Los principios del conteo según Artur Baroody y la AFC

Jessica participated in the research from February to December 2013. Her shared stories during the period focused on being a successful language learner to enrol in a degree programme, and a mother (see Appendices from D-1 to D-3). Jessica settled in Aotearoa NZ when she married a New Zealander. It was the beginning of building her family and having her first son that made her realise it was time for her to pursue a career to help financially. She had had few jobs previously both in Korea and Aotearoa NZ, so her goal first began with language learning and a recognisable qualification.

Her general life story was highlighted by the significant events she recounted. This section focuses on the description of all the significant events in relation to her

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recognised identity trajectories. Often the significant events included emotions which marked major decision-making points. As noted in the methods in Chapter 3, the events were confirmed by Jessica in the eighth interview.

Table 4.1 below shows the significant events confirmed by Jessica.

Table 4.1: Significant events recounted by Jessica

When Significant Event Background Interview session February

2013

Being rejected and referred to a foundation course at a lower level than her qualification

ECE programme application

First

March 2013 Being given no reasonable answers about her placement

Conversation with administration staff of ECE programme

Second

April 2013 Being treated badly and not being listened to by a tutor

Writing class Third May 2013 Replying to her husband’s comments

on her persistence in speaking in English while interviewing

Conversation with her husband a few months earlier

Seventh

May 2013 Being ignored by a woman she knew Encountering an acquaintance in public

Fifth June 2013 Being accepted to a degree

programme at University

Sixth

To briefly elaborate on the information in the table above, in February 2013, Jessica’s application to an Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme was rejected, and she was referred to a lower level foundation course, her recent TESOL qualification at the same institute unrecognised. The second event was the frustration she felt while she was seeking information about her placement. She narrated that the administrative staff did not provide reasonable answers to her questions. In April 2013, in a writing class, Jessica’s voice was silenced and disregarded by her tutor when she requested access to the internet to check the essay format. In May, which was reported in the seventh interview, Jessica’s husband commented positively on her effort and English fluency regarding her

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decision to complete research interviews in English when he found out the interviewer was a Korean. In the same month, Jessica encountered a woman she knew in a shopping mall but who ignored her. In the sixth interview, in June 2013, she reported that she was accepted into a degree programme at a university. She was excited to begin her new journey as a university student.

In the beginning, Jessica indicated that she had finished a graduate diploma in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) which was an NZ Level 7 qualification. She had then hoped to enrol in an early childhood education (ECE) programme at the same institute for a future career. However, she was referred to a Level 4 foundation course without any guarantee of future acceptance into the ECE programme. She had to finish the six month course because she was relying on social support to support her and her family.

Central to Jessica’s narrative for eleven months was her aspiration to enter into a legitimate programme for her future career. She reported this as below:

Some people . . . they can work at supermarket. . . . If you don't have that kind of thing [a qualification/a degree], you will have to be stuck in certain jobs. And then if you get minimum wage, you can't survive with one job. . . . If you don't have a qualification, you can't get a better job, you know, to cover all these expenses. . . . If you see further, it is not really working. (Interview 8)

Obtaining a legitimate qualification started with learning the language—English. However, learning English in a formal institution was not easy for her. She wanted to study in a language learning course provided by a tertiary institution when she migrated to Aotearoa NZ. However, she had to wait for her permanent residence visa due to the fee difference between international students and permanent residents.

The visa acceptance did not instantly lead to attending a formal language course because she had become a mother. Being a mother added to the complexity of learning English. With limited options as someone with an infant to take care of,

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she began attending free language classes at a community centre. She also started to speak English to her son at home at the cost of his opportunity to learn Korean, which was one of his heritage languages. Her statement from the seventh interview showed the complexity of learning English as a mother.

J: But sometimes, because you know I am not quite confident in speaking. Sometimes I kind of stuck in no language.

R: What do you mean by that?

J: I know [what] I want to say, but there is no word. I want to say something. But I can't explain in English. I can't remember Korean words. I am kind of [at] that stage. I don't teach Korean to my son because if I speak Korean to my son, when I get back to school, I can't speak English. Because it is kind of confusing. And I don't think I am really good at language. I work hard to get it, but I am not talented to learn [a] new language. I can speak this much because I work hard. When I speak Korean to my son, I may not speak English properly at school. That is why I try to speak in English. But people [in the Korean community] worry about, “Aren't you teaching him Korean? . . . You have to teach him. Otherwise he can't speak Korean.” I explained to him, [a Korean supermarket owner] “Because I am studying, if I speak Korean to him, I can't speak English at school properly.” That is true. If I am talented, I wouldn't worry about it. (Interview 7)

She settled in a not good at learning language identity to justify her action as a mother. As seen from the excerpt above, Jessica was trying to be a good language user. Jessica reported that, eventually, she enrolled in a language programme at a local tertiary institute. She successfully obtained a graduate diploma in TESOL with merit. Her success in the course did not last long: She failed the entrance requirements for an early childhood education (ECE) programme. Then, as she was referred to a Level 4 foundation course, she became an unsuccessful language learner. Even though she thought ECE might be a good option for her future, she resisted pursuing it due to the lack of perceived possibilities as well as the despair

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and distress she felt during the process. The first and the second interviews with Jessica highlighted the frustration she felt, as seen below.

Yes, um, English is not my first language. They always ask for IELTS 7 whatever. It makes it stressful . . . just finished a TESOL course at [a tertiary institute]. I have to go back to [the tertiary institute] to study introductory courses. . . . They said that my English is not good enough. So I have to do it. (Interview 1)

They referred me to the level 4 course. I wanted to know what was going to happen after the course. And I went to the office, but there was no one there to ask. Yes, why did they even call me for an interview if they needed IELTS 7? They just said, “You need [an] IELTS result." Then I wouldn't have gone to the interview. I wouldn't even apply because if I knew. I am preparing [for] IELTS now, instead of doing level 4. . . . Just say, “You are not accepted,” because of the literacy test, because of the writing. Then I understand. If they don't like my writing, just tell me. You need IELTS, or just simply saying you are not accepted. Don't send me somewhere which I don't need. . . . They don't seem to believe that I can do an ECE course. They said, in their words, "Writing essay[s] in ECE is different from writing in TESOL course." Then I said, "How is it different?" "I don't know, but different." . . . You know how annoying it is that studying at level 4. I am doing exactly the same thing but easier. (Interview 2)

With the emotional distress, she reported that she felt like an unsuccessful language learner as seen in her statements: “They said that my English is not good enough” and “They don’t seem to believe I can do an ECE course.” Her experiences at school after the event were shaped by her resistance to her wrongful placement.

At the end of the Level 4 foundation course, Jessica’s application to a university degree programme was accepted. The acceptance, reported in the sixth interview, became a turning point for her feeling successful again. During the interview, she mentioned a conversation between her husband and herself a few months earlier, which seemed to confirm her feeling of being a successful language learner, “I am

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smart now.” The conversation was about Jessica’s language choice during research interviews. Her husband expected her to speak Korean, her mother tongue, when he realised that the interviewer was Korean. The comment claiming to be smart, she added, was playful. Yet, by saying that, she was confirming to herself and her husband that she did not have a fear of English conversation anymore.

In summary, Jessica’s interview journey drew a trajectory of becoming a competent English language learner. This language learner trajectory also connected to her obtaining a legitimate qualification in Aotearoa NZ (see Appendix D-2).