Program
Hispanic Linguistics
College
Arts and Sciences
Student Level
Master's
Start Date
10-11-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
10-11-2022 5:30 PM
Abstract
The elderly population (60 years or older) has been increasing in numbers during the past decades around the world and is expected to reach the number of two billion by 2050 (Scult, Haime, et al 2015; Santos, 2019). In Brazil, the aging population numbers are rising more rapidly compared to the global tendency (Alves, 2020). However, the misconception that elderly people are uncapable or incompetent is still part of the imaginary constructed around the aging population (Minichiello and Coulson, 2005). These perceptions shape the access of older population to resources that are accessible to younger sections of society, causing a feeling of not belonging in certain places. The occupation of those spaces by elderly people is paramount to their inclusion as an active part of the community. One of such spaces for older adults is the Second Language (L2) learning classroom. Research shows that older adults present powerful functional capacities and that social activities lead to better performance and slower decreases in the elder's memory and executive function (Scott, Masser, and Pachana, 2020). The involvement in continued activities that encompasses social and cognitive stimulation is significant in the well-being of elderly people. In that sense, second language learning plays an effective role in enabling active and regular engagement in social and psychological tasks. The goal of this study is to provide elderly people opportunities to actively engage in social and cognitive activities through second language learning, using community-engagement and self-efficacy strategies (Scult, Haime, et al 2015). The investigation aims to discuss the psychosocial impacts of ageing and develop a teaching approach which considers and targets such impacts. The present study accounts for English as a second language (ESL) and Spanish as a second language (SSL) teaching, which are relevant topics in bilingual settings. New Mexico being a bilingual border state would benefit from the outcomes of this research in terms of teaching Spanish as a Second Language to older English-Speakers (often labelled as a sub-group of "non-traditional" student population) and English as a Second Language to aging Spanish-Speaking or other linguistic populations.
Aging and Learning: Community Engagement and Self-efficacy in L2 Teaching to Elderly Students
The elderly population (60 years or older) has been increasing in numbers during the past decades around the world and is expected to reach the number of two billion by 2050 (Scult, Haime, et al 2015; Santos, 2019). In Brazil, the aging population numbers are rising more rapidly compared to the global tendency (Alves, 2020). However, the misconception that elderly people are uncapable or incompetent is still part of the imaginary constructed around the aging population (Minichiello and Coulson, 2005). These perceptions shape the access of older population to resources that are accessible to younger sections of society, causing a feeling of not belonging in certain places. The occupation of those spaces by elderly people is paramount to their inclusion as an active part of the community. One of such spaces for older adults is the Second Language (L2) learning classroom. Research shows that older adults present powerful functional capacities and that social activities lead to better performance and slower decreases in the elder's memory and executive function (Scott, Masser, and Pachana, 2020). The involvement in continued activities that encompasses social and cognitive stimulation is significant in the well-being of elderly people. In that sense, second language learning plays an effective role in enabling active and regular engagement in social and psychological tasks. The goal of this study is to provide elderly people opportunities to actively engage in social and cognitive activities through second language learning, using community-engagement and self-efficacy strategies (Scult, Haime, et al 2015). The investigation aims to discuss the psychosocial impacts of ageing and develop a teaching approach which considers and targets such impacts. The present study accounts for English as a second language (ESL) and Spanish as a second language (SSL) teaching, which are relevant topics in bilingual settings. New Mexico being a bilingual border state would benefit from the outcomes of this research in terms of teaching Spanish as a Second Language to older English-Speakers (often labelled as a sub-group of "non-traditional" student population) and English as a Second Language to aging Spanish-Speaking or other linguistic populations.
