Research

The Nunavut Literacy Council is involved in a number of research projects. These include:

• Literacy and Language
• Workplace/Workforce
• Youth Literacy

Literacy and Language:

Inuit Language and Literacy Research Project

With funding from the Social Development Partnership Program, HRSDC, and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Nunavut Literacy Council began this research project in September of 2005. The project name, ‘Atatittiniq’ or ‘to link together’ was chosen to reflect the Nunavut Literacy Council’s objective to begin to investigate the links between first language acquisition and literacy development in Nunavut. The Atatittiniq research project marks the beginning of our goal to work towards a better understanding of the complex literacy and language environment in Nunavut and to share this information with literacy stakeholders.

The research report Building a Strong Foundation: Considerations to Support Thriving Bilingualism in Nunavut and the roundtable report Making the Links: Language Acquisition and Literacy Development in the Inuit Languagehighlight the need to address the importance of nurturing bilingualism in Nunavut.With funding from the Social Development Partnership Program, HRSDC, and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Nunavut Literacy Council began this research project in September of 2005. The project name, ‘Atatittiniq’ or ‘to link together’ was chosen to reflect the Nunavut Literacy Council’s objective to begin to investigate the links between first language acquisition and literacy development in Nunavut. The Atatittiniq research project marks the beginning of our goal to work towards a better understanding of the complex literacy and language environment in Nunavut and to share this information with literacy stakeholders.

The research report Building a Strong Foundation: Considerations to Support Thriving Bilingualism in Nunavut and the roundtable report Making the Links: Language Acquisition and Literacy Development in the Inuit Languagehighlight the need to address the importance of nurturing bilingualism in Nunavut.

Atatittiniq Research Project

With funding from Population Health Canada, the Nunavut Literacy Council began the Atatittiniq research project in September of 2005. The project name, ‘Atatittiniq’ or ‘to link together’ was chosen to reflect the Nunavut Literacy Council’s objective to begin to investigate the links between first language acquisition and literacy development in Nunavut. The Atatittiniq research project marks the beginning of our goal to work towards a better understanding of the complex literacy and language environment in Nunavut and to share this information with literacy stakeholders.

Other Research and Reports on Language Acquisition and Literacy

In the course of carrying out this research, the Nunavut Literacy Council has identified a number of research studies, articles and reports that we feel are relevant to the language and literacy context of Nunavut. We have created plain language summaries of the documents listed below.

Please note that these documents are plain language summaries. The original article or report on which the summary is based remains the only authoritative version.

• The challenge of creating an optimal learning environment in child care: Cross-cultural perspectives by Jessica Ball, MPH, Ph D.
  Original document available at: http://www.ecdip.org/docs/pdf/crosscultpers.pdf 
  Summary: Ball Plain Language Summary

• Conciliator’s Final Report March 1, 2006 ‘The Nunavut Project’ by Thomas Berger, O.C., Q.C.
  Original document available at: http://www.nunavuteconomicforum.ca/public/files/library/EDUCATIO/berger_final_report.pdf   
  Summary: Berger plain language summary

• Bilingual Education Strategy for Nunavut: 2004 to 2008 by the Department of Education, Government of Nunavut.
  Original document available at: http://www.nunavuteconomicforum.ca/public/files/library/EDUCATIO/BILINGUA.PDF
  Summary: Bilingual Education Strategy plain language summary

• Early Heritage-language Education and the Abrupt Shift to a Dominant-language Classroom: Impact on the Personal and Collective Esteem of Inuit Children in Arctic Quebec by Evelyne Bougie, Stephen C. Wright, and Donald M. Taylor.
  Original document available at: www.multilingual-matters.net/beb/006/0349/beb0060349.pdf
  Summary: Early Heritage-language Education plain language summary

• Community-based Education for Indigenous Cultures by David Corson
  Original document available at: www.multilingual-matters.net/lcc/011/0238/lcc0110238.pdf
  Summary: Community-based Education plain language summary

• Communicative Interaction and Second Language Acquisition: An Inuit Example by Martha B. Crago.
  Original document available for order from: TESOL Quarterly http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=209&DID=1679 
  Summary: Communicative Interaction plain language summary

• Power and Deference: Bilingual Decision Making in Inuit Homes by Martha B. Crago, Clair Chen, Fred Genesee & Shanley E.M. Allen
  Original document must be obtained through a library with access to the Journal for a Just and Caring Education
  Summary: Power and Deference plain language summary

• Stabilizing What?  An Ecological Approach to Language Renewal by Mark Fettes
  Original document available at: http://esperantic.org/~mfettes/SIL.htm
  Summary: Stabilizing What? Plain language summary

• An Interview with Francois Grosjean on Bilingualism conducted by Judit Navracsics
  Original document available at: http://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/interview_en.html
  Summary: An Interview with Francois Grosjean plain language summary

• Language Planning by Leanne Hinton
  Original document available in: The Green Book of Language Revitalization
  Summary: Language Planning plain language summary

• Language Revitalization: An Overview by Leanne Hinton
  Original document available in: The Green Book of Language Revitalization
  Summary: Language Revitalization plain language summary

• Revisiting the Continua of Biliteracy: International and Critical Perspectives by Nancy H. Hornberger & Ellen Skilton-Sylvester
  Original document available at: http://www.gse.upenn.edu/~hornberg/papers/RevisitingContinua2000.pdf
  Summary: Revisiting the Continua plain language summary

• Awakening the Languages: Challenges of Enduring Language Programs: field reports from 15 programs from Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma
  Original document available at: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ILAC/ILAC_13.pdf
  Summary: Awakening the Languages plain language summary

• When the Survival of a Language is at Stake: The Future of Inuttitut in Arctic Quebec by Winnifred Louis and Donald M. Taylor
  Original document must be obtained through a library with access to the Journal of Language and Social Psychology
  Summary: The Future of Inuttitut plain language summary

• Preservation on the Reservation (and Beyond) - Reclaiming Indigenous Languages by Teresa L. McCarty and Lucille J. Watahomigie
  Original document available at: http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/Cg/fa_1999/Language.htm
  Summary: Preservation on the Reservation plain language summary

• Authenticity and the Revitalization of Hawaiian by Laiana Wong
  Original document can be obtained in the Anthropology and Education Quarterly
  Summary: Authenticity and the Revitalization of Hawaiian plain language summary

• Subtractive Bilingualism and the Survival of the Inuit Language: Heritage Versus Second-language Education by Stephen C. Wright, Donald M. Taylor, and Judy Macarthur
  Original document available at: http://www.sfu.ca/psyc/faculty/wrights/Publications/JEP%202000.pdf
  Summary: Subtractive Bilingualism plain language summary

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Workplace/Workforce Literacy

The Nunavut Literacy Council, in partnership with the NWT Literacy Council, has conducted research into workplace and workforce literacy. This research project grew out of increasing demand on the literacy councils in the two territories to provide information and resources to educators, governments, and businesses, on literacy in the workplace, and literacy as part of workforce development.

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Youth Literacy

The Nunavut Literacy Council had identified low literacy levels as a barrier to employment for many Nunavut youth. This research paper is the result of a research project to identify other barriers facing youth seeking employment in Nunavut and to identify the extent which literacy is a barrier.

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The Nunavut Literacy Council is incorporated under the
Nunavut Societies Act #SOC 1442.
Our Charitable Organization Registration number is #89084 2123 RC0001.