Caveat for Learner Interviews

Learner interviews are included with country profiles to:

1. Convey the importance of firsthand, personal sources when considering educational heritage and
2. Note the complexity and uniqueness of each individual’s educational path to the United States.

We do not intend these interviews to be interpreted as a standard experience, or even necessarily typical. Instead, they are intended to offer a brief glance into the life and educational experience of a particular learner in order to better understand the educational norms, expectations, and needs of each student, thereby empowering both the teacher and learner to co-create the best possible learning environment and the highest potential for classroom achievement.

Differences in educational heritage will vary based on a variety of factors.

• region of birth within a country (urban/rural, dominate/subordinate)
• ethnicity/caste
• religion/faith
• gender/sex/sexual orientation
• age
• disabilities (learning, physical, mental)
• disturbance in education due to exile or military service
• political stability of the nation
• numerous other factors

In addition, most interviews are facilitated in un-ideal settings:

Language-barriers, hesitance of the interviewee (many immigrants and refugees have come from settings where interviews are unfamiliar concepts, or where authorities only ask questions when they mean to charge for a crime), trauma from war or exile, and interview questions that do not always match the experience of the interviewee in meaningful ways are all factors in the authenticity of the interview.

Yet, despite these admitted flaws, the creators of this reference guide believe the value in offering personal experiences of those within our classrooms alongside academic research is clear. Just as an U.S. student in rural Texas will have a different educational experience from an urban student in New York, so will the educational heritages of learners in all nations vary.

The more familiar we become with the diversity of narratives, the better equipped we will be in partnering with learners in reaching their English goals within U.S. classrooms.