Spanish Heritage Language Coursework: Meeting the Needs of All Learners

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-21 - Roundtable 3: Kindergarten Through Higher Education

Abstract

Demographics in the US have changed remarkably over the last several decades. Specifically, these changes can be seen on university campuses where Hispanic student enrollments are increasing by tenfold. The magnitude of increased enrollments has resulted in changes in the foreign language (FL) curriculum for heritage language learners (HLLs). Our qualitative study investigated HLLs’ perceptions of their Spanish language learning experiences in classrooms designed for their unique learning needs. Our participants were HLLs enrolled in Spanish heritage language (HL) classes at universities located in Florida. These HLLs had diverse perceptions of their courses (difficulty, support), language proficiencies (beginner to advanced), and language anxieties (vocabulary, family-only, Hispanic- identity).

Authors

• Kelly Torres, Florida State University

• Samantha Tackett-Bradt, Florida State University