Nasiba Norova

Nasiba Norova, PhD Candidate in Applied Linguistics

Nasiba Norova

Ph.D. Candidate,
Applied Linguistics Department
College of Liberal Arts,
University of Massachusetts Boston

Originally from Uzbekistan, Central Asia, I am an international student, Muslimah, and mother to three multilingual children. Together with my children, I explore the multilingual, multicultural, and multiracial world around us.

Before arriving in the US, I worked as an English as a foreign language teacher at a middle school in Uzbekistan as well as an IELTS instructor at a private educational institution. A public university in the US provided me with the opportunity to work with multilingual and multicultural international and domestic students in order to assist them in acquiring academic oracy and literacy skills. Additionally, I worked with recent adult immigrants in a Language Learning Center in New York, especially Latin@/X English learners who had interrupted formal education.

Every summer semester, I join Summer Enrichment Program at UMass Boston and teach in-person and remote Critical Analysis Courses designed for culturally and linguistically diverse students to provide them with an opportunity to strengthen their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills and develop their potential to succeed at the college level courses. Currently, I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Applied Linguistics Department, College of Liberal Arts, University of Massachusetts Boston, where I have an opportunity to bridge my research and teaching.

My research is theoretically grounded in Critical Race Theory, Asian Critical Race Theory, and Racial Literacies Frameworks. Engaging in narrative inquiry and critical ethnography methodologies, my doctoral study focuses on international East Asian students’ acquisition of racial literacies in their home country and US university and community settings. I have presented my work at regional and national conferences including MATSOL, MINNETESOL, NYTESOL, AAAL, and AERA. I have published several peer-reviewed articles and chapters in edited book collections.

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Awards

AERA Second Language Research SIG Sponsorship
Craig R. Bollinger Memorial Doctoral Research Grant
Conference Travel Grant ($300) Applied Linguistics Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2023
Scholarly Support Fund, Graduate Employee Organization ($500) University of Massachusetts Boston, 2023
Professional Development Grant, Graduate Student Government ($400) University of Massachusetts Boston, 2023
Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Summer Institute Scholarship ($3,000) University of Massachusetts Boston, 2022
Scholarly Support Fund, Graduate Employee Organization ($500) University of Massachusetts Boston, 2022
Professional Improvement Funds ($1000) Minnesota State University, Mankato 2019
Conference Presentation Funds ($500) Graduate School, Minnesota State University, Mankato 2018
Conference Presentation Funds ($500) Graduate School, Minnesota State University, Mankato 2017
Target II Fellowship (€12,000) European Union, ERASMUS MUNDUS Program, 2012

Research

Research Interests:

Racial literacies
Global/World Englishes
Critical Pedagogy
Anti-racist education
Second language writing
Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
Transnationalism
Transnational & International Identities
International and Transnational mothering/motherhood in academia

Dissertation-in-progress

The Covid-19 outbreak has repeatedly illustrated the social construction of race and the return of racist ideologies serving the interests of dominant groups. My dissertation aims to understand, and document international Asian students’ experiences and perceptions related to race both in their home countries and in the United States. Given the underrepresentation of international students’ experiences with race and the development of their racial literacy in the US, my research contributes to the visibility of international East Asian students. The implications of the study span the fields of second language education, race pedagogy, and anti-racist professional development courses for teachers and educators.

This study will contribute to empirical research in applied linguistics, second language education, literacy studies, and race education by collecting data that reflects international students’ experiences and perceptions related to race. Also, I add to the literature on international East Asian first-year undergraduate college students and promote their visibility both in research and in the discourse of campus racism. In response to anti-Black and anti-Asian violence, many U.S. Universities are implementing curricular and policy changes to better serve students from diverse cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. My research findings can be utilized for anti-racist training and professional development courses and workshops for educators who recruit, educate and award U.S. degrees to international students. Lastly, my findings can be employed by the campus climate working group to sustain a healthy anti-racist campus environment that allows interpersonal, academic, and professional interactions among racialized domestic and international students.

Publications

Norova, N.(accepted) "Can we, language educators, bring peace into our classroom?"
Classroom recommendations from peace Education. MATSOL Currents, 47 (1).

Leider, C., Tigert, J., Norova, N., Fotouhi, G., Sawyer, J., & Wang, R.T. (2024). Supporting multilingual learners: A pilot survey of art teachers. Studies in Art Education Journal, 65(2),185-209.

Leider, C., Tigert, J., & Norova, N., (2024). Teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners: A content analysis of teacher professional organizations’ position statements. Teachers College Record Journal, 126(3), 54-85.

Norova, N., & Gutiérrez, J. D. (2024). Transnational voices in Academia: Narratives of identity and positionality through ressearch and teaching. Journal of International Students, 14(3), 109-130

Norova, N. (2022). Racial literacy to address racial ill-literacy among Asian international students. A. Brown (Ed.). Racial literacies informed by the sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts for youth. NCTE Special Issues Series, Volume 2, 93-100.

Norova, N.(2021). Support of resident L2 student' writing: Opinion. MinneTesol, 37(1), 1-6. https://minnetesoljournal.org/current-issue/peer-reviewed-article/support-of-resident-l2-students-writing-opinion/

Norova, N. (2020). Sexism in elementary EFL textbooks: Spotted in Uzbekistan. Journal of Research and Innovation in Language, 2(2), 37- 45. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v2i2.4470

Book Chapters:

Norova, N. (forthcoming/2025). Insights from graduate school: Unconventional mama PhD student during the pandemic. In E. Trinh, L. Pentón Herrera, & B. Yazan, (Eds.), Autoethnographies of border-crossing and in-betweenness of international doctoral students' voices in the United States. Brill.

Fakhrutdinova, I., I., Norova, N., & Quintana, V. (2023). Re-envisioning academic competition: Sharing leadership in co-authorship, co-publication, and building collective wisdom. In B. Yazan, E. Trinh, & L. Pentón Herrera (Eds.). Autoethnographies of doctoral students in applied linguistics. Routledge

Norova, N. (2022). World Englishes and Linguicism: Spreading linguistic telrance. In B. Birch (Ed.), Creating classrooms of peace in English language teaching. Routledge.

Norova, N. (2021). Global Englishes and oral communication: Perceptions of multilingual speakers. In C. Palmer & M. Devereaux (Eds.), Teaching English language variation in the global classroom (pp. 152-162). Routledge

Book Reviews

Norova, N. (2020). Review of the book Critical language pedagogy: interrogating language, dialects, and power in teacher education, by J. Godley & J. Reaser. Educational Review, https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2020.1736442

Norova, N. (2020). Review of the book Ideology and hegemony of English foreign language textbooks. globally and locally written practices, by Ö. G. Ulum & D. Köksal. International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, 1, 88-91.

Blog Posts

Norova, N.(March – April 2020). Ramadan in post-pandemic racialized religion era: Implications for schools. MATSOL Blog.

Conference Presentations

Norova, N. (November 2024) Racial literacy for intermational Asian students: Examining
White writing faculty teaching beliefs and practices. Paper presentation. NCTE Conference, Boston, MA.

Sclafani, J., Federman, P ., & Norova, N. (October 2024). Problematic place-making and
public policy: A critical Intertextual news analysis of the opioid crisis in Boston. Paper presentation.
LANSI annual conference, Columbia University, NY.

Narang, P., Moroz, O., Martins, M., & Norova, N.(June 2024). Stories of negotiation,
struggle, healing, and empowerment. Roundtable presentation. IAMAS Conference, Boston, MA

Norova, N. (May 2024). Teaching perspectives and practices: Racial Literacy Pedagogy &
International Students. Paper presentation. MATSOL Annual Conference Framingham, MA

Norova, N. (April 2024). Experiencing race: Exploring perceptions of race among first-year
college international students. Roundtable presentation. AERA Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Leider, C.M., Wang, T., Fotouhi, G., Norova, N., Tigert J.M., Ahmed, A. (April 2024).
Working with immigrant multilingual learners in the visual arts classroom. Paper presented at the annual AERA Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Norova, N.(March 2024). Teaching about race to international students: An examination of beliefs and practices of White teachers. AAAL Conference Houstan, TX.

Sclafani, J., & Norova, N.(October 2023). "Signature habits" and "strict rules": Positioning candidates as @@@m "others" of color in a mayoral election. Paper Presentation. LANSI annual conference, Columbia University, NY.

Leider, C., Tigert, J., Norova, N., Fatouhi, G., & Wang, T. (May 2023). Supporting multilingual learners in the visual arts classroom. Paper presentation. MATSOL annual conference.

Norova, N.(May 2023). Racial literacy to address racial ill-literacy among international students. Paper presentation. AERA virtual, Chicago, IL.

Norova, N., & Gutierrez, J.D. (March 2023). Navigating transnational student/junior scholar/language educator identities in the USA: Duoethnography of becoming. Poster presentation. American Association for Applied Linguistics, Portland, OR.

Fakhrutdinova, I., Norova, N., & Quintana, V. (March 2023). Re-envisioning academic competition: Sharing leadership in co-authorship, co-publication, and building collective wisdom. Paper presentation. American Association for Applied Linguistics, Portland, OR.

Norova, N.(March 2023). Confessions from graduate School: Unconventional Mama Ph.D. student during the pandemic. Colloquium presentation. American Association for Applied Linguistics, Portland, OR.

Norova, N.Fakhrutdinova, I., & Quintana, V. (March 2022). The future of English in post-Brexit Europe: A critical discourse analysis of the EU language policies and Brexit media coverage. Paper presentation. American Association for Applied Linguistics, Pittsburgh, PA.

Norova, N.(March 2018). World Englishes in Oral Communication course: Perceptions of multilingual speakers. TESOL 2018: Master’s Student Forum, Presentation Session

Norova, N.(March 2018). World Englishes in Oral Communication course: Perceptions of multilingual speakers. GSEA Annual Student Symposium, Mankato, MN: Capstone presentation

Norova, N.(March 2017). Assessing oral English proficiency with simulation and gaming. Minnesota Writing & English Conference “Points of the Compass” Poster Presentation.

Norova, N.(March 2017). Assessing oral English proficiency with simulation and gaming. TESOL 2017: Master’s Student Forum: Presentation Session

Invited Keynotes and Featured Presentations

Norova, N.Fakhrutdinova, I., & Quintana, V. (May 2022). Sharing leadership in co-authorship, co-publication, and building collective wisdom. Webinar Presentation. New York State TESOL.

Norova, N.Fakhrutdinova, I., & Quintana, V. (February 2022). Re-envisioning academic competition: Sharing leadership in co-authorship, co-publication, and building collective wisdom. Roundtable Presentation. Applied Linguistics Department, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Norova, N.Fakhrutdinova, I., & Quintana, V. (December 2021). The future of English in post-Brexit Europe: A critical discourse analysis of the EU language policies and Brexit media coverage. Roundtable Presentation. Applied Linguistics Department, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Newspaper interview

Norova,N.(March 2022). Interview with Nasiba Norova. Makonim, pp.22-25

Newspaper Article

Norova, N.(February 2022). Writing support in higher education for resident multilingual Uzbek Americans and international Uzbek students: Resisting deficit orientation. Makonim, pp. 24-26.

Invited Talks

Norova, N.(April 2020). Teaching undergraduate ESL Generation 1.5 students. Invited guest lecture for APLING 618. College of Liberal Arts, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

Norova, N.(November 2021). Positionality Paper. Guest panel for APLING700. College of Liberal Arts, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

Teaching

My postsecondary teaching at UMass Boston and in other institutions reflects my research focus on multicultural/racial/lingual students and social justice-oriented, culturally sustaining antiracist pedagogies.