Elevating “Low” Language for High Stakes: A Case for Critical, Community-based Learning in a Medical Spanish for Heritage Learners Program

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186
Author(s):  
Glenn Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Community Health Center ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Community Based ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
Meaningful Engagement ◽  
Community Based Learning ◽  
Hidalgo County

Critical approaches to Spanish heritage language (SHL) pedagogy have called for more meaningful engagement with heritage language communities (Leeman, 2005). In a recent survey, furthermore, SHL students expressed a desire for more community-based activities in SHL curricula (Beaudrie, Ducar, & Relaño-Pastor, 2009). This paper reports on the outcomes of a community-based SHL program for medical purposes. SHL college students majoring in biology, nursing and other health-related programs participated in a semester-long miniinternship in a community health center serving indigent patients in Hidalgo County, Texas. Faculty and clinic staff collaborated to create an integrated experience for the students. The experience was assessed through a reflection questionnaire completed by the students. An analysis of the assessment data suggests that students emerged from the experience with a heightened commitment to Spanish language maintenance, an expanded bilingual range, and an understanding and respect for language variation in Spanish.

An investigation of the delivery of health-related accessible information for adults with learning disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Mander
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Adults With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Community Based Learning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Implementation Stage

Purpose – People with learning disabilities often require support to fully understand information produced in an accessible format. What happens during the delivery of accessible information (AI) is largely unknown. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation stage of the AI process. Design/methodology/approach – Two community-based learning disability nurses and two people with learning disabilities took part in a non-participant observational study of the naturally occurring conversations that took place during the delivery of health-related AI. Conversation analysis was used to explore both vocal and non-vocal behaviours. Findings – Three clusters of episodes were identified: providing the AI, topic development, and consent. The use of AI appeared to provide a script for the delivery of the information; however, practical considerations of topic development and tailoring resources to the individual were evident. For sensitive conversations the use of shared experience and challenges in judging comprehension were apparent. Contradictory goals in the decision-making process were highlighted, presenting potential ethical dilemmas. Originality/value – The delivery of AI allowed for personalisation and appeared to support understanding; however, this was partly reliant on mutual empathy between the nurse and their client.

scholarly journals Cross-Language Community Engagement: Assessing the Strengths of Heritage Learners

2016 ◽  
pp. 298-330
Author(s):  
Elise DuBord ◽  
Elizabeth Kimball
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Community Based ◽  
General Education Students ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Community Based Learning ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Service Experiences

This article reports on university students’ learning outcomes stemming from their work as language partners in a community-based learning project in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class with adult Spanish-speaking immigrants. We present a rubric designed to assess student learning in the collaborative, cross-language nature of the partnership that moves beyond notions of language acquisition. The rubric was used to score the reflective writing of students in two university classes who participated in this off-campus partnership, one in Spanish for majors, and one in English for general education students. Our analysis focuses on correlations between students’ language backgrounds and previous service experiences and the kinds of learning they experienced, in order to explore the strengths that different kinds of students bring to community work. Heritage learners in both university classes achieved the highest outcomes, and they did so regardless of whether they were heritage learners of Spanish or other languages. Students with low levels of previous community engagement—many of whom were students of color and/or heritage learners—also had higher outcomes than their peers with higher levels of previous community engagement. We argue that inclusive project design and local, critical assessment of student outcomes in community-based learning can foster constructive partnerships that recognize and build upon the strengths of heritage learners.

Language Variation in Mandarin as a Heritage Language: Subject Personal Pronouns

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Xinye Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Usage Pattern ◽  
Heritage Learners ◽  
Personal Pronouns ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
First Languages ◽  
L1 And L2

Abstract Because of limited language input, different dominant languages, and learners’ differing backgrounds, the acquisition of heritage languages is distinguished from the acquisition of L1 and L2. Few studies of Chinese as a Heritage Language (CHL) have explored whether students can acquire native-like sociolinguistic competence and language-specific variables with educational input. Based on a sociolinguistic variationist perspective, this study investigates the acquisition of variation between null and overt subject personal pronouns (SPP s) by heritage learners in an undergraduate-level Mandarin program. A total of 11,970 tokens were collected through classroom observation, sociolinguistic interviews, and narratives. Measuring mixed-effects logistic regression with Rbrul (Johnson, 2009), results show that the overall usage pattern of SPP s by CHL students largely resembled that in the input provided by the language program. Results also demonstrate that linguistic constraints including coreference, person and number, and verb type, and social factors such as discourse context, first languages, course level, and age of arrival had a significant effect on SPP expression by CHL learners. Implications for CHL development and variationist studies in heritage languages are discussed.

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