ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
TRANSCULTURATION AND AFFECT IN THE L2 CLASSROOM:
TEACHING ENGLISH AND ETHNOGRAPHY IN THE YUCATAN
Joy Logan
Uni e si y o Hawai'i a Manoa, USA
By o e ing a ansdisciplina y analysis o he de elopmen o an
EFL/e hnog aphy p og am in Mexico, his s udy p oposes anscul u a ion,
as opposed o accul u a ion (a p ocess commonly ci ed by applied linguis s),
as a mo e comp ehensi e concep ual ool o unde s anding he lea ning
dynamics o he L2 class oom. SELT, School o Expe imen al Language
T aining, in he Maya communi y o Pis é, Yuca án, (Mexico) was a p og am
ha sough o each English o local Pis eleños and o ain U.S. uni e si y
s uden s bo h in EFL me hods and in he p ac ice o cul u al e hnog aphy.
This s udy discusses SELT and i s uses o Spanish, English and Yuca ec
Maya in e ms o he dynamics o powe and au ho i y in he EFL class oom.
In compa ing he EFL and e hnog aphic p ac ices employed by SELT, he
s udy explains how anscul u a ion, a concep de i ed om sociology,
an h opology and li e a y c i icism, accoun s o mul i-di ec ional
communica ion and lea ning in he L2 class oom. I also sugges s a ec o
be one o he p incipal componen s in he ansdisciplina y e oca ion o
anscul u a ion.
Key wo ds: anscul u a ion, accul u a ion, cul u al an h opology,
e hnog aphy, a ec , indigenous languages
1. In oduc ion
Lea ning and using a language is a i s co e a b oad in e ac i e p ocess
ounded on complex ela ionships wi h o he s and wi h ano he cul u e
Es udios de
lingüís ica inglesa aplicada
42 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
(A nold & B own, 1999). I we unde s and cul u al an h opology’s
ieldwo k me hods, o e hnog aphy, as pa icipan obse a ion and
documen a ion o ano he cul u e, i is easible o hypo hesize simila i ies
be ween he e hnog aphic p ojec and he L2 lea ning si ua ion. Indeed, he
kind o ela ional complexi ies inhe en in second language lea ning a e a
he cen e o he sel - e lexi e modes o cul u al an h opology eme ging
om he 1980’s (Cli o d & Ma cus, 1986; Ma cus & Fische , 1986) ha
ques ioned e hnog aphic au ho i y, in pa , by eassessing he dynamics
be ween e hnog aphe and in o man s, be ween obse ing and being
obse ed, and be ween cul u es in zones o con ac (P a , 1991).1 In
ocusing on hose complex in e pe sonal and c oss-cul u al connec ions
inhe en in e hnog aphy, an h opological p ac ices in e sec wi h he esea ch
domains o applied linguis s who s udy a ec and socio-cul u al p agma ics
as ac o s in he L2 lea ning p ocess. Thus, while an h opological and
applied linguis ic disciplina y goals a e clea ly di e en , hei analy ical and
me hodological s a egies may o e lap wi hin he con ex o conside ing how
a i udes, emo ions, anxie y, iden i y issues, and he dynamics o powe and
con ol engage he ields hey s udy.
I was om his unde s anding o disciplina y complemen a i y ha
he School o Expe imen al Language T aining (SELT) was ini ia ed as a
locus o he eaching o e hnog aphy and English as a Fo eign Language.
SELT was pa o he Field School o Expe imen al E hnog aphy (1997-
1999) c ea ed by cul u al an h opologis , Que zil Cas añeda and he
Uni e si y o Hous on. A e mo e han a decade o esea ch and wo k in he
Maya communi y o Pis é, Yuca án, Mexico, Cas añeda ini ia ed he Field
School o ain U.S. s uden s in he me hods and p ac ices o e hnog aphy.
He included he English language p og am as pa o he Field School based
on di ec eques s om he ci izens o Pis é o ins uc ion in English. I
wo ked wi h Cas añeda, as co-di ec o o SELT, o plan and implemen a
language p og am based on he needs and desi es o he amilies o Pis é and
1 The mos signi ican sel c i ique eme ging ou o he 1980’s was a ques ioning o discu si e
au ho i y in e hnog aphies in e ms o he poli ics and e hics o ep esen a ion.
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 43
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
o use ha space o he p ac ice o expe imen al e hnog aphy as i is being
heo ized by Cas añeda (see Cas añeda & B eglia 1998).
Expe imen al e hnog aphy ques ions he e hics o e hnog aphy by
ying o ge a he possibili y o undoing he s anda d sel -o he bina y om
which mode n an h opology a ose. This would allow e hnog aphy o
eposi ion i sel wi hin a scena io whe e a mul iplici y o sel es de elop
h ough he con ex and p ocess o anscul u a ion. T anscul u a ion, a
concep i s coined by Fe nando O iz in 1940, e e s o he p ocess o
mu ual adap a ion ha occu s when wo cul u es a e in con ac (O iz, 1995).
This p ocess is o en based on asymme ical ela ionships o powe (P a ,
1991) and supposes bo h a loss and a gain ha esul s in a hyb id and new
cul u al o m.2
Ins ead o documen ing he “o he ’s” cul u e, expe imen al
e hnog aphy s i es o documen he sel es o he anscul u a i e momen
i sel , o may e en y o e oke such momen s, whe ein a new hyb id cul u e
e ol es wi hin he “wo ld” o pa ame e s o he e hnog aphic ela ionship.
These kinds o new con ex ually-de ined social ela ionships a e also wha
ende he L2 class oom as a social communi y whe e he in e ac ions and
exchanges he ein c ea e a unique “kind o cul u e” (A nold & B own, 1999,
p.19).
In his espec , o SELT, he lea ning/ eaching o English was no
an isola ed goal in and o i sel . The s uc u ing and unc ioning o SELT as
an EFL class oom was always ied o p esupposi ions abou he cul u e(s) o
he class oom and how expe imen al e hnog aphy could e oke momen s o
anscul u a ion. These p esupposi ions3 sugges ed ha o acili a e such
2 The concep o anscul u a ion has been con inually ewo ked (since i s i s use by O iz in
examining Cuban socie y and his o y) o accommoda e i s u ili y as a c i ical ool in li e a y
and cul u al s udies, pos colonial s udies, and an h opology (see Rama, 1982; P a , 1991;
Mignolo, 2000).
3 Mos o hese ideas e ol ed om aped con e sa ions in Hous on be ween Abdel He nández
and Que zil Cas añeda in which hey discussed possibili ies o he implemen a ion o SELT
as a locus o he p ac ice o expe imen al e hnog aphy in he EFL class oom.
44 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
momen s i was necessa y o concen a e on he luidi y and po ous-ness o
eache -s uden , Pis é-Field School, and Maya-US ela ionships o c ea e and
e eal cul u al con ac zones. Wi hin his lea ning and c ea i e space we
would a emp o alue he Maya, hei language, cus oms, his o y, legends,
and adi ions, a he same ime ha we would be eaching English. In
essence, he undamen al ask in SELT was o look o complemen a y L2
me hods ha would p ecipi a e and suppo he kind o “ anscul u a i e”
space ha expe imen al e hnog aphy also a emp s o gene a e. No only did
his equi e a p io unde s anding o c i ical pedagogical heo y, he
p inciples o expe imen al e hnog aphy, and ac ual expe ience in he
class oom, i in oked hose less- han-scien i ic and usually immeasu able
ac o s called imagina ion, in ui ion, c ea i i y, and spon anei y in mixing
and ma ching L2 and e hnog aphical discou ses o u n hem in o iable
SELT s a egies. Wi hin cu en hinking abou second-language acquisi ion
he hyb id p ocess h ough which SELT e ol ed migh bes be unde s ood
h ough con empo a y ideas on humanis ic and holis ic pedagogical
app oaches, on he one hand, and on he o he , h ough ecen heo iza ion in
c oss-cul u al p agma ics4 abou powe and au ho i y in he class oom.
I sugges his heo e ical aming only as a poin o e e ence o
conside ing he s uc u ing o SELT and how ou in en ions o en pa alleled
key p emises o hese wo ields o s udy. I was ou in en in SELT o
suppo and p o ide a mo e dialogic lea ning a mosphe e in o de o ocus
on in e pe sonal, cul u al, and linguis ic connec ions. I was ou in en o
p o oke and documen he ecip oci ies and mul iplici ies o anscul u a ion,
o e eal he mo emen o in e cul u al con ac whose low is always mul i-
di ec ional, bu whose impe us can be obscu ed o seemingly educed o uni-
di ec ional by he dominan oice and p esence o he an h opologis ,
specialis , eache , o so-called expe . The in en o SELT was also always
o ocus on he na u e o in en i sel , o jux apose in en wi h goal, o sel -
4 I am using Jenny Thomas’ (1983, p. 91) de ini ion o c oss-cul u al p agma ics. She has
coined his e m “as a sho hand way o desc ibing no jus na i e-non-na i e in e ac ions, bu
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 45
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
consciously allow eedom o de elopmen and mu a ion ins ead o
pu pose ully channeling he cu en o class oom in e ac ion in o p e-
es ablished ends. In SELT i was key o emembe e e y day ha he only
eal goal was he in en o main ain a pa icipa o y and open-ended
cu iculum. In keeping wi h hese guidelines, SELT e ol ed om a
spon aneous, in ui i e, hyb id me hodology ha was modi ied on a daily
basis by a e-wo king, a e-de ining, a e-assessing o i s e y being and
p ac ice.
2. The Implemen a ion o SELT
F om he onse SELT was o mula ed as a communi y-gene a ed p og am
based on coope a ion be ween membe s o he Field School and he people
o Pis é. Taking ideas o social-based language eaching models o
can assing he communi y o acili a e he sel -de e mina ion o linguis ic
and educa ional needs (see F ei e, 1970; Gi oux, 1997), he Field School se
up a se ies o in oduc o y in e iew sessions held in he cen e o own in
which basic ques ions abou he use and p ac ice o English we e p esen ed
o Pis eleños. These in e iew ques ions we e o mula ed om Cas añeda’s
assessmen o p e ious discussions and conce ns oiced o him by he
Pis eleños. They deal wi h whe e, when, and why Pis eleños hea d, used,
needed o wan ed o use English, as well as hei own es ima ion o hei
le el. In o de o iangula e Cas añeda’s p e ious e hnog aphic expe ience
and wha we lea ned om he in e iews abou unc ions, uses and a i udes
ega ding English, we la e asked he adolescen and adul s uden s o
pa icipa e wi h he Field School membe s in ole-playing si ua ions. These
ole-play scena ios we e sugges ed by he Pis eleño s uden s hemsel es in
esponse o he ques ion “In wha si ua ion do you need o speak o
unde s and English?” The s uden s hen p epa ed and ac ed he a ious ole-
playing imp o isa ions ha hey had p oposed and he Field School s uden
eache s documen ed he class h ough ideo, pho og aphy, and no e- aking.
any communica ion be ween wo people who, in any pa icula domain, do no sha e a
common linguis ic o cul u al backg ound”.

46 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
Some o he Field School membe s obse ed as e hnog aphe s, o he s
unc ioned as EFL eache s o eco d he language s uc u es and ocabula y
a icula ed by he s uden s om Pis é. The ole-playing by he Pis eleños, o
hei language- hea e , helped ins uc o s o app oxima e hei le el o
English and also o assess wha hei linguis ic needs we e in he
in e na ional ou is en i onmen o Pis é. Du ing he session, s uden s we e
old ha in he ole-playing o using English hey could also use Spanish
and/o Maya i needed in ins ances whe e hey did no know he English.
This was keeping wi h SELT’s in en o emphasize he communica i e
alidi y o all h ee languages and o p omo e Maya as a iable and aluable
o m o communica ion e en wi h non-Mayas.
The ole-playing unc ioned as a p o iciency exam, and o pu poses
o he p og am was much p e e able o any w i en assessmen . This was ue
wi h espec o bo h he e hnog aphical in en s and he pedagogical ou look
o SELT. Fi s , his kind o ac ing ou was p e e able because he ole-
playing si ua ions and dialogue we e s uden -gene a ed; second, because
hey p o ided bo h linguis ic and p agma ic in o ma ion5 abou English use
in Pis é; hi d because hey allowed o language, body, and space o be
conside ed wi hin a communica i e ela ionship; and ou h because hey de-
p i ileged he w i en ex in a communi y whe e he le el o li e acy is qui e
a iable. An impo an poin in his exe cise, keeping in mind he dual
pu pose and unc ioning o he Field School pa icipan s as bo h
expe imen al e hnog aphe s and EFL eache s, was no o all in o he
“ adi ional” hie a chy o cas ing in he eache -s uden au ho i y scheme o
in o he expec ed “in lexible” oles o he obse ing an h opologis and he
obse ed subjec , which would nega e he basic in en ions o SELT. Fo ha
5 The p agma ics o language use a e especially impo an in es ablishing c oss-cul u al
communica ion and ela ionships. When and how o use language, he in e p e a ions o
silence, egis e , one, poli eness a e essen ial no only o linguis ic e ec i eness in he
class oom, bu also in e ms o es ablishing an a ec i e class oom en i onmen ha will
os e posi i e a i udes abou language lea ning. Fo an explana ion o eache /s uden
dynamics in he L2 class oom see To eblanca López (1998) and he discussion o issues o
powe , au ho i y, cou esy and poli eness in he class oom.
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 47
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
eason, membe s o he Field School also pe o med a ole-playing si ua ion
whe e hey ep esen ed a scene in which i was necessa y o hem o use he
Maya language. This u ning o he ole-playing able in e ed he eache -
s uden dynamics and he dimensions o he obse ed/obse ing ela ionship
o p o oke, om he beginning o he cou se, he ealiza ion ha hese oles
o au ho i y, powe , and obse a ion a e no igid, s a ic, one-dimensional, o
uni-di ec ional. Addi ionally, i was a way o aluing he Maya language by
pu ing he lea ning o English and he lea ning o Maya on he same le el
and equa ing hei impo ance. And inally, he spec acle o he Field School
membe s s uggling wi h Maya added a elaxed one and elemen s o humo
and laugh e ha , om he ou se , se ed o educe imagined p e-es ablished
dis ances be ween s uden and eache , and be ween Field School
an h opologis and Pis eleño, o help c ea e he kind o com o able and sa e
a mosphe e necessa y o SELT’s expe imen a ion.
A e all he da a and in o ma ion was e iewed, en a i e class plans
wi h ega d o basic hemes and opics we e d a ed.6 Fou basic hemes we e
se up in which o ame he child en’s classes: The Sel and Family, The
Class oom, Pis é, Tou ism and Chichén I zá. Adul classes cen e ed a ound
Pis é, he business o ou ism, and Chichén I zá. These opics seemed he
mos app op ia e in acco dance wi h he communi y’s use o English and he
Field School’s desi e o es ablish con ex s o in e cul u al ela ionships, be
hey con ex s ha would include ela ing o membe s o he Field School o
o ou is s.7
6 Speci ic g amma s uc u es, ocabula y, and p onuncia ion poin s o he di e en age
g oups and le els we e de e mined la e wi hin he daily de elopmen o he cou se. Howe e ,
o ou adul s uden s mo e speci ic linguis ic needs we e assessed om he ole-play
si ua ions.
7 Ou child en’s classes also bene i ed om he adul s’ language assessmen . We ook many
o he basic linguis ic poin s ha we e highligh ed by he adul s’ ole-playing and
inco po a ed hem a a ying le els o syn ac ic and seman ic complexi y in o he cu iculum
o he ou sec ions o child en’s classes.
48 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
CLASSES: 7 sec ions
130 Pis é Residen s (Child en and Adul s)
9 Field School Membe s
Child en and Teens Monday-Thu sday
Adul s Monday & Wednesday
Beginning English In e media e English
2 Sec ions Ages 8-10 1 Sec ion Ages 11-13
1 Sec ion Ages 11-13 1 Sec ion Ages 14-16
1 Sec ion Adul s 1 Sec ion Adul s
Table 1. SELT Pa icipan s
2.1. Yuca ec Maya and SELT
As an EFL class oom SELT in ended o p ojec an a ec i e space in which
o p omo e lea ning and in which o os e a i udes o mu ual help and
suppo ha would allow o pe sonal and collabo a i e c ea i i y o
lou ish.8 One o he s a egies o suppo his space o c ea i e ecip oci y
was o g ee s uden s e e y day in Maya and o dismiss class wi h Maya.
The e o e, classes we e always amed by eache s speaking Maya and he
8 When I use ‘a ec ’ and ‘a ec i e’ I am e e ing o moods, a i udes, and emo ional aspec s
in gene al, anging om ea , inhibi ion, esen men , cu iosi y, en husiasm, exci emen , e c.
Wha e e hei “posi i e” o “nega i e” conno a ions, hey impinge on all in e pe sonal
ela ionships. Wi hin he p ocess o anscul u a ion he a ec i e is always p esen .
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 49
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
eminde ha he eache s we e also lea ne s. These p ac ices ex ended o
g ee ings in Maya ou side o he class oom as well, and we e o en p omp ed
by he child en who ook he ole o eache s as hey co ec ed ou answe s
in Maya. The p ocess was also e e sed when s uden s g ee ed in English
and eache s answe ed and hen subsequen ly posed a ques ion in Maya.
Howe e , any u he subs an i e o leng hy con e sa ion equi ed swi ching
o Spanish. In essence, all h ee languages we e equi ed o main ain ha
a ec i e space ou side o he class oom.
The inclusion o Maya on he pa o he ins uc o s was mean no
only o blu he eache -lea ne di isions, bu also o connec on a mo e
in ima e le el o he s uden s o he majo i y o whom Maya was hei i s
language.9 In e ms o he L2 expe ience one migh hypo hesize ha his
social in e ac ion be ween eache and s uden would acili a e lea ne
accul u a ion. Accul u a ion, he aking on o e bal and cul u al beha io s
o ano he language g oup and iden i ying onesel wi h ha g oup, is a
signi ican ac o in second language lea ning (A nold & B own, 1999,
p.21). The amoun o social sepa a ion be ween language g oups has been
shown o a ec he success o lea ning a o eign language and he le el o
accul u a ion (Young, 1999, p.19). Thus, by educing he dis ance be ween
English and Maya, making he English-Maya connec ion a di ec one ha is
no always media ed by Spanish, SELT hoped o suppo lea ne
accul u a ion. Howe e , he p ocess o accul u a ion in second language
lea ning o med only a pa o he mo e complex p ocess o anscul u a ion
ha he p ojec a emp ed o documen in he class oom.
The use o Maya in he L2 class oom also implied suppo o he
main enance o he indigenous language o Yuca an. In a limi ed way, his
a emp o posi ion Maya on an equal le el o English and Spanish as a
iable ool o communica ion and lea ning was mean o unde mine he
adi ional subo dina ion, in e ms o s a us and powe , o he Maya
language. Despi e he ecen es ablishmen o bilingual educa ion in some
9 Fo in o ma ion on he demog aphics o Yuca an’s languages see (B iceño Chel, 2002;
P eile , 1999; Güémez Pineda, 2003).
56 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
communi y o belonging o m he eal objec and goal o e hnog aphic
ieldwo k and p ac ice (p. 45).
6. A ec and T anscul u a ion
E hnog aphy p ac iced in he way ha he Field School heo ized inc eases
he a ec i e and ela ional connec ions be ween sel and o he , o a leas
makes he dynamics o hese connec ions mo e isible. In he same ein, in
o de o p ac ice his kind o e hnog aphy he exis ence o such a ec i e
junc u es is p esupposed. Pe haps his is why he EFL class oom seemed o
be an ideal space o he documen a ion o anscul u a ion. In e ms o
e hnog aphy and language lea ning he impo ance o SELT o he a ec i e
componen o he class oom canno be o e -emphasized. Wi h espec o he
eaching o English as a o eign language, mos con empo a y
me hodologies ha e ecognized he signi ican way ha a ec i e ac o s
condi ion lea ning (A nold & B own, 1999; Young, 1999). In ac , “[m]any
o he majo de elopmen s in language eaching du ing he pas wen y- i e
yea s a e in some way ela ed o he need o acknowledge a ec in language
lea ning” (A nold & B own, 1999, p. 7). As conce ns he p ac ice o
expe imen al e hnog aphy in he EFL class oom, conside a ion o a ec i e
dynamics is essen ial.
A nold & B own (1999) ell us ha “[l]anguage lea ning and use is a
ansac ional p ocess. T ansac ion is he ac o eaching ou beyond he sel
o o he s and, as such, i is in ima ely connec ed wi h he lea ne ´s emo ional
being” (23). I would add ha he ins uc o /e hnog aphe ’s emo ional being
is also as in ima ely connec ed o he eaching/lea ning p ocess, so ha his
ex ension o sel o o he is always al eady condi ioned by a ec i e issues
and, in u n, condi ions he lea ning a mosphe e o he e hnog aphic
expe ience. I also lays he ounda ion in which anscul u a ion e ol es. As
a concep , anscul u a ion was pe haps i s coined o p o ide a way o
examine he mo e complica ed cul u al blendings ha accul u a ion could
no add ess (O iz, 1995). While applied linguis ics speaks o accul u a ion
as a signi ican ac o in language lea ning, anscul u a ion is wha ook

T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 57
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
SELT a s ep a he o look a he mo e complex p ocesses and connec ions
in he L2 class oom and beyond jus ocusing on he lea ne ’s in eg a ion o
ano he language g oup’s beha io s. I also sough o documen eache
adap a ions wi hin he con ex o a anscul u al class oom. T anscul u a ion
was SELT’s concep ual ool o engage he con ac zone o blended
disciplines, mixed me hodologies, and shi ing class oom oles. Th ough he
lens o anscul u a ion, SELT a emp ed o ende mo e isible hose bi-
di ec ional ansac ional p ocesses ha e oked hyb id, e ol ing, mul iple
sel es in bo h lea ne s and eache s. Ins ead o ocusing on he goals o
accul u a ion, i documen ed he anscul u al dynamics o powe , social
ela ions, and in e ac ions, in he c oss-cul u al communi y o he L2
class oom. These anscul u al dynamics c oss in o se e al ields o L2
esea ch and unde lie much o wha applied linguis s a e discussing in e ms
o a ec and a i udes owa ds language lea ning. Al hough no labeled as
such, I would a gue ha anscul u al p ocesses o m he basis o much
esea ch on lea ne - eache in e ac ions. In a ecen a icle Kondo-B own
(2004, p. 612) ound ha “[o] al pe o mance ou comes […] a e p oduc s o
wo-way wo k be ween he in e iewe and he child candida e”. She
sugges s ha “ he social aspec o in e ac ion needs o be much mo e
se iously conside ed in u u e L2 assessmen esea ch” (2004, p. 603). In
essence, Kondo-B own is discussing he kind o anscul u al p ocesses ha
expe imen al e hnog aphy is conce ned wi h and ha SELT was based on.
Key o conside ing such p ocesses is how s uden s’ cul u al and emo ional
well being and hei p og ess in he L2 class oom will be a ec ed by
anscul u a ion (bo h hei accul u a ion o he L2 cul u e and hei
ins uc o ’s e e se accul u a ion). Ul ima ely, any assessmen o how
anscul u a ion in luences a i udes, moods, in e pe sonal ela ionships, and
lea ning would help o c ea e a mo e comp ehensi e iew o he dynamics o
a ec in he class oom.
7. Final Conside a ions
In a emp ing o e oke anscul u a ion, SELT was se up as a pa icipa o y,
s uden -cen e ed locus and p ac ice whe e he impo ance o a ec was
58 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
always cen al o he conside a ion o me hodologies, o he p ojec ’s
uno hodox no ion o e ec i eness in he L2 class oom, and o he p ac ice
o e hnog aphy. Howe e , while Field School w i en and ideo
e hnog aphies, he Clausu a e hnog aphic ins alla ion, and he subsequen
Field School monog aph (Cas añeda & B eglia, 1998) documen ed o he
pa icipan s he changing, collabo a i e, and sha ed social and linguis ic
oles o s uden s and eache s as a p ocess o anscul u a ion, he esul s o
how anscul u a ion a ec ed L2 lea ning we e ne e di ec ly measu ed.
The e o e, his e iew o SELT does no p e end o se e as a sou ce o da a,
bu a he as a poin o depa u e o e lec on anscul u a ion and he L2
class oom. Such e lec ions gene a e bo h opics o conce n speci ic o
SELT, as well as gene al ques ions abou how he concep o anscul u a ion
migh e ame cu en L2 esea ch.
On he mos basic le el, an analysis o SELT as a locus o
anscul u a ion begs a wo-pa ques ion: i s , whe he he L2 ins uc o ’s
“accul u a ion” o he s uden s’ linguis ic and g oup iden i y a ec s s uden s’
a e and deg ee o “accul u a ion” o he L2 cul u e; and second, wha a e he
consequences o his dual mo emen o L2 lea ning? Would g ea e
ins uc o change o mo emen owa ds b eaching social sepa a ion be ween
cul u al g oups hinde o acili a e L2 lea ning? Wha hyb id cul u e, o
in e cul u e, is c ea ed by his dual p ocess, o anscul u a ion, in he
class oom? Wha ela ionship would his blended cul u e ha e wi h s uden
lea ning and achie emen ? Would i in luence language use ou side o he
class oom? Wha elemen s o cul u al p ac ice a e disca ded and which a e
added in his in e cul u e? Do hese new hyb id cul u al p ac ices ca y o e
ou side he class oom?
SELT would ha e had o add ess hese kinds o ques ions had i s
ocus on anscul u a ion been e alua ed wi hin he pa ame e s o applied
linguis ics esea ch. In his ega d, a mo e comp ehensi e se ies o ques ions
abou a i udes owa ds English, Yuca ec Maya, and Spanish would ha e
been necessa y in he can assing o he communi y be o e s a ing he
p ojec , and hen again a i s comple ion. Answe s o hese same se ies o
ques ions would also ha e been equi ed om he ins uc o s. In addi ion o
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 59
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
language issues, he su ey ins umen would ha e needed o ocus on he
cul u al and social cons uc ions o “s uden ” and “ eache ” o bo h he
Pis eleños and he ield school s uden s. Would iewing he English eache
as a s uden o Maya suppo Maya s uden s lea ning English o no ? In o he
wo ds, in he anscul u al space in which eache s and s uden s low in o
bo h oles is s uden L2 lea ning acili a ed? An assessmen o he no ions,
expec a ions, and a i udes abou he oles o eache s and s uden s in e ms
o au ho i y, powe , con ol, alue, espec , gende , age, ace, collabo a ion,
and coope a ion would need o be made om bo h g oups a he beginning
and he end o he p ojec as well as an assessmen o class beha io .
Fu he a en ion o speci ic class oom exe cises o SELT could
e alua e i and how ce ain p ac ices in luenced speci ic a i udes and
expec a ions abou s uden - eache ela ionships and a ec ed L2 lea ning.
Fo example, in exe cises such as g oup singing, dancing, and playing ha
SELT belie ed would diminish physical space be ween class membe s, was
he e an equi alen and measu able diminishing o social space and did i
ein o ce o weaken he a ec i e en i onmen ? Fu he examina ion o
eache adap a ion in he class oom migh ha e add essed whe he eache s’
g ea e knowledge o and p oximi y o he academic p ac ices common o
he s uden s’ cul u al con ex encou aged o impeded L2 lea ning.
In p omo ing ins uc o s’ adap a ion o s uden cul u al iden i y
SELT used he EFL class oom as a space o alue he Maya language and
assumed ha he in e cul u e p oduced by anscul u a ion would posi i ely
a ec s uden and eache a i udes abou he use and social unc ions o
Yuca ec Maya. Tha hypo hesis was ne e suppo ed h ough da a o he han
ha o he anecdo al and expe ien ial e hnog aphies o he p og am, bu i
me i s u he conside a ion. In a p og am like SELT, would EFL-ins uc o
a i udes abou Yuca ec Maya ha e any co ela ion o s uden a i udes and
uses o Maya? How would s uden and ins uc o a i udes change du ing he
cou se o he p og am? I communi y a i udes owa ds Maya we e seen as
mo e nega i e han hose o he ins uc o s, how would his be
accommoda ed in he in e cul u e? Could a posi i e a i ude owa ds English
be linked o a mo e posi i e a i ude owa ds Maya and ice e sa? How
60 J. Logan
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
would g ea e mu ual use o Yuca ec Maya by ins uc o s and s uden s a ec
he lea ning o English? Would lea ning English in a communi y whe e
English is an impo an economic ool educe he equency o Maya usage
despi e posi i e a i udes in he class oom? Would a g owing Maya-English
class oom in e cul u e a ec a i udes owa ds use o Spanish ou side he
home?
SELT hypo hesized ha i s a en ion o a ec , o diminishing he
social spaces be ween he language cul u es, and o using Yuca ec Maya as a
communica i e ool would acili a e he lea ning o English, alue he Maya
language, and c ea e a g ea e empa hy and unde s anding be ween he Field
School and he Pis eleños. Al hough suppo ing e idence was no based on
empi ical da a o assessmen o language achie emen , he s uden
e hnog aphies ha documen ed g ow h and change and he collabo a i e,
mul i-lingual, celeb a o y one o he e hnog aphic ins alla ion, o Clausu a,
indica ed a sha ed lea ning and communica i e success o he communi y
and Field School pa icipan s alike.
As a hyb id e hnog aphic-applied linguis ic cons uc , SELT may no
ha e ul illed ei he discipline’s expec a ions o esul s o da a. Tha is he
consequence o i s own hyb idi y. Ne e heless, i may sugges possibili ies
o u u e linguis ic, p agma ic, a ec i e, me hodological, and e hnog aphic
conside a ions o he L2 class oom. SELT o e ed an example o how he
L2 class oom can wo k o acknowledge cul u al di e ences and suppo he
main enance o indigenous languages. And pe haps, mos impo an ly, i
p o ided a model o anscul u a ion as a ansdisciplina y concep ha
migh mo e easily engage he socio-linguis ic complexi ies and he opposing
cul u al endencies o di e en ia ion and homogeniza ion wi hin an e e -
mo e globalized wo ld.
T anscul u a ion and a ec in he L2 .... 61
ELIA 6, 2005-6, pp. 41-62
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