Have We Learned Anything? Raciolinguistic Ideologies in Remote Learning Public Discourses

Abstract

Using critical discourse analysis as a method of inquiry, this study unveils raciolinguistic ideologies that have shaped public discourse in the first year of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal that fundamental ideas about how we organize, do and think about schools might not have been essentially challenged, even when alternatives could have been introduced or explored. In particular, the analysis of discourse demonstrated the pervasiveness of raciolinguistic ideologies in reproducing or enforcing normative ways of being, knowing, and doing based on the idealized linguistic practices of whiteness. For example, school routines prioritized monitoring and managing students’ bodies and behavior, problems of access were equated with technical support, and the design of online environments rarely took into account negotiating, partnering, and listening to students and families. These views seemed to have shaped much public opinion about remote learning during a time marked by social turmoil and the realities of a health crisis.