Saskatchewan Sitcoms and Adult Learning: Insights from Chinese International Students
Abstract
This study focused on one common component of popular culture, the popular
television sitcom, to explore its influences on Chinese adult learners in Canada.
Specifically, I researched how Canadian popular television sitcoms inform international
Chinese adults with respect to their understanding of Canadian national identity, and
subsequently how they draw on it in their learning, particularly in regard to
understanding issues of multiculturalism and acculturation. The purposes of this study
were: to find out how two Canadian sitcoms – Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the
Prairie: a) can serve to raise audiences’ thinking about Canadian national identities, b)
can be used as a pedagogical example for viewers to critically analyse Canadian politics,
and c) can lead audiences to deliberate current social issues concerning justices and
equity. The study was a qualitative exploration of two focus group discussions in which
six international Chinese students from the University of Regina firstly watched two
episodes of each of Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the Prairie, and then conducted
group discussions. Gee’s (2014) discourse analysis model helped extract codes and
themes, which further shed light on participants’ thinking and experiences they related to
Canadian national identities. The themes were grouped into three sections:
understandings about Canadian national identity from Corner Gas, perceptions of
multiculturalism and pluralism from Little Mosque on the Prairie, and cross-cultural
interactions and acculturation experiences in Canada. Research findings underscore the
importance of examining the popular culture as public pedagogy by showing that adult
learners can critically interpret cultural texts, reiterate hegemonic views, and produce
counter-hegemonic opinions in order to create a democratic or unjust public space.