Usage-Based Activities for Beginning Level Spanish Heritage Learners
Location
Bobo Room, Hodgin Hall, Third Floor
Start Date
8-11-2017 9:00 AM
End Date
8-11-2017 10:00 AM
Abstract
Research on beginning-level Spanish as a heritage language, or SHL, courses at the university level are few. The studies that have been published have examined SHL students’ and instructors’ perspectives and expectations on courses that are designed for SHL learners, that is, students who have had a cultural and/or linguistic connection to Spanish from a young age. As of present, and to my knowledge, there are no studies that measure SHL students’ responses to and the effectiveness of the implementation of activities that use the linguistic knowledge that these students bring to beginning-level SHL courses. This study focuses on the first semester SHL course, that is, SPAN 111, of the Sabine Ulibarrí Spanish as a Heritage Language (SUSHL) program at the University of New Mexico. The objectives of this study are to determine the social profile of SHL students enrolled in SPAN 111 at UNM, to determine how often students are exposed to and use Spanish at home or in their community, and to create and implement an activity that uses the data collected from language use surveys completed by these students. The broader goal of this study is to use the student’s linguistic knowledge as a tool to create new and relevant material and activities that will allow the SPAN 111 student to acquire, learn, and ultimately maintain their heritage language.
Usage-Based Activities for Beginning Level Spanish Heritage Learners
Bobo Room, Hodgin Hall, Third Floor
Research on beginning-level Spanish as a heritage language, or SHL, courses at the university level are few. The studies that have been published have examined SHL students’ and instructors’ perspectives and expectations on courses that are designed for SHL learners, that is, students who have had a cultural and/or linguistic connection to Spanish from a young age. As of present, and to my knowledge, there are no studies that measure SHL students’ responses to and the effectiveness of the implementation of activities that use the linguistic knowledge that these students bring to beginning-level SHL courses. This study focuses on the first semester SHL course, that is, SPAN 111, of the Sabine Ulibarrí Spanish as a Heritage Language (SUSHL) program at the University of New Mexico. The objectives of this study are to determine the social profile of SHL students enrolled in SPAN 111 at UNM, to determine how often students are exposed to and use Spanish at home or in their community, and to create and implement an activity that uses the data collected from language use surveys completed by these students. The broader goal of this study is to use the student’s linguistic knowledge as a tool to create new and relevant material and activities that will allow the SPAN 111 student to acquire, learn, and ultimately maintain their heritage language.
