Spanish Heritage Language Research Articles

La enseñanza de la escritura en los cursos de Español como lengua de origen. Reflexiones sobre las prácticas

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto identificar y describir la diversidad y la complejidad de las prácticas de enseñanza de escritura que tienen lugar en cursos de español como lengua y cultura de origen (LCO) en Suiza. Para ello, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 9 profesores de español LCO, que enseñan en cantones suizo-alemanes y suizo-francófonos. Las preguntas trataban sobre sus prácticas en general, con un énfasis particular en la enseñanza de la escritura: presencia de la producción escrita en el aula; frecuencia de las actividades de escritura, materiales, actividades realizadas para la producción escrita, dificultades y estrategias de remediación. Las entrevistas fueron grabadas y transcriptas literalmente para su posterior análisis. El análisis de las entrevistas puso de manifiesto cómo enseñan a escribir los docentes en los cursos de español como lengua de origen. Asimismo, las respuestas de los docentes permitieron explorar las concepciones de enseñanza subyacentes a las prácticas, como así también los programas de estudio que guían la enseñanza, los contextos y las políticas educativas que las enmarcan.

The impact of study abroad on Spanish heritage language learners

ABSTRACT Even though study abroad programs in Spanish-speaking countries are increasingly popular, there are hardly any programs specifically designed for Spanish heritage language learners (Beaudrie, Ducar, & Potowski, 2014). However, there are many heritage language learners who still choose a Hispanic country to study abroad. How can we as instructors address their needs in this learning setting? How can instructors be trained to do so? In this article we present an overview of the situation of study abroad Spanish programs regarding heritage language learners and a proposal about how to meet their academic needs.

Redefining Spanish teaching and learning in the United States

This article describes a pedagogical initiative that identifies opportunities for increased efficiency and functionality in the teaching and learning of Spanish in the context of the United States. At the core of this initiative is the reformulation of curricular and programmatic approaches in terms of current social, cultural, and linguistic practices. More specifically, it combines and builds on insights from current theoretical and practical developments so as to do the following: (1) reconcile the currently conflicting educational goals of Spanish heritage language and foreign language teaching in the United States; (2) create a more sophisticated and efficient educational substructure than what is currently available to language learners of all profiles and levels; and (3) guide the allocation of resources to not only address and support heritage language maintenance and revitalization, but to also encourage a fortified stance on bilingualism and foster cultural richness/diversity among emergent bilinguals in foreign/second language programs. A rationale is offered, and the organization and processes involved in the implementation of this initiative are described, along with the possible beneficial academic, social, and community effects such a reformulation may yield.

Perceptions of Writing Anxiety and Self-Efficacy Among Spanish Heritage Language Learners

Many Hispanics living in the United States have limited Spanish language abilities particularly in relation to literacy skills. This study investigated 25 Hispanic heritage language learners’ (HLLs) perceptions of their Spanish language writing abilities. During interview sessions, participants described the aspects of writing that were the easiest and most difficult for them to acquire. Findings revealed that HLLs experienced difficulties with accent rules, correct spelling, and conjugations. Additional findings, limitations, and further research are discussed.

Mixed Messages in the Spanish Heritage Language Classroom

This paper explores the implications of prevailing attitudes about language variety found in a case study of a large, university SHL program. First, a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach was employed to examine the ideological underpinnings of the presentation of varieties of Spanish (including those of U.S. Spanish) in textbooks used in the program. Second, discussions with focus groups of SHL instructors were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed to gain insight into the practices fostered by the SHL program related to language variety. The CDA findings show evidence of reinforcement of an ideology of a monolithic “standard” Spanish in the SHL textbooks and curricula, with only cursory attention paid to regional varieties of Spanish and, at times, implicit and explicit de-legitimization of U.S. varieties of Spanish. The focus group data indicates that instructors identify tension between: 1) the program’s stated goals, which are to validate the students’ Spanish varieties and to develop an academic or professional register of Spanish; and 2) classroom reality, in which the “standard” is the overwhelming focus and the students’ own “home varieties” of Spanish are at times devalued by the textbook and course materials. Finally, based on these results, some pedagogical recommendations to validate heritage learners’ Spanish as a resource, rather than a deficit, are discussed.

Meeting Student Needs: Integrating Spanish Heritage Language Learners into the Second Language Classroom

Despite the increase of Spanish heritage language (HL) courses in response to the linguistic needs of HL learners, these courses often combine this student population with advanced second language (L2) learners. This common scenario presents a challenge to many instructors who lack the training to negotiate intercultural and linguistic issues in the classroom so that all students can benefit. This essay presents key intercultural concerns (e.g., embarrassment and intimidation) and suggests strategies for instructors. Twenty-first-century students will work in collaborative contexts, so they must learn how to benefit from their classmates' strengths and work on their weaknesses through peer interaction and teamwork.

Spanish Heritage Language Learners: Let's Not Avoid Metalinguistic Knowledge

Spanish Heritage Language Learners: Let's Not Avoid Metalinguistic Knowledge

Community Engagement Pedagogy: A Tool to Empower Heritage Language and Second Language Integration

Community Engagement Pedagogy:A Tool to Empower Heritage Language and Second Language Integration Vanessa Marie Fernández and Lucía Osa-Melero Keywords community-engaged learning/aprendizaje en la comunidad, heritage learners/estudiantes de herencia, intercultural interaction/interacciones interculturales, L2 classroom/salón de clase de segunda lengua, mixed learners/estudiantes mixtos, peer interaction/interacciones entre compañeros Response 2 to "Meeting Student Needs: Integrating Spanish Heritage Language Learners into the Second Language Classroom" The article "Meeting Student Needs: Integrating Spanish Heritage Language Learners into the Second Language Classroom" confirms that, despite the challenges to the instructor, combining university heritage language (HL) and second language (L2) learners in the same classroom offers excellent pedagogical opportunities for both groups. In order to increase the outcomes, the article suggests that the instructor create a collaborative environment by employing a pedagogy based on group/pair activities, which allows L2 and HL students to learn from each other. However, the article cautions that HL learners "should not be relegated to tutoring roles or informants on culture or language," which decreases HL learning opportunities and intimates an uneven hierarchy between students. Thus, ideal learning conditions are contingent upon the organization and structure of group work (Postholm 2008). Fushino (2010) explains that student learning in a group environment is rather unpredictable unless structured guidance is in place. Therefore, Chiriac and Granström (2012) point to the importance of educational leadership and classroom management in designing group work activities. Moreover, Johnson and Johnson (1999) underscore that "placing socially unskilled students in a group and telling them to cooperate does not guarantee that they are able to do so effectively" (82). This rejoinder proposes that community engaged (CE) learning projects are an option that enables students to work cooperatively towards accomplishing a relevant goal. Community engagement encourages individual accountability and positive interdependence in a group setting. Moreover, CE projects also provide homogeneous L2 classrooms with some of the heterogeneity available in mixed classrooms. Heritage learner populations are increasing in most US universities, but this trend does not account for all institutions. Instructors in L2-dominant classrooms need to be resourceful if they want their students to obtain the benefits of the mixed classroom setting. CE learning projects that foster interaction between L2 learners and native speakers provide a viable option that promotes similar linguistic, cultural, and affective gains to those described in mixed classes. This pedagogy "places the student in an active role … promoting the use of the target language in a real-life context" (Caldwell 2007: 465). A project conducted in Pittsburgh by Osa-Melero and [End Page 53] Fernández forged a relationship between primarily upper-middle-class, Caucasian, university students and Mexican and Central American children, ages 5–8, who recently migrated to the city. This CE project enhanced L2 cultural sensitivity, linguistic proficiency, and literary knowledge while assisting newly arrived young Hispanic immigrants to integrate into their new community. Second language learners enrolled in upper-level Spanish language and literature courses worked cooperatively to develop a three-week program on Mexican history and culture for children enrolled in the Casa San José after-school program. They adapted authentic literary pieces in Spanish, such as Mexican Rodolfo Usigli's play Corona de sombra (1943), into dramatic scripts for the children to perform. Writing the scripts helped L2 learners develop their language skills with a purpose that transcended earning a grade. In addition, these culturally rich texts proved meaningful to the children and their families. Benefits for the children included: 1) exposure to L1 and their native culture in an academic setting and 2) personal growth through mentoring relationships with college students. Likewise, L2 learners reported gains in 1) oral, writing, and summarizing skills, and a nuanced appreciation of Hispanic culture; and 2) personal growth, as students reported working with Hispanic communities as one of their future career goals. Transforming group work practices through cooperative strategies following Johnson and Johnson's (1999) guidelines is a first step in eliminating hierarchies in the classroom and the community. Therefore, cooperative CE projects diminish the risk of uneven work dynamics and implicit hierarchies between students and the community. Vanessa Marie Fernández San José State University Lucía Osa...

Insights from Heritage Language Students for Online Spanish Classes

Spanish heritage language learners (SHLL) on the United States-Mexico border in Texas often select online classes for convenience. This qualitative investigation presents preliminary information on how these SHLLs view twenty online Spanish courses based on 391 course evaluations. The literature indicates a need to consider heritage languages learners (HLL) distinct from other language learners, yet no study exists on how these learners, as indicated through student course evaluations, perceive their needs. The study seeks to answer a two-part research question with the purpose of presenting strategies that SHLLs believe contribute to language learning online. The first part of the research question considers aspects of online language courses viewed positively or negatively; the second part considers these students' awareness of the five goal areas within the World Readiness Standards (WRS), used because Spanish programs at the time of data collection implemented the WRS to guide instruction. Results indicate four major observations, which can serve to guide instructors in preparing and implementing online Spanish language classes. Additionally, results suggest these SHLLs were not directly aware of the WRS in their online courses; however, their written suggestions indicate a desire for one or more of those capabilities. Future work comparing these SHLL preliminary results with non-HLLs is warranted.

Technology in the Spanish Heritage Language Classroom: Can Computer-Assisted Language Learning Help?

Whereas myriad studies have been published in the field of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the past thirty years, research on the use and implementation of technology in the teaching and learning of Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) is very scarce. This study is aimed for those SHL instructors and researchers who are interested in incorporating technology and want to make an informed approach to the subject. Our goal is to provide the reader with the necessary background information in order to build a stronger SHL curriculum and point to some common tools that could be useful in that endeavor. Under the assumption that the SHL learner has a specific set of linguistic needs determined mainly by their socio-cultural upbringing, we contend that the teaching and learning of SHL in the United States should benefit from the advances made using technological tools in the L2 field. Furthermore, we argue that technology offers teachers and school administrators the opportunity to successfully cater to different students' needs in the SHL classroom. In addition, we discuss a variety of delivery methods and ideas that could be put into practice and offer further reading suggestions for instructors to examine in order to make an informed implementation of the technological tools available.

Learning for All: Addressing Issues of Access and Participation in Mixed Classes

Learning for All:Addressing Issues of Access and Participation in Mixed Classes María M. Carreira Keywords disciplinary literacy/alfabetisimo disciplinario, heritage language learners/estudiantes del idioma patrimonio, mixed classes/clases mixtas, reciprocal learning/aprendizaje recíproco Response 1 to "Meeting Student Needs: Integrating Spanish Heritage Language Learners into the Second Language Classroom" Mixed classes are the most common instructional context in which heritage language (HL) learners study Spanish. From a teaching standpoint, they are also the most challenging due to the considerable differences that exist between HL and second language (L2) learners and the scarcity of pedagogical tools for addressing these differences. Many L2 textbooks include HL annotations, but this is not enough. Specialized textbooks and methodologies are needed. The suggestions offered by Burgo speak to two general strategies that should guide instruction and the design of pedagogical materials: 1) leveraging the complementary strengths of HL and L2 learners for reciprocal learning; and 2) addressing differences between learners that undercut teaching and learning (Carreira 2016). In terms of complementary strengths, HL learners have strong aural skills and implicit knowledge of grammar, as well as familiarity with informal registers. Second language learners have strong writing skills and explicit knowledge of grammar, and they are most familiar with formal registers. In mixed classes, this situation can translate into two very different scenarios: it can create valuable reciprocal learning opportunities or it can get in the way of teaching and learning. The difference between these two scenarios comes down to how instructors deal with the special needs and knowledge gaps of their students. By way of illustration, it is useful to compare the conversational performance and disciplinary literacy of HL and L2 learners. Relative to HL learners, L2 learners have special needs in the area of conversational performance, particularly with spontaneous, informal language. Disciplinary literacy refers to the knowledge base, background experiences, and skills associated with a given discipline (Moje 2008). With foreign languages, this includes knowledge of grammatical terminology and concepts, as well as familiarity with classroom routines and common pedagogical interventions. Heritage language learners have less disciplinary literacy than L2 learners because they usually enter the language learning sequence somewhere beyond the first semester of study, by which time L2 learners have developed this type of knowledge (Carreira 2016). Crucially, gaps in disciplinary literacy put HL learners at a disadvantage compared to L2 learners. To this point, Torres's (2013) study of a task-based pedagogical intervention found that L2 learners were better than HL learners at recognizing the intended purpose of the task, which in the case of this particular study was learning the subjunctive. Treating this task as an authentic situation, HL learners were not focused on its purpose. [End Page 51] As Burgo explains, limitations such as these can create feelings of insecurity in both types of learners and interfere with the establishment of meaningful class relationships. They can also undermine learning by preventing L2 learners from engaging in communicative activities and rendering grammar instruction inaccessible to HL learners. Countering these outcomes involves equipping each learner with the knowledge and skills they need to fully participate in and derive benefit from instruction. For L2 learners, it entails previewing and practicing the language concepts that will be required to participate in communicative activities with HL learners. For HL learners, it involves preparing them to follow grammar explanations in order to benefit from form-focused activities. These kinds of interventions are best addressed in homogeneous (HL-only and L2-only) groups and should be conceived of as creating the conditions for reciprocal learning and addressing issues that undercut learning for each type of learner. As a final point, staying focused on the big ideas behind instruction is always important, but it is all the more so in mixed classes, where the day-to-day challenges can loom large. Big ideas answer essential questions such as: Why exactly are we teaching this? What do we want our students to understand and be able to do five years from now? (Tomlinson and McTighe 2006: 32). Orienting instruction around the big ideas extends the horizon of learning beyond any instructional unit or course and directs the gaze to promoting long-term learning...

Understanding the Spelling Errors of Spanish Heritage Language Learners

This theoretical position article presents the current state of the research on college-aged Spanish heritage language learners' (HL) spelling as well as the limitations of a descriptive approach to spelling research. The article also highlights the need to analyze and understand HLs' errors based on the underlying cognitive-linguistic processes behind the assignation of graphemes to phonemes. In this article, I analyze Spanish misspellings in college-age HLs within a cognitive-linguistic framework. Spelling is not merely a system of phoneme-grapheme correspondences prescriptively established, but it also requires acquiring and developing awareness of the language's phonological and morphological codes. This article reviews those two cognitive domains and examines different types of spelling errors made by HLs under this perspective, by showing the role of each of these cognitive skills in the erroneous assignment of graphemes to phonemes. Furthermore, the article suggests lines of experimental research targeting these cognitive-linguistic domains.

Subjunctive Use in the Speech of New York City Spanish Heritage Language Bilinguals

Through quantitative investigation, the present study considers the use of subjunctive verb forms in the speech of Spanish heritage language speakers in New York City. The data are from recorded conversations with 26 participants of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, Ecuadorian, Colombian and Cuban national origins. The purpose of this sociolinguistic study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mood grammar of NYC Spanish-English bilinguals in oral production. Results from statistical analyses show significant language-internal differences (e.g., context and rank order), but are null for all external variables, including national and regional grouping, suggesting a homogenous cohort with respect to mood selection. This study also explores inter- and intra-group variation, as well as a bilingual spectrum in which two individual participants demonstrate variable degrees of control with respect to grammatical mood.

Critical Language Awareness (CLA) for Spanish Heritage Language Programs: Implementing a Complete Curriculum

ABSTRACTExperts in the field have advocated for critical approaches to Spanish heritage language (HL) curricula in which learners’ proficiency in the language varieties that they bring from their homes and communities is considered an asset and culturally valuable knowledge. The proposal described here focuses on the adoption of a programmatic perspective, one that promotes, over a longer period of time, the implementation of pedagogical practices that foster academic success and linguistic empowerment among heritage speakers in the classroom. This article presents a critically oriented six-course Spanish HL program that challenges the subordination of HL students’ linguistic practices and examines the practical implementation of CLA (Critical Language Awareness) pedagogies. Further, this article details results from a study on HL learners’ language attitudes as a first attempt to assess their sociolinguistic awareness. We hope that a detailed consideration of the design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of this innovative program can provide a model for other educators who seek to put critical pedagogies into practice.

Comparing advanced L2 and heritage language learners’ Spanish grammars

AbstractIt is very well known that we should take a sociolinguistic teaching approach for Spanish heritage language (HL) learners' instruction.Potowski (2005)proposed that instruction be centered on literacy development and grammatical knowledge. However, not much has been said regarding grammar instruction: What does Spanish HL learners' grammar look like? What are the main similarities and differences between advanced L2 learners and HL learners? What are the most effective grammar teaching techniques for Spanish HL learners? Can those techniques used for L2 grammar teaching be applied to HL learners? In this article, an answer to all of these questions is offered. Moreover, practical examples of activities are provided using several techniques such as processing instruction, interactional feedback, dictogloss, and input enhancement, followed by pedagogical implications derived from current research on grammar instruction for both advanced L2 and HL learners of Spanish.

On the Relationship Between Self-Concept and Literacy Development in the Spanish Heritage Language Context

ABSTRACTResearchers have studied academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement extensively, but not in the Spanish heritage language context. Using measures of reading, writing, and spelling performance, I investigate the relation between self-concept and performance and whether self-concept can predict performance scores. I obtained measures of self-perceptions of abilities and attitudes from 281 students in 4 Spanish heritage language course levels. The results indicated that self-concept increased as course level increased. Self-perceptions related significantly to students’ performance in all subcompetencies except reading and were predictors of performance scores. Cluster analysis showed that students with the highest level of self-concept also had the highest reading, writing, and spelling scores and the most positive attitudes. This study demonstrates that self-concept plays a significant role in student literacy performance. Thus, practitioners should focus on helping students improve self-perceptions for their impact on literacy development and their role in overcoming learning difficulties.

University Spanish Heritage Language Coursework: Meeting the Needs of All Heritage Learners

The structure and instruction of foreign language classrooms have changed to meet the needs of the growing number of Hispanic heritage language learners (HLLs) entering university settings. To understand the impact of these reforms, interviews were conducted with 11 HLLs about their experiences in Spanish classrooms designed for their unique learning needs. Although participants were divided in their beliefs of heritage coursework offered, all the students valued being within a community of shared life experiences.

Implementing concept-based instruction in the heritage language classroom: A pedagogical proposal

Framed within a Sociocultural Theory of Mind approach to Second Language Learning and Development (Lantolf & Poehner, 2014), this article presents a pedagogical proposal for implementing concept-based instruction (C-BI) in the Spanish heritage language (HL) classroom in order to promote the development and internalization of the grammatical concept of aspect. Although aspect has been found to be particularly troublesome for heritage language learners (Montrul, 2009; Silva-Corvalán, 1994), few studies have focused on teaching conceptual development of verbal aspect in the HL classroom. This paper contributes to filling this gap by proposing an innovative pedagogical design aimed at providing HL students with the opportunity to generate and transform a conceptual understanding of aspect through conscious interaction in significant, coherent, and systematic ways.

Parent Book Talk to Accelerate Spanish Content Vocabulary Knowledge

AbstractThis article bridges research to practice by summarizing an interactive content‐enriched shared book reading approach that Spanish‐speaking parents of preschool‐age children can easily use in the home to accelerate content vocabulary knowledge in Spanish. The approach was implemented in preschool classrooms using a transitional bilingual education model in Central Texas and in a Saturday Spanish heritage language school in the Midwestern United States. Spanish‐speaking emergent bilingual children from both lower and higher socioeconomic status backgrounds learned content‐related vocabulary via parent–child discussions of Spanish storybooks and informational texts organized by compelling science and social studies themes and topics. The authors provide recommendations for how teachers can support Spanish‐speaking parents' ability to develop informal knowledge‐building experiences through home‐based interactive book discussions in Spanish.

Written Narrative by Spanish Heritage Language Speakers

This article aims to study narrative complexity in written texts produced by Spanish heritage speakers growing up in two linguistic regions of Switzerland. Texts produced in their heritage language by children living either in French- or German-speaking parts of Switzerland were analyzed and compared to texts written by Spanish speaking children growing up in a mostly monolingual context in Argentina. According to the literature, it was expected that children’s heritage language command and literacy abilities would mask their narrative competence in Spanish (i.e., that heritage speakers would show lower narrative complexity than their monolingual peers). The participants were 138 pupils aged between 9 and 12;5 (twelve years and five months), distributed in three groups: Spanish heritage language speakers living in German-speaking Switzerland (n=66), Spanish heritage language speakers living in French-speaking Switzerland (n=25), and a comparison Group made up of Spanish speakers growing up in a monolingual context (n=47). Heritage speakers’ parents also completed a questionnaire describing the children’s linguistic background. We did not find significant differences between groups in terms of story grammar components, suggesting that command of language and writing constraints do not affect narrative complexity development in heritage language speakers.