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

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Torres ◽  
Meagan Caridad Arrastia-Chisholm ◽  
Samantha Tackett
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Correct Spelling ◽  
Language Writing

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.

Spanish as a Heritage Language Assessment: Successes, Failures, Lessons Learned

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Patricia MacGregor-Mendoza
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
State University ◽  
New Mexico State University

From its origins over three decades ago, interest in the field of Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) has grown and has produced a wealth of research. While our understanding of the sociolinguistic profile of Spanish heritage language learners has increased and we have advanced in our knowledge of the linguistic abilities and strategies Spanish heritage language learners bring to bear on specific language tasks, we are just beginning to apply this knowledge in meaningful ways for the purposes of assessment. The present paper describes the evaluation of the efficacy of the Spanish Placement Test (SPT) that has been used for over 15 years to evaluate students initiating their Spanish language study at New Mexico State University (NMSU). The SPT is intended to distinguish between students who would be best served by either the SHL sequence or the Spanish as a Second Language sequence and, further, to suggest which course within the appropriate sequence would best allow their skills to grow. An examination of the SPT was warranted as the population for which the SPT was originally designed did not appear to match that of NMSU’s population of SHL learners. Additionally, at first glance, the items on the SPT did not appear to be a good fit with the goals of the courses in the SHL sequence. The present paper discusses the findings of our evaluation of the SPT in light of its ability to assess the skills of learners of Spanish as a heritage language and place them accurately in the sequence of SHL courses.

Contrasting models in literacy practice among heritage language learners of Mandarin

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Jia
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Practice ◽  
Chinese Values ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language ◽  
Print Literacy

This paper examines how the development of print literacy practices was approached at a Chinese heritage language school in the Southwest of the United States. More specifically, it investigates the roles of instructors and parents in the development of literacy among heritage language learners of Mandarin. The study explores two contrasting approaches to literacy instruction which occurred in both the classrooms and homes of the learners, where many literacy activities took place. The findings indicate that the learners’ literacy development was determined by many factors, such as the instructors’ and the parents’ own learning experiences, their perspectives on literacy, and the approaches they adopted in both classroom and home settings. The study also reveals that instructors and parents conceptualized an important link between socializing the learners into traditional Chinese values and the promotion of their literacy development.

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.

Expanding Language and Cultural Competence in Advanced Heritage- and Foreign-Language Learners through Community Engagement and Work with the Arts

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-280
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Parra
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Personal Story ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Latino Community

The purpose of this article is to describe the methodology and pedagogical practices of an advanced language course, Spanish and the Community,that addresses the strengths and needs of both Spanish heritage language learners and foreign language learners in classrooms that contain both populations, i.e., in mixed classrooms. Focused on the Latino experience in the United States, the course’s main goals are to advance translingual competence, transcultural critical thinking, and social consciousness in both groups of students. Three effective and interrelated pedagogical approaches are proposed: (a) community service as a vehicle for social engagement with the Latino community; (b) the multiliteracies approach (New London Group,1996), with emphasis on work with art; and (c) border and critical pedagogy drawn from several authors in the heritage language field (Aparicio, 1997; Correa, 2011; Ducar, 2008; Irwin, 1996; Leeman, 2005; Leeman &Rabin, 2001; Martínez &Schwartz, 2012) and from Henry Giroux and Paulo Freire’s work. The effectiveness of this combined approach is demonstrated in students’ final art projects, in which they: (a) critically reflect on key issues related to the Latino community; (b) integrate knowledge about the Latino experience with their own personal story; (c) become aware of their relationship to the Latino community; and (d) express their ideas about their creative artifact in elaborated written texts in Spanish (the project’s written component).

"There is no space for being German": Portraits of Willing and Reluctant Heritage Language Learners of German

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roswita Dressler
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Language Identity ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
German Speaking Country

Some heritage language learners (HLLs) are comfortable identifying themselves as such, while others are decidedly reluctant to adopt this term (Piño & Piño, 2000). HLLs in this paper are defined as those students having a parent or grandparent who speaks German or those who have spent a significant part of their childhood in a German-speaking country (as suggested in Beaudrie & Ducar, 2005, p. 13). This paper highlights case studies of six HLLs of German at the post-secondary level who are participants in a motivation study (Dressler, 2008). Three students are ‘willing’ HLLs. The additional three case studies are of students that I will call ‘reluctant’ HLLs of German, and this paper explores the reasons behind their reluctance and the components of self-identification, which include language identity (Block, 2007; Pierce, 1995); language expertise; affiliation and inheritance (Leung, Harris, & Rampton, 1997); cultural artifacts (Bartlett, 2007) and positioning (Block, 2007).

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