I have been asked to participate in a study being conducted by Milagros Caratini on behalf of her doctoral research in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education, Health, Nursing and Arts Professions at New York University. I understand that Milagros Caratini is interested in finding out about my life experiences as an English as a second language learner in Puerto. Rico.

    I know that Milagros is an assistant professor and Chair at this campus. She has told me that my participation is voluntary and that I may withdraw at any time with no negative repercussions. Milagros has informed me that I will be interviewed at least three times for this study, but that the exact number of interviews will be determined by my needs and style. She has also told me that my course grade will not be affected in any way through the conduct of this study. I understand that my participation will be confidential and my anonymity will be kept in her report.

    I also give Milagros permission to audiotape the interviews. I may be asked to read the transcripts and comment on them. I have the right to review the tapes and solicit that any or all portions of the tapes be destroyed. These tapes will be stored in a locked drawer of her desk. She will erase the tapes at the conclusion of this study. Milagros has given me an unsigned copy of this form for my records and has answered any questions I have about the stud. I know that Milagros Caratini may be reached at:

Participant's Name:
Participant's Signature:                                                                 Date:                

Researcher's Signature:                                                                Date:
 

    I have been asked permission to allow Milagros Caratini to conduct her doctoral research on my campus. I have knowledge that she is conducting doctoral research in the Department of Teaching and learning in the School of Education, Health, Nursing and Arts Profession at New York University. I understand that Milagros is interested in finding out about the experiences of ESL learners in Puerto Rico and how these students perceive the teaching and learning of English. I know that Milagros will be interviewing students and visiting classes to identify possible participants for this research.

    Milagros has told me that the names of the campus, the participants, and the professors will be confidential and their anonymity will be maintained. The participants will be interviewed at least three times, according to the needs and styles of each participant. These interviews will be audiotaped; however, participants have the right to review the tapes and may request that all or any portion of the tape be destroyed. She will erase these tapes at the end of the study. I understand that the participants will sign a consent form in agreement, and all questions related to the study will be answered. I am also informed that the participants may withdraw at any time with no negative repercussions.

    I give Milgros Caratini permission to conduct her doctoral research on this campus. I know I can reach Milagros at:

Inter American University
Barranquitas Campus
Box 517
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico 00794
(809) 857-3600

Administrator's Name:
Administrator's Signature:                                                   Date:
Researcher's Signature:                                                       Date:

 1    April 1, 1993 7:00 pm
 2    Interview I
 3
 4    Interviewer: Millie
 5
 6    Interviewee: Juan
 7
 8    Juan has just finished taking a Math test and has come to
 9    the office eager for the interview session which he
 10  reminded me of in class a while ago. We both sat on the
 11  couch, I turned on the tape recorder and we began to talk.
 12
 13
 14  Millie: Juan, nosotros hace como dos semanas nos
 15  sentamos en la cafetería y hablamos un poquito sobre el
 16  propósito de nuestras conversaciones que van hacer en
 17  relación a tus experiencias con el idioma ingles através de
 18  tu vida. Tu me dijiste que tu tenias interés en el estudio
 19  porque tu piensas que esto puede ayudar a otras personas,
 20  y me pusiste como ejemplo a tu nene. En la vez pasada
 21  llenamos unos formularios donde yo tu explique los por
 22  menores del estudio y tu sabes pues yo estoy haciendo esto
 23  como paste de mi tesis con la universidad de Nueva York
 24  en estados unidos y que esto va hacer confidencial entre
 25  nosotros. Para yo poder entender desde el punto de vista
 26  de mis estudiantes que ha pasado en su vida en relación a
 27  la enseñanza de Ingles, yo he optado por hacer estas
 28  entrevistas. Me gustaría que tu me dijeras hoy como fue,
 29  como ha sido tu enseñanza de Ingles?
 30
 31  Juan: Bueno pues, para mi la enseñanza de Ingles en los
 32  grados primarios, yo le tenia terror y miedo porque muchos
 33  compañeros comentan ah mira ese profesor es malo que si
 34  el Ingles, y como no era el idioma principal de Puerto Rico
 35  pues le he tenido como un poco de terror. No me gustaba.
 36  No hallaba como entrarle al Ingles.
 37
 38  Millie: Tu encuentras que por el hecho de que el Ingles no
 39  es el idioma en el que se habla en Puerto Rico eso tu
 40  afecta.
 41
 
 42  Juan: Si yo creo que si afecta porque como nosotros
 43  siempre estamos hablando a Español y donde quiera que
 44  uno llega se habla Español pues al tocar el Ingles a uno
 1    pues uno tu ve conmiedo. Que si me atrevo a hablarlo, o
 2    si tu voy a entender, que va a pasar. No es tu mismo que
 3   ya uno esta adaptado a su idioma y afecta.
 4
 5  Millie: Cuando tu dices que tu tienes miedo, que miedo tu
 6  produce el Ingles?
 7
 8   Juan: E1 miedo que me produce es que me relajen. No es
 9   miedo es cuestion de perer la verguenza como dicen. A
 10  veces uno comete un error y los demás como que se mofan
 11  y entonces eso cohibe a uno a tratar de superar las crises
 12  pero eso fue en anos primarios cuando estaba ahora que
 13  empeze aquí tu espero superar.
 14
 15  Millie: Si, si. Como tu sientes actualmente ahora que
 16  regresas a la universidad a estudiar que cojiste el Ingles
 17  001 el semestre pasado y ahora estas en 101? Como tu
 18  sientes como estudiante?
 19
 20  Juan: Ahora me siento un poco mas seguro porque a pesar
 21  de que el Ingles en la escuela elemental, intermedia y
 22  superior no me tocaba macho, no me llegaba pues uno
 23  siempre tiene que, ya que es requisito adaptarse mejor.
 24  Siempre uno se da una copiaita y tu pasa pero (nos reimos
 25  ambos) aquí uno viene pues por necesidad. Entonces pues
 26  tu he cojido mas en serio y me esta gustando porque es
 27  algo nuevo para mi, no es como antes.
 28
 29  Millie: Explicame eso. Porque yo no tu conozco y yo no
 30  se. Porque es nuevo para ti?
 31
 32  Juan:. Para mi es nuevo porque antes los conocimientos en
 33  Ingles la enseñanza que me daban me copiaba, o
 34  preguntaba que dieron y  hacia, los profesores eran
 35  maestros que nos dejaban hacer tu que nosotros
 36  quisieramos. Ahora no, aquí hay unas preocupaciones tanto
 37  mía como del profesor.
 38
 39  Millie: Como cuales?
 40
 41  Juan: Pues de aprender, por los menos aunque no sea
 42  bilingue pero en un momento dado pues que me pregunten
 43  algo y yo saber contestarle un trabajo y tratar de hacer las
 44  cosas y me ha ayudado macho venir nuevamente a 1a
 

Millie:	Juan, about two weeks ago we sat in the cafeteria and spoke a little about the purpose of our conversations which will be in regard to your experiences with the English language throughout your life. You told me you were interested in this study because you feel it can help other people and you set your son as an example.  In our previous session we filled out some forms where I explained the details of the study and, as you know, I'm doing this for a dissertation with New York University in the U.S. and this will be confidential between us. So that I can understand the point of view of my students what has happened in your life in regard to the teaching of English, I have opted to do these interviews. I would like you to tell me today how was and has been your learning of English.
Juan:	Well, for me the teaching of English in the primary grades, I was terrified and afraid because a lot of students commented, "Hey, look, that professor is tough, that English!" and since it wasn't the main language of Puerto Rico, I have been a bit terrified.  I didn't like it. I didn't know how to break into English.
Millie:	Does the fact that English is not the language that is spoken in Puerto Rico affect you?
Juan:	Yes, I believe that it affects because since we always speak Spanish and everywhere you go Spanish is spoken  well when you have to speak English, I see it with  fear. If I dare to speak it, or will I understand it,  what's going to happen? It is not the same as the language one is adapted to and it affects.
Millie:	When you say you feel fear, what fear does English produce in you?
Juan:	The fear that it produces in me is that people mock me. It's not fear, it's a question of losing one's shame like they say. Sometimes when one makes an error and the rest of the people make fun and then one is cohibited to try to overcome the crisis, but that was in primary school when I was in there. Now that I began here I hope to overcome it.
Millie:	Yes; yes. How do you feel currently now that you returned to the university to study and took English 100 last semester and now you're in English 200? How do you feel as a student?
Juan:	Now I feel more scure because even though English in the elementary, intermediate, and high school did not  touch me much, didn't get to me well one always has to, it's a requirement, adapt better. one always cheats a little from others and passes [we both laughed], but here we come for a necessity. So I have taken it more seriously and I'm starting to like it because it 's something new for me, not like before.
Millie:	Explain this. Because I don't know you and I don't know.  Why is it new for you?
Juan:	For me this is new because in the past the knowledge of English, the teaching I would cheat, or ask what did they give in class and I'd get it from someone; the professors were teachers that would let us do whatever we wanted. Not now; there are some concerns both mine as well as the professor's.
Millie:	Which ones?
Juan:	Well, learn at least even if I'm not bilingual but at a certain moment if I'm asked something and I can answer and do a task of doing my things and it has helped me slot returning to college.

 
 

 1  from the Claridad bulletin and told me it
 2  could be helpful for my study which I had
 3  talked to him about. He then told me he
 4  wasn't against English, but instead that
 5  it be spoken on the island. He didn't
 6  learn it because it is not the language
 7  of daily life. We live, die, and cry in
 8  Spanish. The best way to defend Spanish
 9  is to speak it with correctness and
10 studying it formally.
11 This person is part of the cultural
12 context of Colinas Campus and it gives me
13 an additional detail of some people who
14 oppose the English language policy.
15
16
17  April 1, 1993 Log 29 Millie Caratini
18  6:00 PM
19
20  I have just finished interviewing Maria on
21  the third round. I asked her to tell me
22  what the experience of learning English
23  in Puerto Rico meant to her following
24  Seidman's suggestion of the third
25  interview focus. Her response was that
26  it is a very important language for
27  her and that she will continue to learn
28  it. She mentioned that student placement
29  must be improved because students who
30  know English are not challenged in
31  remedial courses. She feels that these
32  students get bored and eventually leave
33  the courses. Also, she mentioned that
34  teachers must be better prepared to teach
35  English and to motivate students to
36  learn it.
37
38  Maria spoke about the utility of the
39  interview process because she said very
40  few times do studies deal with the
41  student in their context. She said she
42  felt very comfortable and expects a lot
43  from this study.

44
45
46  April 1, 1993 Log 30 Millie Caratini
47  7:00 PM
48

49  I have had the most rewarding experience
50  of this study,"which was interviewing
51  Juan. He had so much bottled up and he
52  has transformed into another student.

 1  sense to me.
 2
 3  I feel that I am getting some rich information from the
 4  interviews, and that I am making connections between
 5  simple observations, and across participants. I want to
 6  finish with Jose and Maria and I would so much like to go
 7  to New York and sit with Margot, John, and Harvey and
 8  get feedback. I am going to send this memo to Margot
 9  through the mail and tell her I am trying.to make
 10  arrangements to see her soon.
 11
 12  February 20, 1994 Log Millie Caratini
 13
 14  After transcribing Maria's first interview I made some
 15  connections. Actually, she wasn't a good student in
 16  English. She did average work as in the rest of her
 17  classes, but one thing stands out for her, she likes
 18  English; she views it for the future and she urges and
 19  worries about people who don't see this. She like Pablo and
 20  Jose has been to the U.S. and this experience changed her
 21  old view of English, which as I mentioned before, was that
 22  it was her favorite subject although she didn't speak it.
 23  After her stay in New Jersey, she broke away the fear of
 24  speaking and feels she never knows when she'll have to go
 25  back to the U.S. because of family ties.
 26  In her first interview, she described how her friends view
 27  English and said that many of these people fear English
 28  because they are afraid it will replace Spanish. She said
 29  the law officializing English has made people think this
 30  way and she just can't understand why people don't see
 31  English in their future. What if they have to go to the
 32  States, how will they get around if they don't know how to
 33  speak it? She adds that some people just feel they don't
 34  need it and that they canget by with just speaking Spanish.
 35  Her comment was if these people don't learn English, they
 36  are going to be stuck "estancados,." In her interview, she
 37  mentioned how Juan, my second participant, has changed
 38  his view of English to a more positive one and she has
 39  even spoken to him about the importance of English for
 40  him since he is studying accounting. She adds that with the
 41  936 commerce law, more American companies are arriving
 42  and bilingual people will be the first to get hired.
 
43  Her interview was very ingeresting and she is very
44  communicative although she repeats herself a lot, like

What was your experience learning. English in the past?

Tell me about sow? of your earlier experiences learning English.

Haw do you feel about learning English?

How do you feel about taking a basis English course now as ar returning adult?

How important? is learning English for you?

Which  activities were helpful in your learning process?

Which activities do you believe?affected your English language learning process's

How would you describe your language learning experience now?

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