Heritage Language Education and Identity in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 100-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Leeman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
The Past ◽  
Heritage Language Education ◽  
Heritage Language Learner

ABSTRACTDespite the frequent references to identity within the field of heritage language education, it is only in the past decade or so that scholars have begun to conduct empirical research on this topic. This article examines recent research on identity and heritage language education in the United States. The article begins with a discussion of the simultaneous development of heritage language education as a field and growth of interest in identity and language learning, followed by a critical examination of the terms “heritage language” and “heritage language education,” as well as of “heritage language learner” as an identity category. Next is a review of empirical studies conducted within the past 5 years, including survey-based research that considered identity in the exploration of students’ reasons for heritage language study, in addition to qualitative and ethnographic research that focused specifically on heritage language learners’ sense of themselves and their relationship to the heritage language, as well as on the ways that heritage language learner identities are constructed, indexed, and negotiated in classroom settings. The next section looks at recent research on pedagogical approaches designed to engage heritage language learners in critical considerations of language and identity. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.

International Comparative Perspectives on Heritage Language Education Policy Research

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 42-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Bale
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language Education ◽  
Region I ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
Future Policy

As awareness of the unique abilities and needs of heritage language learners has grown, so too has recent research deepened our understanding of the dynamic between language policy and heritage language education (HLE). In this article, I review HLE policy research conducted in various international contexts. I begin by reviewing ongoing debates in the policy literature over definitions and adopt a broad understanding of the term so that we can glean as much insight as possible from the comparison of international contexts. I then turn to six international regions and countries that have been the focus of recent HLE policy research. Within each region, I apply the analytic framework proposed by Ricento and Hornberger (1996) to differentiate the multiple levels at which language policy functions. Finally, I identify common themes emerging across the research in these varied contexts and conclude with suggestions for future policy-oriented HLE research.

Service-Learning, an Integral Part of Heritage Language Education: A Case Study of an Advanced-level Korean Language Class

2016 ◽  
pp. 354-381
Author(s):  
Soyeon , Kim ◽  
Sung-Ock Sohn
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Korean Language ◽  
Heritage Language Education ◽  
Language Class

While a growing body of literature testifies to the effects of service-learning in language education, little empirical research has examined the implementation of service-learning courses in minority heritage languages. This chapter discusses the first implementation and effects of Korean service-learning course for Korean heritage language learners at an institution of higher education. Participants engaged in service activities at one of four community sites with different missions. By analyzing students’ post-service surveys and course assignments, as well as the community partners’ post-service surveys, we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of the service-learning course for Korean heritage language students. Conducting service-learning at authentic work contexts in Koreatown in Los Angeles was found to enhance the language learners’ linguistic and socio-cultural awareness and develop their social responsibility and sense of kinship in a multicultural and multilingual metropolitan area such as Los Angeles. Moreover, by working on projects requiring Korean language skills, Korean heritage language learners developed their academic-professional proficiency, such as the use of formal speech styles, and realized other linguistic subtleties in Korean. The results from this study contribute to the current body of work on service-learning by adding a perspective from a population that has barely been represented in previous research.

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