This study counters the popular assumption that Spanish Heritage Language Learners (SHLLs) on study abroad (SA) in a place of cultural origin can easily adapt and find acceptance due to the linguistic and cultural resources they bring with them. Our study builds on previous work to illustrate a more nuanced and complex story of desires for…

This exploratory study examines the link between emotions and teacher agency across different geographical contexts. Semi-structured interviews and life stories were used and analyzed through Hargreaves' emotional geography framework. The findings reveal that emotions significantly influence the teachers' ability to manage classroom dynamics and…

The process of any language learning is a complex construction of objectives. Any goal is influenced by internal or external factors such as motivation, culture, previous experiences, attitudes, etc. This study aims to recognize and understand the distinct learners' attitudes during their learning progress. This research is conducted as a case…

The border, as defined by Gloria Anzaldúa, is conceptually marked by an ideological site called "nepantla"--a Nahuatl word that refers to a space existing in-between worlds. Nepantla is a performative site for visual art and writing. Making borderlands foods is an active space that exists in-between worlds. Using a performative approach…

Research on Latinx students studying abroad is minimal. As such, our primary research question for this study was: What are the identity-oriented experiences of Latinx students of color on a short-term study abroad program? We use a decolonial theoretical perspective to frame our study. The overarching assertion of a "decolonial journey of…

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an education model that provides a framework for international academic exchanges. Though COIL projects outline some best practices for academic partnerships, there are still several areas of project development in which participating faculty must make important decisions that affect the…

This article focuses on the use of the repertory grid technique as a research instrument for conducting and analyzing interviews in the field of teaching English as a foreign language. As a demonstration of the explanatory usefulness of this methodological framework, a pilot study was carried out to elicit second language teachers' tacit beliefs…

Background/Context: This article is part of a broader investigation of the sociocultural history of rural education in Mexico that focuses on federally financed "social experiments," the main purpose of which was to find "effective" methods to educate and "civilize" the rural population, especially Indigenous people.…

This article is a personal reflection about the acknowledgement of my "taken-for-granted frames of reference" (Mezirow, 2003, p. 59), which were replicating the hegemonic narrative I grew up surrounded by as a white, Mexican, Spanish-speaker; while hindering a more thorough understanding of the educational and linguistic topics that…

Language policies in the U.S., including matters relating to bilingual education, are tangled up with political tensions and ideology. All too often, the dialogue among educators and policymakers about what constitutes best practices for people learning English -- for whom we will use the term emergent bilinguals (EBs) (Garcia, Kleifgen and Falchi…

The present study analyses the psychometric properties of the Self-efficacy in the Sociocultural Sphere Scale in men and women university students. The overall sample consisted of 1545 subjects: 616 women and 929 men, with a mean age of 18.11 years (SD= 0.69) and 18.27 years (SD= 0.75) respectively. Psychometric analysis showed that two-factorial…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the literacy practices of the families and communities of first-generation college students in Latin America, and how community and family literacies can inform the understanding of first-generation college students' identity and cultural values. Design/methodology/approach: This transnational…

The authors examined traditional Mexican/Mexican American and perceived U.S. mainstream cultural values as predictors of thriving. One hundred twenty-four (37 men, 87 women) self-identified Mexican/Mexican American college students participated in the study. The traditional Mexican/Mexican American cultural values of family support and religion…

Mexico and the U.S. are closely associated by commerce, culture and family ties. Despite the geographical proximity and the long-standing socio-political history between the two countries, there is limited understanding of cultural differences and similarities. A unique study abroad programme for U.S. and Mexican students was developed based on…

Due to the increasingly multicultural nature of e-learning environments, it is critical that instructors and instructional designers be aware of the importance of cultural factors in education and that they deliver culturally adaptive instruction. The main challenge of this paper is identifying the critical success factors for multicultural online…