Language Attitudes in a German Classroom

• In Event: Second Language Learning, Instruction, and Pedagogical Issues

Abstract

This case study describes language attitudes of students in a high school German foreign language (FL) classroom and how they might impact one Latina focal student’s language use and positioning in the classroom. Ethnographic methods were used to portray seven senior students’ perspectives at a diverse suburban high school in the U.S. American Midwest. Findings suggest that most of the students’ language attitudes were characterized by stereotypes and xenophobia. Additionally, the focal student “Karla” has banned her first language (L1) Spanish almost completely from the school context and sacrificed her Mexican identity in order to assimilate to her peers. Only in the German classroom she finds ways to activate her L1. Implications for teachers and teacher educators are discussed.

Author

• Johanna Ennser-Kananen, University of Minnesota