Can language attitudes be improved? A longitudinal study of immigrant students in Catalonia (Spain)

Perceptual dialectology investigates nonlinguists’ beliefs about their own and other varieties. This paper fills a gap in longitudinal research in this area with a restudy of the perceptions of Miami Cubans carried out twelve years after the first study. Perceptions are examined in relation to social and demographic changes with a sample of 84 participants of Cuban origin who responded to a questionnaire about the correctness of regional varieties of Spanish. The results showed that perceptions of non-Cuban varieties remained relatively stable over time, continuing to correlate with race and poverty. Perceptions toward the Cuban Spanish of the Miami community were also stable and, as in the earlier study, were highly positive, reflecting strong beliefs in its correctness-status. In contrast, perceptions of Cuban Spanish on the island were significantly more negative; it was ranked the least correct of the regional varieties evaluated. Factors underlying perceptions are examined in relation to demographic changes, political ideology, and beliefs about race and poverty. This paper highlights the contribution of the longitudinal study of dialect perceptions to the understanding of language attitudes, intergroup relations, and language change.

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Teacher students’ attitudes towards English in a multilingual context. A longitudinal study

IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching ◽

10.1515/iral-2017-0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nagore Ipiña ◽

Pilar Sagasta

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Language Learning ◽

Student Attitudes ◽

Language Attitudes ◽

Target Language ◽

Primary Teacher ◽

Teacher Students ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

The Impact

AbstractStudents’ language attitudes have long been considered important in the process of language learning, as they may impact academic achievement, and educators’ attitudes towards languages have also been studied for they may play a paramount role in shaping students’ attitudes. Hence, examining the development of teacher students’ language attitudes will help to better fine tune the specific teacher education programme. The aim of the present study was to analyse the development of primary teacher student attitudes towards English and to investigate the impact of personal, contextual and educational variables on those attitudes. This longitudinal study was carried out with 100 undergraduates enrolled in a degree programme in trilingual Primary Teacher Education. Our results show that self-perception of English competence level and specialist areas are the decisive variables. It was also revealed that these primary teacher students do not consider English a threat to their own identity. Furthermore, our findings suggest the need to go beyond students’ personal and contextual data to examine the particular educational context in greater depth, specifically, the language and educational policy being implemented, as both of these may impact students’ attitudes towards the target language.

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ACTITUDES LINGÜÍSTICAS Y COMPETENCIAS LINGÜÍSTICAS. UN ANÁLISIS DE SU INCIDENCIA EN LOS ESCOLARES DE CATALUÑA

International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology Revista INFAD de psicología ◽

10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v7.808 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 379

Author(s):

Clara Sansó ◽

Simona Popa ◽

José Luis Navarro

Keyword(s):

Education System ◽

Immigrant Students ◽

Language Attitudes ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Negative Association ◽

Linguistic Knowledge ◽

Equal Opportunities ◽

Autonomous Communities ◽

El Sistema ◽

Migratory Movements

Abstract.LANGUAGE ATTITUDES AND LANGUAGE COMPETENCES. AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR EFFECT ON STUDENTS IN CATALONIAThe migratory movements which occurred in the last decade placed Catalonia among the Spanish Autonomous Communities with the highest number of immigrant population, fact that had a significant impact on the education system. The studies conducted so far on this phenomenon highlight the little, or lack of, knowledge of the languages ??of the schools with which the immigrant students incorporate. Consequently, this reveals one of the current challenges of the education system: to promote equal opportunities for autochthonous and immigrant students. An equity in which linguistic knowledge is a key element, but no less important, are the language attitudes that those students have toward the main vehicular languages ??of the school. In this sense, our study aims to analyze the influence of Catalan and Castilian competences on language attitudes and if these relationships are conditioned by the origin of the participants. Our sample consisted of 673 autochthonous and 500 immigrants students enrolled in 10 center of Compulsory Secondary Education in Catalonia. Overall, the results reveal a positive relationship between language competences and language attitudes. However, in the case of autochthonous students a negative relationship between Catalan competences and attitudes toward Castilian was noticed, as a result of the negative association between attitudes toward Castilian and attitudes toward Catalan. Consequently, these results suggest the need to integrate language attitudes in the development of educational policies due to the effect they have on the construction of linguistic knowledge and vice versa.Keywords: Language competences, language attitudes, immigration, origin, Catalonia.Resumen.Los movimientos migratorios acontecidos en la última década sitúan a Cataluña a la cabeza de las comunidades autónomas españolas en cuanto a acogida de población inmigrante, hecho que ha repercutido de manera significativa en el sistema educativo. Las investigaciones desarrolladas hasta el momento sobre este fenómeno destacan el escaso o nulo conocimiento de las lenguas de la escuela con las que se incorpora este colectivo, lo que ha evidenciado uno de los principales retos en el sistema educativo: potenciar la igualdad de oportunidades entre el alumnado autóctono e inmigrante. Una equidad en la que, si el conocimiento lingüístico parte como elemento fundamental, no menos importantes son las actitudes lingüísticas que tiene dicho alumnado hacia las principales lenguas vehiculares de la escuela. En este sentido, nuestro trabajo tiene como principal objetivo analizar si las competencias lingüísticas catalana y castellana influyen en las actitudes lingüísticas y si, además, estas relaciones están condicionadas por el origen de los sujetos. Para ello contamos con 673 estudiantes autóctonos y 500 inmigrantes, matriculados en 10 institutos de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria de Cataluña. A nivel general, los resultados determinan una relación positiva entre competencias y actitudes lingüísticas. En todo caso, cabría destacar la relación negativa entre la competencia lingüística catalana y las actitudes hacia el castellano, que establece el alumnado autóctono, como consecuencia de la asociación negativa entre las actitudes hacia el castellano y las actitudes hacia el catalán. Consecuentemente, dichos resultados sugieren la necesidad de integrar las actitudes lingüísticas en el desarrollo de políticas educativas, por la influencia que éstas tienen en la construcción del conocimiento lingüístico y viceversa.Palabras Clave: Competencias lingüísticas, actitudes lingüísticas, inmigración, origen, Cataluña

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Legitimacy, Social Identity, and the Mobilization of Law: The Effects of Assembly Bill 540 on Undocumented Students in California

Law & Social Inquiry ◽

10.1111/j.1747-4469.2008.00119.x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 33 (03) ◽

pp. 709-734 ◽

Cited By ~ 134

Author(s):

Leisy Abrego

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Social Identity ◽

Immigrant Students ◽

Undocumented Students ◽

Legal Consciousness ◽

Undocumented Immigrant ◽

Daily Lives ◽

The Law ◽

Depth Interviews

This article examines the instrumental and constitutive effects of California Assembly Bill 540. The law grants undocumented immigrant students an exemption from out-of-state tuition, thereby making some forms of higher education more accessible. Despite the narrow actionable aspects of the law, it unintentionally legitimizes this disenfranchised group. This longitudinal study of undocumented immigrant youth consists of in-depth interviews before, shortly after, and four years after the passage of the law. The findings demonstrate that AB 540 immediately relieved stigma and later provided a socially acceptable identity that, within a legal consciousness informed by meritocracy, empowered these students to mobilize the law in a number of unforeseen ways. The case strongly suggests that it is possible for unintended constitutive functions to have more transformative effects on the daily lives of targeted beneficiaries than the intended instrumental objectives of law.

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UN ESTUDIO DE LAS ACTITUDES LINGÜÍSTICAS EN LOS ESCOLARES DE CATALUÑA

International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology Revista INFAD de psicología ◽

10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v7.806 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 353

Author(s):

Judit Janés ◽

Adelina Lanos ◽

Carmen Poalelungi ◽

Xosé-Antón González-Riaño

Keyword(s):

Secondary Education ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Immigrant Students ◽

Language Attitudes ◽

Lingua Franca ◽

Clear Preference ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Official Languages

Abstract.A STUDY ON THE LANGUAGE ATTITUDES OF THE STUDENTS IN CATALONIAThis study arises from the need to encourage positive attitudes toward the languages spoken in Catalonia among immigrant students, in order to promote their integration and language acquisition. Consequently, we analyzed the language attitudes toward Catalan, Castilian and English of 673 autochthonous and 500 immigrant students enrolled in 10 centers of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) in Catalonia. The results show that both groups manifested significantly different attitudinal patterns. These differences probably reflect the various meanings and representations granted to the official languages ??of the territory by the autochthonous and immigrant students. Catalan was highly valued by the autochthonous group, which showed more favorable attitudes toward this language than toward all others, and also attitudes more favorable than those of the immigrant students. Moreover, immigrant students showed a clear preference for Castilian. Furthermore, attitudes towards English were also positive, possibly reflecting its role as an international lingua franca. Consequently, these results suggest that the particularities of the immigrant students should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing linguistic and educational measures.Keywords: language attitudes, immigration, origin, CataloniaResumen.El presente estudio surge de la necesidad de fomentar actitudes positivas hacia las lenguas habladas en Cataluña por parte de los estudiantes inmigrantes, con la finalidad de promover su integración y la adquisición del lenguaje. En este sentido, hemos analizado las actitudes hacia el catalán, castellano e inglés de 673 estudiantes autóctonos y 500 de origen inmigrante matriculados en 10 Institutos de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) en Cataluña. Los resultados muestran que los dos grupos manifiestan patrones actitudinales significativamente distintos. Dichas diferencias, probablemente, reflejan los diversos significados y representaciones concedidos a las lenguas oficiales del territorio por parte del alumnado autóctono e inmigrante. El catalán fue altamente valorado por el colectivo autóctono, cuyas actitudes hacia dicha lengua fueron más favorables que hacia las demás, así como más positivas que las de los alumnos inmigrantes. Por otra parte, los alumnos inmigrantes mostraron una preferencia clara hacia el castellano. Asimismo, las actitudes hacia el inglés también fueron positivas, posiblemente reflejando su papel como lengua franca internacional. Consecuentemente, dichos resultados sugieren que las particularidades del alumnado inmigrante deberían ser consideradas en la planificación e implementación de medidas lingüísticas y educativas.Palabras Clave: actitudes lingüísticas, inmigración, origen, Cataluña

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INMIGRACIÓN Y ESCUELA EN CONTEXTOS PLURILINGÜES. EL CASO DE CATALUÑA Y ANDORRA

International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology Revista INFAD de psicología ◽

10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v7.809 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 393

Author(s):

Ángel Huguet ◽

Clara Sansó ◽

Txema Días-Torrent ◽

José Luis Navarro

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Immigrant Students ◽

Language Attitudes ◽

Educational Systems ◽

Official Language ◽

Social Changes ◽

Language Of Instruction ◽

The Social ◽

The Government ◽

Migratory Movements

Abstract.IMMIGRATION AND SCHOOL IN MULTILINGUAL CONTEXTS. THE CASE OF CATALONIA AND ANDORRAThe social changes in recent years have particularly affected Catalonia and Andorra. Both contexts, despite sharing the same interest in consolidating Catalan, manage differently the role of this language at education and institutional levels. Whereas in Catalonia, Catalan shares official status with Castilian, Andorra is the only country in the world where it is the official language. Anyway, both the geographical proximity to Spain and France, and the continuous migratory movements have led to the present reality in which this language coexists with Castilian, French and Portuguese. Specifically, official data from the Government of Andorra reveals that more than half of the population is of foreign origin, figures which correlate with the number of immigrant students. Similarly, Catalonia is the Spanish Autonomous Community with the highest number of immigrants, a fact that is highly reflected linguistically and culturally in schools, just as in the case of Andorra. These two territories also share the peculiarity of relying on education systems where besides Catalan, other vehicular languages ??are present. In this sense, while Catalonia promotes the bilingual education Catalan-Castilian, there are schools in Andorra which belong to three different educational systems: French, Spanish and Andorran, where the main language of instruction is the corresponding official language of each country. Within this background frame, to the extent to which students’ language attitudes are significant for language learning and self-identifications, this communication contextualized the social and educational realities of Catalonia and Andorra, two contexts where various studies focused on the analysis of the language attitudes of native and immigrant students were developed.Keywords: Immigration, plurilingualism, Catalonia, Andorra, bilingual education.Resumen.Los cambios sociales acontecidos en los últimos años han afectado de manera singular a Cataluña y Andorra. Ambos contextos, a pesar de compartir el mismo interés por consolidar la lengua catalana, gestionan de manera diferente el papel de dicha lengua a nivel educativo e institucional. Mientras que en Cataluña el catalán comparte cooficialidad con el castellano, el Principado de Andorra es el único país del mundo donde es la lengua oficial. En todo caso, la proximidad geográfica con España y Francia, junto con los continuos movimientos migratorios, ha llevado a dicha lengua a convivir con el castellano, el francés y el portugués. Concretamente, los datos oficiales del Govern d’Andorra determinan que más de la mitad de la población es de origen extranjero, cifras que se correlacionan, aproximadamente, con un el número de escolares inmigrantes. Por su parte, Cataluña es las Comunidad Autónoma española con el mayor número de extranjeros de toda España, peculiaridad que, tal y como sucede en el caso andorrano, se refleja lingüística y culturalmente en las escuelas de manera destacada. Dos territorios que, además, tienen la singularidad de ampararse en unos sistemas educativos donde además del catalán coexisten otras lenguas vehiculares. En este sentido, mientras que Cataluña fomenta la educación bilingüe catalán-castellano, en Andorra existen escuelas pertenecientes a tres sistemas educativos diferentes: el francés, el español y el andorrano, donde en cada uno de ellos la principal lengua de instrucción es la correspondiente a la oficial de cada país. Con este marco de fondo, en la medida en que las actitudes lingüísticas de los escolares son significativas en relación al aprendizaje lingüístico y las autoidentificaciones, la presente comunicación contextualiza las realidades sociales y educativas de Cataluña y Andorra, dos contextos donde se han desarrollado diversas investigaciones centradas en el análisis de las actitudes lingüísticas del alumnado autóctono e inmigrante.Palabras Clave: Inmigración, plurilingüismo, Cataluña, Principado de Andorra, Educación bilingüe.

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A description of language attitudes and achievements of Russian immigrant students at Haifa university

Language Culture and Curriculum ◽

10.1080/07908319509525204 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 211-230

Author(s):

Marsha Bensoussan ◽

Isabelle Kreindler ◽

Eleanor Avinor

Keyword(s):

Immigrant Students ◽

Language Attitudes

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