Instructed Heritage Language Speakers

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-24 - Innovative Approaches for English Language Learners in High School

Abstract

This study examines the heritage (Spanish) language maintenance and/or loss of nine young adults (age 18-25) who graduated from a small urban high school with a Latino-centric curriculum aimed at promoting biliteracy and bilingualism. This study uses phenomenological and narrative methods (Clandinin & Huber, 2010) to address the following research question: What are the lived persistent experiences of naturalistic heritage speakers who are also instructed in Spanish? Data were collected through a series of semi-structured, phenomenologically-based interviews (Englander, 2012) that were transcribed and analyzed using domain analysis. Results highlight the role of Spanish usage in daily life, maintenance of and/or changes in social networks influence Spanish maintenance and use, and engagement with Spanish texts or other reading materials.

Authors

• Sandra L. Pucci, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

• Sharon H. Ulanoff, California State University - Los Angeles