Cristiane Manzan Perine’s research may focus on new literacies, but the Brazil native’s favourite place is still the library in any city or university she finds herself.

It seems appropriate then that the visiting scholar to Brock first met her new colleague, Brock professor Jennifer Roswell, as Perine was reading Rowsell’s book.

“I came to Brock because of my interest to learn about multiliteracies and to work under her guidance,” said Perine of Rowsell, Canadian Research Chair in Multiliteracies and a professor in the Faculty of Education. “I feel really blessed to work with Dr. Rowsell. Her professionalism, passion and dedication in both her own work and the work of her students are inspiring. She has encouraged my research and allowed me to grow as a researcher.”

The Faculty of Education’s Centre for Multiliteracies welcomed Perine from Brazil’s Universidade Federal de Uberlândia in September as part of Brock’s Visiting International Scholar program. She’ll be at Brock until the spring.
Perine’s general academic interests centre around language learning and the teaching process. She’s also interested in how technology affects skill-acquisition and can be used to teach skills in different ways, especially in the digital age.

“What an honour to work with Cristiane, who is an outstanding PhD student and a very promising new scholar in the areas of new literacies, critical pedagogy, motivation and engagement,” said Rowsell. “We are lucky to have her here at Brock University and I look forward to continuing research and writing projects with her.”

In addition to the opportunity to work with Rowsell, Perine wanted to study in Canada due to its reputation for quality education. She can often be found in Brock’s extensive library.

“Being part of this environment is like a dream come true. It’s a life-changing experience for both my personal and professional growth,” said Perine.

Since arriving in September, she has been attending classes in the Faculty of Education and focusing on writing articles for several journals and books in order to supplement her PhD research, which is an analysis of the relationship between a multiliteracies approach and a student’s motivation to learn English, as well as the impact of that relationship on their English proficiency.

Upon her return to Brazil, she intends to carry out that research with students in a course at the high school where she teaches language: the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Triangulo Mineiro.