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ERIC Number: EJ1249266
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Mar
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2133
EISSN: N/A
How Course Level, Gender, and Ethnic Identity Labels Interact with Language Attitudes towards Spanish as a Heritage Language
Hudgens Henderson, Mary; Wilson, Damián Vergara; Woods, Michael R.
Hispania, v103 n1 p27-42 Mar 2020
This study investigates correlations of course level, gender, and ethnic identity labels with attitudinal dimensions toward Spanish by Spanish as a Heritage Language Learners in New Mexico. Participants in first-semester (n = 327) and fourth-semester (n = 174) Spanish as a Heritage Language courses rated twelve items designed to index language attitudes (Instrumental, Sentimental, Communication, and Value) toward Spanish on a 5-point Likert scale, based on a similar tool used by Mejías and Anderson (1988) and Mejías et al. (2003). Participants at both levels claimed similar ethnic identity labels but had different correlations to language attitudes. First-semester students who self-identified as "Mexican American," "Hispanic," and "Spanish" rated the Value dimension higher than peers who did not claim those labels. "Anglo" correlated negatively with both the Value and Communicative dimensions. Fourth-semester students who self-identified as "Latino/a" had positive attitudes in the Sentimental, Instrumental, and Communicative dimensions. "Native American" and "Spanish" correlated negatively with Sentimental while "American" correlated negatively with Instrumental. Higher-level students held more favorable language attitudes, and females at both levels had more positive attitudes than male peers. These findings have implications for how course level, gender, and ethnic identity may impact heritage language maintenance and motivation to learn the heritage language in the university setting.
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc. 900 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Tel: 248-960-2180; Fax: 248-960-9570; e-mail: AATSPoffice@aatsp.org; Web site: http://www.aatsp.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Mexico; Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A