Inspired by his Spanish language teacher and the joy he brought to the classroom, assistant professor of education Jean Kaya chose to pursue a career in language and education. His passion for fostering meaningful learning experiences has earned him two master’s degrees — one in modern foreign languages and another in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) — as well as a PhD in education. Dr. Kaya’s research centres on the intersections of language, literacy, and culture, which he believes are essential to learning and social practices.

His work focuses on intercultural learning and literacy, aiming to help students develop empathy and engage in transformative social action. He emphasizes the importance of critical dialogue between teachers and students to foster a more equitable society.

DailyNews will showcase the contributions and insights of members of the Black Scholars Institute leading up to its official launch on Sept. 26 and connected with Kaya to discuss his research goals and experience.

Q: Tell us about your research interests and what projects you’d like to pursue at UWindsor.

A: My research interests include language, literacy, and teacher education. I will investigate pre-service teachers’ preparedness to teach literacy and integrate critical literacies into their pedagogies, as well as in-service teachers’ intercultural learning. I will also examine the experiences of domestic and international students from diverse backgrounds.

Q: Can you share a bit about your academic journey and what inspired you to pursue a career in education?

A: I reflected on the roles and responsibilities of teachers in society while in secondary school and, along with the overall attitude and immense joy my Spanish language teacher brought to class, I chose to study language and education in postsecondary. I first completed my master’s degree in modern foreign languages, then my second master’s degree in TESOL before completing my PhD in education. What inspired me to pursue a career in education is that joy and attitude of my Spanish language teacher and my belief that engaging in critical conversations with teachers and students is the best way to cultivate hope and contribute to a more equitable society.

Q: What led you to become a part of the University of Windsor’s Black Scholars Institute?

A: It is the context and my interest in advancing intercultural understanding and social justice. Colonization and slavery left a legacy of negative stereotypes and social injustice towards Black individuals. Mediating such injustice requires establishing deliberate equity-driven goals through a systems approach. I see the Black Scholars Institute as a powerful entry point for me to contribute to the achievement of such equity-driven goals alongside other scholars.

Q: Could you explain the significance of your work and research interests?

A: Language, literacy, and culture are the core of learning and social practices. Without language, in its varied forms, we cannot accomplish much in other academic disciplines and life in general. My work and research have the potential to inform culturally relevant practices and educational policies that value all learners’ cultural backgrounds, linguistic repertoires, and diverse ways of knowing.

Q: What do you believe are some of the most pressing challenges in your field today?

A: One of the key goals in language and literacy education is to prepare students to critically analyze social practices, develop empathy, and engage in transformative social action. As news headlines globally show, however, social actions have not kept pace with the rapid rise of social injustices. Therefore, preparing critically and socially just citizens is one of the most pressing challenges. Another challenge is the unequal opportunities for students to access digital technologies, which have substantially shaped the meanings of literacy.

Q: In what ways do you hope your research will influence literacy education?

A: One way is through the teacher preparation context, as I examine pre-service teachers’ philosophies of literacy instruction and support them in broadening their understandings of literacy and its intersections with language, culture, and social justice. This includes fostering critical literacies as a framework to interrogate social structures, media literacy, information literacy, visual literacy, and other literacies necessary to function in and contribute to our society. In the K-12 context, I investigate teachers’ intercultural learning to gain insight into practical strategies that demonstrate how literacy education is an opportunity to create more equitable, relevant, and inclusive communities for learners and citizens from diverse backgrounds.