PORTUGUESE GRAMMAR INSTRUCTION: VIEWS OF HERITAGE AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Explicit Grammar ◽

The University ◽

Explicit Grammar Instruction

Research on learner perception has shown that foreign language (FL) learners consider formal grammar study quite important (SCHULZ, 1996). However, we know little about perceptions and beliefs of heritage language (HL) learners in what relates to grammar instruction. In a qualitative study on HL instruction at the college level, Schwarzer and Petrón (2005) do include the opinions of their participants on grammar instruction: that formal grammar instruction, as done in FL classes, was not useful for them. In fact, it is now accepted that HL instruction needs to be different from FL instruction (e.g., BEAUDRIE; DUCAR; POTOWSKI, 2014; PARODI, 2008). Nevertheless, most HL learners of Portuguese at the university level take FL classes, even if an HL track is available. Given this scenario, this paper discusses 1) whether HL and FL learners of Portuguese prefer formal or integrated/contextualized grammar instruction, and 2) whether they believe explicit grammar instruction helps their linguistic development in Portuguese. The methodology consisted of a survey among college students matriculated in Portuguese language classes in a U.S. university. Results suggest that HL learners tend to prefer integrated/contextualized grammar instruction, whereas the FL group does not appear to have a clear preference. However, both groups of learners see value in explicit grammar instruction, which does not necessarily contrast with contextualized instruction (ELLIS, 21016). The paper also includes a discussion of pedagogical implications based on the findings presented.Keywords: Heritage language; foreign language; learners’ views; grammar instruction.

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

10.46538/hlj.10.2.7 ◽

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 ◽

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).

What We Know about the Acquisition of Russian Aspect as a First, Second, and Heritage Language: State of the Art

10.46538/hlj.16.2.4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 183-210

Author(s):

Anna Mikhaylova

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Heritage Speakers ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

Russian Aspect ◽

Research Questions ◽

Common Observation

This paper offers a state of the art review of the available linguistic scholarship on the acquisition of Russian aspect in various acquisition scenarios. While the studies reviewed here differ in their analyses of Russian verbal aspect, specific research questions, acquisition context, and research methodology, a common observation is that Russian aspectual contrasts are not easily acquired and that some may be more difficult to master than others. The review shows that some of these asymmetries are not unique to child grammars or to bilingual acquisition, but hold in all the acquisition contexts and may be determined by the complexity of the category itself, while others reflect developmental trends and effects of context and timing of acquisition. The paper starts with an overview of Russian aspect and the associated learning tasks, which is followed by the review of patterns emerging from studies on the acquisition of aspect by children, adult foreign language learners, and adult heritage speakers of Russian. The paper concludes with a discussion of the way these empirical findings can be connected to classroom contexts.

STRATEGIE UCZENIA SIĘ SŁOWNICTWA – OBCOKRAJOWCY VS. UŻYTKOWNICY JĘZYKA ODZIEDZICZONEGO

Neofilolog ◽

10.14746/n.2016.46.1.07 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 95-108

Author(s):

Anna Seretny

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Institutional Setting ◽

Heritage Language Learners ◽

Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽

Class Level ◽

Polish Language

In an average Polish language intermediate class (level B1/B2) there are two types of learners; namely, heritage language learners (HLLs) and foreign language learners (FLLs). HLLs are of Polish origin and have gained partial knowledge of the language in a natural environment, unlike FLLs who have learnt Polish in a formal institutional setting and have no Polish roots whatsoever.Teachers of Polish as a foreign/second language claim (in anecdotal evidence), that HLLs speak more fluently, particularly when talking about everyday topics, and that their production sounds more native like, as it is more formulaic. HLLs are, however, perceived as poorer vocabulary learners than FLLs. The aim of the research described in this article was to find out if this phenomenon can be ascribed to the different number and/or type of vocabulary learning strategies used by learners from the two groups.

Hindi Heritage Language Learners’ Performance during OPIs: Characteristics and Pedagogical Implications

10.46538/hlj.9.2.2 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 156-174

Author(s):

Gabriela Nik. Ilieva

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Heritage Language Learners ◽

Oral Performance ◽

New York University ◽

Oral Proficiency Interviews ◽

High Level

The present paper examines the oral performance of Hindi language learners during practice Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) conducted during workshops hosted by New York University and sponsored by STARTALK. The most salient characteristics of the heritage language learners’ output are compared with the output of foreign language learners who are rated similarly at the Intermediate Mid or Intermediate High level on the ACTFL scale. The paper’s focus is on patterns of grammar and discourse strengths and deficiencies, as well as elaboration of topics and code-mixing in relation to students’ background. Pedagogical implications are discussed with reference to teaching strategies that address the differences in the language abilities of the heritage versus foreign language learners of Hindi.

The Use of Modal Auxiliary Verbs among Selected Pre-Service Students at A South African Rural University

International Journal of Higher Education ◽

10.5430/ijhe.v11n2p67 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 67

Author(s):

Monica Dudu Luvuno ◽

Oluwatoyin Ayodele Ajani

Keyword(s):

Student Teachers ◽

Control Group ◽

Grammar Instruction ◽

Auxiliary Verbs ◽

Explicit Grammar ◽

Faculty Of Education ◽

The University ◽

Explicit Grammar Instruction ◽

And Control ◽

Experimental Group

This study was conducted at a university based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The purpose of the study was to determine if the explicit instruction of selected grammar aspect, modal auxiliary verbs, improved students’ ability to write English. The study was qualitative in nature and a case study design was adopted. The focus was in relation to a sample of 80 student teachers who were randomly selected in 2016 in the Faculty of Education. 40 participants were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, training lasted six weeks. Both groups were made to write similar essays and those essays were marked focusing on the students’ ability to use modal auxiliary verbs. The study’s findings revealed that the experimental group performed better than those in the control group in the use of modal auxiliary verbs. Based on the findings, the study recommended explicit grammar instruction in all the students’ level of study in order to overcome the challenges they have in writing English. Thus, time should be created to ascertain that adequate explicit grammar lessons are offered to all pre-service teachers at the university.

RELATIVE CLAUSE TRANSFER STRATEGY AND THE IMPLICATION ON CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS HYPOTHESIS

Journal of Languages and Language Teaching ◽

10.33394/jollt.v9i4.4055 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 452

Author(s):

Sudarsono Sudarsono

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Language Education ◽

Target Language ◽

Master's Program ◽

Contrastive Analysis ◽

English Language Education ◽

The University

Foreign language learners may transfer their previous language properties into that of the target language either positively or negatively. The present study was designed to investigate the transfer strategy from the Indonesian relative clauses to the English ones. It was a descriptive study. The data were collected from the theses submitted by the Master's Program students of English Language Education to the university. The study found out that most students relativized subjects successfully but frequently failed to relativize the object of which Indonesian could not do it. The students were not found relativizing indirect objects, oblique, and comparison of which Indonesian did not permit. In conclusion, the study supported the strong contrastive analysis hypothesis.

“It’s Not Real, It’s Just A Story to Just Learn Spanish”: Understanding Heritage Language Learner Resistance in a Southwest Charter High School

10.46538/hlj.11.3.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 186-206

Author(s):

Kimberly Adilia Helmer

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Cultural Knowledge ◽

Language Learner ◽

Authentic Materials ◽

Language Class ◽

Meaningful Activity

The current critical ethnography examines some causes of “strike-like” behavior observed in a Spanish heritage language class in a Southwest charter high school. Fundamental to student resistance was the lack of meaningful activity and authentic materials that connected curriculum to students’ linguistic strengths, target-culture knowledge, and the communities from which they came. The native Spanish-speaking teacher taught the course as if the Mexican-origin students were foreign language learners without certain native-like language proficiencies and insider cultural knowledge gained from actual experience. In turn, the instructor did not fully access his own linguistic and cultural repertoire, but instead relied on published foreign language materials that failed to engage students and constructed them as linguistic and cultural outsiders. A pueblobased pedagogical framework is proposed to make curriculum more culturally relevant, authentic, and engaging.

What does the analysis of C-test gaps tell us about the construct of a C-test? A comparison of foreign and heritage language learners’ performance

Language Testing ◽

10.1177/0265532219861042 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 107-132

Author(s):

Anastasia Drackert ◽

Anna Timukova

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Heritage Language Learners ◽

Scoring Method ◽

Actual Use ◽

Dichotomous Scoring ◽

The Right

In view of the ubiquitous increase in the use of C-tests, which are almost unanimously believed to measure general language proficiency, this study investigates whether the aspects of language proficiency tapped into by the C-test format are the same when the test is taken by a learner population other than that of foreign language learners. Specifically, we conducted a differential functioning analysis and compared the types of mistakes that 113 foreign language learners of Russian made when completing C-test gaps, with the performance of 89 heritage language learners on the same C-test. The results showed that almost half of the C-test gaps are biased towards either learner group. In addition, the error analysis for a number of the biased items demonstrated that, although heritage language learners seem to have an advantage in reconstructing the meaning of C-test gaps, they fail to translate their recognition skills into producing the right form. Furthermore, the study reveals a possible sensitivity of the C-test construct to the traditionally used dichotomous scoring method. We conclude with a discussion that includes the implications of the results regarding the construct measured by the C-test and the possible consequences for its actual use.

Digital technologies as a means for forming motivation for foreign language learners

Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin ◽

10.20323/1813-145x-2021-1-118-72-80 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (118) ◽

pp. 72-80

Author(s):

Marina G. Kalinina ◽

◽

Sofiya V. Kudryashova ◽

Keyword(s):

Distance Learning ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Educational Process ◽

Law School ◽

Self Study ◽

Level Of Motivation ◽

The University

The article is devoted to the analysis of new forms of teaching foreign languages at the university in connection with the forced transition to distance learning in 2020, the mass digitalization of education and the speed of introduction of digital technologies in the educational process. The article focuses on increasing the level of motivation of students, the effectiveness and quality of knowledge obtained in the course of learning a foreign language using digital technologies. The authors present the results of their survey among 500 students of 1-5 courses of law school on the use of online platforms for self-study of a foreign language. The article emphasizes that these platforms not only provide users with unlimited opportunities to download and store information, but are also ideal for developing students ' writing skills, sharing information, commenting, and learning new vocabulary. The results of the survey also revealed a different degree of motivation among students. The data obtained as a result of the survey indicate that the development of a positive attitude to learning is largely facilitated by emotional motivation. The authors also describe their own experience in organizing distance learning at Saratov State Academy of Law, present modern educational platforms that help students in the process of learning a foreign language, motivating them to independent creative work.

Porta Linguarum Revista Interuniversitaria de Didáctica de las Lenguas Extranjeras ◽

Working With Diversity in the Spanish Heritage Language Classroom: A Critical Perspective

10.30827/portalin.v0i34.16730 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (34) ◽

Author(s):

María Luisa Parra

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Language Learners ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Spanish Language ◽

Critical Perspective ◽

Inclusive Learning ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Critical Dynamic

This article reflects on the notion of diversity and its implications for the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) classroom. In doing so, I follow proposals on SHL education, multilingualism, multiculturalism and sociolinguistics that call for a critical, dynamic and historical perspective on diversity. I elaborate on the relevance of such approch for the SHL classroom, and the new pedagogical possibilities it brings to our work. The final goal is to provide teachers with conceptual tools to generate inclusive learning environments where we all —heritage and foreign language learners, along with teachers— engage in critical discussions about our place in today’s diversity, and how we are all contributing to the future of the Spanish language in our communities.