Blog 10 Developing a Research Plan

 

After meeting with Dr. Chandler I found a great book on (Ebonics) or as the book calls it The Language of Black America. Talkin and Testifying by Geneva Smitherman, helped me familiarize myself with the topic of Ebonics, which is the first step in developing a research plan. I learned Non blacks perceive ebonics as language identities, synonymous with hustlers, pimps, street slang, rap music, and violence. In actually it a form of English termed "black english", or non standard english. With the standard form of English of course being termed "white english". When looking at the sociocultural context of "black english" is really a verbal art, used to explain the black experience. It is a verbal performance used as teaching and socializing with deep roots in the African American church. The book talks about ebonics as an oral tradition, a language that allows group approval and recognition of the speaker. It a part of black cultural heritage. Well how does "White America feel about it and why is it making its way into the mainstream language of non-blacks, including White America. There are black cultural influences everywhere. In music, the media, sports, art,clothing, advertisements etc... It seems befitting it would make its way into mainstream. A lot of the non-black population use Ebonics and are not even aware of it. It presents itself in the form of "code switching". Which is switching between two dialects in social situations. In the case of ebonics between black and white english.
Some of the questions we came up with are:
How do people make decisions about how they are going to speak?
How do people make decisions about forming black identities?
Is code switching a part of teaching repitoire.
What connections are made between black speaking attitudes, and underachievement, poverty, and low expectations by teachers?
Does a teacher's negative attitude toward black language negatively affect student acheivement?
What are the negative effects of teacher attitudes toward black speaking identities?

My plan is to interview about 3 professors at Kean University, and to do some connections between their ideas about "code switching" and "black identities" and student achievement. I am still fine tuning the ideas and plans behind my research. I was also thinking of doing surveys of students use of black language. In a sense of when is it acceptable to use it. College dialect vs. Street dialect, or work vs. play? When are we turning the switch on and off? How do you speak at home among family?

There are a lot of ideas in my head, I just have a hard time narrowing one down to make a great research paper.