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The study argues that the naturalization test and related government discourse effectively impose higher English proficiency and prioritize memorization of selected historical facts. Findings are complemented by a localized ethnographic study of an adult ESL/citizenship class, showing how instructor pedagogy transmits alternative citizenship meanings. The paper ends with suggestions for citizenship curriculum reform.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-meaning-of-citizenship-tests-policy-and-english-proficiency/597898/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-meaning-of-citizenship-tests-policy-and-english-proficiency/597898.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"SANS","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the paper argue about how US government discourse defines citizenship?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It argues that CIS presents citizenship through shared knowledge and values in official discourse, but the naturalization test operationalizes citizenship differently through memorization and rote phrases.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the naturalization test relate to English proficiency in the paper's analysis?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"A critical discourse analysis suggests a de facto policy requiring higher English proficiency than the government claims, because applicants must demonstrate competence in ordinary English usage.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What additional evidence does the study use beyond document analysis?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It adds a localized ethnographic study of an adult ESL/citizenship class to examine how the instructor’s teaching perspectives and pedagogy transmit particular citizenship meanings to students.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},597898,1792208900,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090760505,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","ARIEL LORING  \nUniversity of California, Davis  \nThe Meaning of Citizenship:  \nTests, Policy, and English Proficiency  \nThis paper addresses the ideal of citizenship in the US and how particular meanings of history, culture, and language are encoded in government policy and practice. The US government (Citizenship and Immigration Services) presents citizenship as a commitment to shared knowledge and values, and it requires applicants to possess competence in “ordinary English language.” However, a critical discourse analysis of the naturalization test material reveals a de facto policy of higher English proficiency than is claimed. Furthermore, the history and civics requirement of the citizenship test demands memorization of only certain historical facts deemed important. Citizenship policy analysis is paralleled by a localized ethnographic study of an adult ESL/citizenship class, where the instructor’s teaching perspectives and pedagogy reveal how a different set of citizenship meanings is understood and transmitted to the students than is officially promoted. The paper concludes by offering suggestions for citizenship curricular reform.  \nIntroduction  \n“Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality” (Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities, 2008) . So says the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (hereafter referred to as CIS)  \non its government website, highlighting collective ties and idyllic characteristics of citizenship. While the US does not have an official, national language, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) mandates that naturalization applicants be examined on their “ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language” (Applicant Performance on the Naturalization Test, 2008). Knowledge of history and government in addition to a verification of “good moral character” is the final requirement. Once the exam is passed, a newly American citizen is said to be created. In the last decade, 6.8 million immigrants have been naturalized in the US (Naturalization Fact Sheet, 2008), and by their subscribing to common values and linguistic practices, it is assumed American identity is upheld.  \nPrior research has emphasized various shortfalls of the current naturaliza-  \n198 • The CATESOL Journal 24.1 • 2012/2013  \ntion test with respect to language, assessment, and the nature of Americanism. The language of the test itself is English, meaning that the test becomes a de facto policy enforcing English usage in a country that is not de facto monolingual (McNamara & Shohamy, 2008). Shohamy (2009) also argues that there are misguided, widely held beliefs about language, testing, and citizenship that countries’ respective policies are based on—for example, the beliefs that immigrants need to become fluent in the national language, tests are fair and objective, and cultural and linguistic assimilation is necessary for incoming immigrants. These assumptions gain strength as they become intertwined and can lead toa violation of basic rights for immigrants who lack a space in which to contest them. The citizenship test itself has been criticized for not being an accurate measure of citizenship, partly because of its focus on esoteric facts and residual questions from the Cold War (Kunnan, 2009b; Orgad, 2011) .  \nThe material required to pass the test indicates US ideals and what knowledge is valued in American citizenship. The US government’s policy is that foreigners need to be tested on citizenship while native-born citizens do not. I argue that there is a gap between how CIS conceptualizes citizenship in its official discourse (shared values, common threads) and how it presents citizenship in the naturalization test itself (a memorization of facts and rote phrases) . This in turn contrasts with the meaning of citizenship in a grounded context of an ESL/citizenship class","cbCaipGKPWnlz8jz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipGKPWnlz8jz","pdf",1079319,22,"English","# Introduction\n## Citizenship in the US\n# Literature Review","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper argue about how US government discourse defines citizenship?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that CIS presents citizenship through shared knowledge and values in official discourse, but the naturalization test operationalizes citizenship differently through memorization and rote phrases.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the naturalization test relate to English proficiency in the paper's analysis?\",\"answer\":\"A critical discourse analysis suggests a de facto policy requiring higher English proficiency than the government claims, because applicants must demonstrate competence in ordinary English usage.\"},{\"question\":\"What additional evidence does the study use beyond document analysis?\",\"answer\":\"It adds a localized ethnographic study of an adult ESL/citizenship class to examine how the instructor’s teaching perspectives and pedagogy transmit particular citizenship meanings to students.\"}]","The Meaning of Citizenship - Tests, Policy, and English Proficiency | PDF",1792085912,55]