends conversations on perspectives and tensions related to the Conference on College Composition and Communication’s “Students’ Right to Their Own Language” statements (1974, 2003, 2006, and 2014) and the 1996-2023 Instructional Notes from Teaching English in the Two-Year College (TETYC), the flagship journal for English instructors at the two-year college level. Using rhetorical analysis, this project examines TETYC Instructional Notes articles help or hinder linguistic justice-focused discussions about “language” that ultimately inform pedagogical decisions about grammar and language instruction in developmental and first-year writing as outlined in College Composition and Communication’s (CCC) 1974 “Students’ Right to Their Own Language,” Conference on College Composition and Communication’s (CCCC) 2020 “This Ain’t Another Statement! This is a DEMAND for Black Linguistic Justice!” and the 2021 “CCCC Statement on White Language Supremacy.” The project calls attention to the way Instructional Note authors’ engagement with language considers five sub-themes as they advocate for specific approaches to instruction: 1) student voice, 2) correctness, 3) communicative norms, 4) code-switching, and 5) study of other languages/dialects. TETYC Instructional Notes are articles that examine problems reflected in ongoing disciplinary discussions and offer evidence-based instructional strategies with clearly identified student outcomes. Each article includes sections that establish the exigency of a particular teaching problem, situate the proposed strategy in a literature review that reflects or challenges current disciplinary thinking, outline the strategy implementation, including discussion of problems and possible resolutions, and conclude with student-based evidence of clear outcomes. By identifying key terms from and rhetorical features relevant to the CCCC statements, I analyze the Instructional Notes (INs) over four periods: 1996–1999, 2000–2009, 2010–2019, and 2020–2023. The study identifies trends in articles’ topics and examines the patterns in the language and focus of these articles as they relate to linguistic justice, noting what is present and missing and identifying the limitations created by these silences.

Advisor

Ashanka Kumari

Subject Categories

Arts and Humanities | Rhetoric and Composition

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