Spanish Language Learners Research Articles

Social Media as a Tool for Informal Spanish Learning: A Phenomenological Study of Chinese Students' Behaviour in Spain.

This study explores the perceptions of Chinese learners in Spain regarding the use of social networks for informal Spanish language learning. The objective is to identify the challenges and benefits of using social networks to address the real needs of students in learning Spanish. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted, focusing on participants' perceptions before and after using social networks. Eight Chinese students were selected for the study. The study was conducted in Valencia and Barcelona, Spain, from 1 September 2023 to 20 March 2024, and three commonly used social media networks were compared. The results indicate positive perceptions towards social media as a tool for learning Spanish, highlighting its usefulness in improving language skills and enhancing cultural awareness. Additionally, Xiaohongshu and Bilibili emerged as the most popular platforms for Spanish language learning among Chinese students. This study concludes that social media effectively meets the authentic needs of Chinese students learning Spanish in Spain, enhancing both language skills and cultural adaptation. This multifaceted approach reflects the complexity of learning Spanish in the digital age, combining personal passion, professional aspirations, and cultural adaptation needs.

The Influence of Separate and Combined Exercise and Foreign Language Acquisition on Learning and Cognition.

Aging contributes significantly to cognitive decline. Aerobic exercise (AE) has been shown to induce substantial neuroplasticity changes, enhancing cognitive and brain health. Likewise, recent research underscores the cognitive benefits of foreign language learning (FLL), indicating improvements in brain structure and function across age groups. However, the lack of a comprehensive paradigm integrating language learning with exercise limits research on combined effects in older adults. In order to address this gap, we devised a novel approach using a virtual world tourism scenario for auditory-based language learning combined with aerobic cycling. Our study examines the impact of simultaneous AE and FLL integration on cognitive and language learning outcomes compared to FLL alone. A total of 20 older adults were randomly assigned to AE + FLL and FLL-only groups. The results revealed significantly improved Spanish language learning outcomes in both combined and language learning-only groups. Additionally, significant cognitive function improvement was observed in the FLL group following short-term language learning.

Racialized Sociolinguistic Processes in the Spanish Learning Journeys of Non-Latinxs in the U.S.

Sociolinguistic frameworks of race have not been widely applied to non-Latinx Spanish learners in the United States. Consequently, there is limited insight into the impact of race on different learners’ use of Spanish in their communities, including the local or national raciolinguistic dynamics between Latinxs and non-Latinxs that inform these outcomes. This article examines ethnographic interviews of women recounting interactions and experiences of using Spanish in different U.S. contexts. In their accounts, I identify three racialized sociolinguistic processes central to their Spanish learning journeys, which I title racialized positionality, racialized embodiment, and indexical fields of racialization. These processes highlight, respectively, (1) the raciolinguistic dynamics enacted by Spanish language usage in the U.S. by non-Latinxs, (2) the sociolinguistic input a learner comes across as raciogendered subjects, and (3) the social meaning they ascribe to racialized terms and discourses in Spanish. As critical approaches to Spanish language learning and pedagogy continue to emerge, more research is warranted on these three processes to trace the impact of race on Spanish language learning and use.

Non-scripted role-playing with heritage speakers and second language learners in the medical interpreting classroom

Abstract This article examines dialogue interpreting in unscripted role-plays in the community interpreting classroom. In 2019, faculty members from several departments at Viterbo University (La Crosse, Wisconsin) coordinated an interprofessional education collaboration via role-playing in the institution’s Clinical Simulation Learning Center. Nursing, social work and pre-medical students were given the health-professional roles of caring for community members with limited English proficiency (who acted as ‘patients’). Interpreting students, both heritage speakers of Spanish and second language learners (L2) of both English and Spanish, facilitated language access for all parties involved. Recordings of these dialogues were then transcribed, annotated, and analyzed via mixed methods. This study examines overall and comparative findings of how heritage speakers and second language learners interpret dialogue, focusing on the textual aspects of their exchanges. While no language profile seemed to perform particularly better overall, certain indicators were more problematic for L2 Spanish speakers and/or heritage speakers. The presentation of these results and conclusions intend to foster improved teaching interventions for classrooms with students of varying English <> Spanish language backgrounds.

Towards the implications of positive teacher interpersonal behaviors for Spanish learners’ academic engagement: Voices from Chinese SFL learners

With the advent of positive psychology in the area of language education, more focus has been placed on the consequences of favorable teacher communication behaviors in language classes. Nonetheless, the function of language instructors' interpersonal behaviors in raising learners' engagement is somehow unknown. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no research study has been carried out in Spanish language classes to explore the function of teacher communication behaviors in learners' engagement. To fill this lacuna, the current inquiry looked into the role of teachers' positive interpersonal factors in Chinese SFL learners' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. For this purpose, a random sample of 32 SFL learners was chosen to participate in our online interview sessions. The answers of SFL learners to the interview questions were thematically analyzed via MAXQDA software. The thematic analysis findings pointed to the value of teacher communication behaviors in improving SFL learners' engagement. The analysis outcomes also demonstrated the potential of 11 positive interpersonal behaviors (rapport, care, clarity, credibility, confirmation, immediacy, closeness, praise, feedback, respect, and stroke) in increasing Spanish language learners' academic engagement. The practical implications that may emerge from the present study's outcomes are finally discussed.

The impact of multilingualism and proficiency on L2 vocabulary knowledge: contrasting high and low multilinguals

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of multilingualism and the degree of proficiency in different languages on vocabulary knowledge among Spanish language learners. Participants completed a 160-word meaning recall test designed to measure their knowledge of the 8,000 most frequent Spanish words and a self-assessment questionnaire on their multilingual profile. The results show that students with high multilingual profiles (knowing more than three languages) demonstrated greater vocabulary knowledge than learners with low multilingual profiles (knowing three or fewer languages), especially for words in low-frequency vocabulary ranges. However, the positive impact of multilingualism on vocabulary knowledge is only significant among learners with a high proficiency in Spanish (C1-C2 level), suggesting that identifying as highly proficient in multiple languages is advantageous only when learning vocabulary at higher proficiency levels. These results corroborate the benefits of multilingualism for fostering vocabulary development in a foreign language, while offering a nuanced picture of how additional languages (LX) are acquired by multilingual learners.

Washington and Lee University's English for Speakers of Other Languages Program: Ambassadors of Good Will and Agents of Change

Abstract: In 1996, Ernest L. Boyer's "The Scholarship of Engagement" ignited a national conversation with its call for greater dialectical exchange between "academic and civic cultures." In 2001, Washington and Lee University (W&L) Professor Ellen Mayock founded the student organization English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), with the mission of fostering effective communications among people of all languages. Over the last 21 years, ESOL has evolved with the changing demographics of our local community and the small liberal arts institution. Currently, ESOL comprises a team of fourteen students (including native and heritage speakers of Spanish and Spanish language learners) and two faculty advisors focused on two areas of outreach: 1) teaching and tutoring services offered to predominantly Latine/x community members; and 2) translations and interpretations completed on behalf of our community partners. The current paper addresses how ESOL responds to Boyer's call to action, and it shares the impact that ESOL has in our local community and that our community has on us, as we and our students become ambassadors of good will and agents of change. We will focus on 1) Programa Sol, ESOL's brand-new K–8 summer enrichment program; 2) community projects completed by ESOL volunteers; and 3) university/community programming organized by ESOL. We will explain how ESOL engages students as pedagogical partners and values community identities and language as an asset.

Frequency matters in second language acquisition too! Frequency effects in the production of preterit morphology with state verbs in Spanish second language learners and heritage speakers

The feature reassembly approach to second language acquisition research has been influential in laying the groundwork for recent theories of heritage languages. Lexical frequency has emerged as an important variable in recent studies within a feature-oriented approach to heritage language acquisition, but the focus on frequency has not yet received considerable attention with second language learners. To determine whether lexical frequency affects both populations of bilinguals, 51 adult heritage speakers and 40 second language learners of Spanish carried out a production task concerning preterit aspect morphology with state verbs of varying frequency, which represents an area of the Spanish aspectual system that is challenging for bilingual populations to acquire. Heritage speakers and second language learners were highly similar in their production tendencies: lower-proficiency speakers used the preterit with the least-frequent state verbs, while more proficient speakers in both groups showed less sensitivity to frequency, despite overall chance levels of preterit production. These findings extend recent research on Spanish as a heritage language by showing that second language learners are also influenced by frequency in their production of aspect morphology.

Spanish for Veterinarians Part 2: A Survey Gauging Student Perspectives on a Profession-Specific Language Learning Experience.

This article describes the distribution and results of a survey that was disseminated among students enrolled in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs in the United States. It is a critical component to a substantial effort being undertaken at Colorado State University (CSU) to overhaul their current Spanish for Veterinarians offerings (outlined and discussed in Spanish for Veterinarians Part 1: An Approach to Weaving Spanish Language Education into DVM Curricula) into a cohesive Spanish language program that offers consistent synchronous exposure to the language and guided practice over several semesters of instruction. The information obtained in this survey informs on veterinary student interest in and availability to engage in Spanish coursework created specifically for the veterinary field, as well as students' previous Spanish language learning experience. Additionally, it investigates the reasons motivating students' desire to participate in a Spanish for Veterinarians program, and their expectations and perspectives about receiving credit and paying for enrollment. It also includes students' online learning preferences and overall suggestions for optimal engagement in a Spanish language learning experience offered during DVM School. The anonymous results indicated that most respondents had taken Spanish only in high school, followed by those with one or two college-level courses. Interest in learning Spanish for the veterinary field is high and most students are willing to dedicate 2 to 4 hours weekly to language learning. This information guides curricular design decisions for a new Spanish for Veterinarians program that is currently being developed at CSU.

CONSTRAINTS IN LEARNING SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: A MIXED-METHOD STUDY

This study aimed to explore the constraints faced by students in learning a foreign language at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges. The researchers formulated two main questions in this study: (1) What are the constraints in learning Spanish as a Foreign language learning in terms of (a) learning differences, (b) learning language material resources, and (c) classroom activities?; (2) What are the factors that affect the constraints in learning Spanish along with (a) learning differences, (b) learning language material resources, and (c) classroom activities? To answer the research questions, the researchers utilized a mixed-method research design. The researchers used a survey questionnaire for the data gathering. The researchers tabulated and calculated the weighted mean of each student‟s perception based on the questionnaire result given to them. Moreover, the researchers interviewed students chosen based on the criterion to triangulate the study results. In addition, thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data from the transcribed interviews. Research ethics was properly observed during data collection. Furthermore, the findings showed that the constraints faced by the students in Spanish language learning are negative attitude, low motivation, usage of the different learning styles of students, ineffective language material resources, and classroom activities giving less opportunity for students to practice or perform their Spanish speaking skills. The results also revealed the factorsthat cause these constraints.

Theorizing gender in homestay settings: Mobilities and/as power relations

A contribution to critical work in hospitality, this article theorizes gendered power relations in various homestay settings. As such, it is an endorsement of – and response to – Shelagh Mooney’s call for critical problematization of ‘gender’, not least as a lens to better understanding the hospitality experiences of – and research approaches to – marginalized people, including women but also LGBTIQA+-identifying people. Discussed are the following ideas: intersectional identities and positionalities as these relate to gendered power relations; the role of mobilities in host/guest conflicts and resolutions; and the contested axiologies, epistemologies and ontologies that may undergird host–guest conflicts. We draw on our empirical research among homestay guests and hosts, including qualitative interviews with au pair, Workaway and WWOOFing hosts and guests and ethnographic research undertaken among Spanish-language learners in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Across all contexts, we focus on women’s and LGBTIQA+ people’s experiences in homestays – as part of wider mobilities – as prisms through which to understand the ways in which gendered identity work is undertaken and gender roles may be performed, negotiated, constructed and – above all – contested in hospitality settings more broadly as well as the associated mobilities, affordances and constraints. As such, this article contributes to the critical hospitality literature by queering gender in this context, understanding it as something one does/performs rather than is.

Experiences of African American Spanish Learners in the US: mitigating racialization and fostering belonging through an inclusive curriculum

ABSTRACT This study investigates experiences and investments in Spanish language learning among African American graduates of a university in the southeastern US. In response to evidence of African American underrepresentation in this field, findings will forward those factors which may encourage advanced Spanish study and create a sense of belonging as learners and speakers. Data emerges from eight language learning autobiographies, each written by a self-identifying African American who completed a Spanish major or minor at university. Inductive coding and narrative analysis methods yield the following themes: (1) Limited family/community connections to TL speakers, but wide family interest/support for language learning; (2) Inspiring teachers, formal learning environments, and content, but with significant content omissions; (3) Navigation of racialization in classrooms and TL communities and (4) Learning Spanish shapes career paths, provides empowerment and self-understanding. Findings ultimately suggest that family support and positive experiences during formal learning can encourage continued study, and some learners navigate acute obstacles relating to racialization. The data further evidences the necessity for culturally relevant and social justice pedagogies which facilitate inclusive learning communities and curricular revision. Such revisions would include content representative of African-descended people, histories, and cultures; and an understanding of racialization in the Spanish-speaking world.

Looks like google to me: Instructor ability to detect machine translation in L2 Spanish writing

AbstractThis article reports the results of an empirical study designed to determine the degree to which college instructors of Spanish can distinguish between machine translation (MT) and non‐MT writing samples produced by second language (L2) learners of Spanish in an intermediate‐level writing course. We also investigated relationships between detection accuracy rates, instructor teaching experience, and text type (narrative or argumentative), as well as signs instructors consider indicators of both kinds of writing. Results demonstrated that instructors were able to distinguish MT from non‐MT writing with a high degree of accuracy by relying on a broad array of indicators. However, neither text type difference nor instructor experience related significantly to detection ability. These findings have practical implications for the L2 classroom with regard to instructor response to MT use and the integration of MT tools to support L2 writing development.

L2 vocabulary learning in a mixed-proficiency community-engaged program: Designing vocabulary instruction for college students

Although extensive research exists on the personal, social, and academic outcomes of community-engaged programs (CEPs), limited research exists on vocabulary learning and students’ perceptions of their own vocabulary learning through participation in a CEP. Likewise, limited research exists on vocabulary learning in mixed-proficiency groups of Spanish second language (L2) learners. This study contributes to the current literature by exploring the vocabulary learning of 57 mixed-proficiency L2-Spanish college students who participated in a health-focused after-school program with Spanish–English bilingual children in a Midwestern city in the US. The higher proficiency students were enrolled in a language-focused class, whereas the lower-level students were enrolled in a Spanish for health professional’s class. Student reflective narratives revealed positive perceptions of vocabulary learning during the CEP, as vocabulary learning was seen to be fundamental to connecting with children in the Latino community. Productive vocabulary tests revealed significantly higher gains on vocabulary items that had been explicitly taught in class, but gains varied according to learners’ proficiency levels. Lower-level students showed both higher gains and a higher perception of vocabulary gains than more advanced students. Students’ reflective narratives suggest that the focus on health content in the lower-level class may have contributed both to vocabulary gains and to students’ awareness of learning. Recommendations for effective vocabulary instruction for mixed-proficiency students in a CEP are presented.

Cultivating Community through Language Learning in a Benedictine Seminary Network

St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, a seminary located in southern Indiana, was founded in 1857 by monks of the Benedictine order of Einsiedeln in Switzerland. The seminary has since been devoted to the education of faith leaders—priests, deacons, and graduate lay students. Due to the growth of underserved Latino populations in the Midwest region of the United States, there is a need to prepare future faith leaders to serve Latino congregations. This work provides an exploration into the ways in which language learning collaborations based on Benedictine hospitality can cultivate community. It outlines a Benedictine pedagogy of community that is threefold. First, given the importance of language to communicate with members of Latino communities in the United States, the cultivation of community is understood in terms of the world readiness standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Second, because Benedictine monasteries were founded on the value of hospitality, these interactions are imbued with Benedictine hospitality. Third, it is argued that Benedictine communities are contexts in which the liminal intertwines with the liminoid, resulting in fertile ground for the creation of what we call liminal/liminoid encounters that have the potential to level asymmetric power relations and lead to meaningful dialogue. The final section shows how this Benedictine pedagogy of community is enacted in one specific Spanish language learning immersion that takes place at a sister Benedictine Monastery abroad, Our Lady of Angels, in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It also provides a small sample of seven students’ responses to two critical questions from a survey questionnaire. Even though this small qualitative sample is not generalizable, it helps illuminate how these interactions may lead to the development of cultural sensitivity, of a sense of community, between students and members of this language learning immersion abroad. Responses indicate that students who participated in this program for at least eight weeks exhibit an interest in continuing to interact and collaborate in multicultural communities as well as a willingness to learn the target language beyond this experience.

Enjoyment, anxiety, and out-of-class foreign language use among Spanish foreign language learners

ABSTRACT This study investigated the relationship between Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA), Out-of-Class Foreign Language Use (OCFLU) and learner factors (FL and FL proficiency level). Participants were 611 foreign language (FL) learners aged 16–72 at Spanish Official Language Schools. An online questionnaire was used to collect the study data. Results revealed that the informants scored high in FLE, moderately in FLCA and quite low in OCFLU; FLE was positively related to OCFLU, while FLCA was negatively associated with it; these two associations held in FL proficiency levels below higher-intermediate (B2) for all foreign languages considered. This study confirms previous research, adds new evidence concerning the relationship between FLE and FLCA and OCFLU, and considers the implications for FL teaching and learning in formal situations, with particular attention to autonomous learning in an increasingly digitalised world.

Writing development in Spanish as a second and heritage language: a corpus study on complexity

ABSTRACT Few studies have analyzed the writing features of second language (L2) alongside heritage language (HL) learners of Spanish. Focusing on the development of writing complexity, we collected data from students at the beginning and at the end of a composition sequence. Comparing the groups at the outset revealed HL students’ greater mood complexity. After 14 weeks, both groups improved in tense complexity, mean essay length, and lexical sophistication. Our findings suggest that, given sufficient time, both HL and L2 students can progress in similar ways in at least some measures of linguistic complexity. Nevertheless, they might gain from instruction that facilitates new and diverse vocabulary, and the construction of longer sentences. L2 students specifically would benefit from greater emphasis on the subjunctive. Our study supports the claim that achieving writing complexity takes time and comes in stages, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of L2 and HL writing development.

Latin American dialogues and Spanish language learning: report of Teletandem experience at UFCG

Resumo Este artigo visa apresentar a experiência intercultural do Teletandem envolvendo estudantes de duas universidades federais brasileiras. Seguindo a abordagem metodológica do relato de experiência (MUSSI; FLORES; ALMEIDA, 2021), elaborou-se de forma colaborativa um ensaio acadêmico-reflexivo que emerge de uma prática virtual de línguas estrangeiras dentro do curso de Espanhol I na Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG). Inspirados pela filosofia de Paulo Freire, discutimos como essa ferramenta pode fomentar o ensino e a aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras, criando cenários autênticos de interação entre os/as alunos/as e estimulando a autonomia, a reciprocidade e a colaboração entre pares. Simultaneamente, identificamos alguns desafios e obstáculos potenciais que podem interferir na atividade. Concluímos que o Teletandem se configura como uma poderosa atividade intercultural, capaz de impulsionar a troca e a reflexão sobre as demandas e os desafios dos povos rurais da América Latina.

Is starting earlier better? A propensity score analysis of toddler-year impacts for English only and Spanish-speaking dual language learners

Most early care and education (ECE) programs serve 3-5 year olds, but enrolling children at younger ages has the potential to multiply the benefits of ECE enrollment. This study examined characteristics of children and family who enrolled as toddlers (18-35 months; n=450) versus preschoolers (36-48 months; n=2,356), then tested the impact of toddler enrollment in high-quality ECE on fall and spring preschool outcomes for English-only and Spanish dual language learners (DLLs). Groups were balanced using propensity score weights. Toddler enrollment was related differentially to parent education, special needs status, food insecurity, and single-parent household status for DLLs and English-dominant peers. Toddler entry was related to better English language skills (fall E.S.=0.13-0.47; spring E.S.=0.10-0.43) and lower teacher-rated self-control skills (fall E.S.=0.12-0.15; spring E.S.=0.12-0.19) than same language peers. English-only children who entered as toddlers were rated as more independent at preschool entry (E.S.=0.15). Differences were not observed in Spanish-language skills, child-teacher attachment, or behavior problems in preschool.

Adult Chinese Spanish L2ers' acquisition of phi-agreement and temporal concord: The role of morphosyntactic features and adverb/subject-verb distance.

While phi-agreement and concord are suggested to differ in nature during the first language (L1) acquisition, the acquisition of adverb-verb TC and SV person/number agreement by Chinese Spanish second language (L2) learners has only received limited attention. The current study examined morphosyntactic processing by advanced Chinese Spanish L2 learners (L2ers), whose L1 lacks the explicit morphological marking of tense and phi-agreement. Chinese Spanish L2ers and native Spanish speakers were asked to complete a self-paced grammaticality judgment task, where the grammaticality of adverb-verb TC and SV person/number agreement as well as the adverb/subject-verb distance were manipulated. For both native Spanish speakers and L2ers, SV agreement violations are detected earlier and judged more accurately than adverb-verb TC violations. Furthermore, L2ers process SV number agreement less efficiently than SV person agreement (but as efficiently as adverb-verb TC). And there is no influence of the adverb/subject-verb distance on the processing of verbal inflection. This study suggests that advanced Chinese Spanish L2ers tend to use native-like cognitive mechanisms for phi-agreement and concord computations, though their sensitivity to agreement violations may be further influenced by the morphosyntactic feature involved.