Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Self-Efficacy In Low-Level English Language Learners, Laura F. Blumenthal

Dissertations and Theses

Accounting for differences in second language proficiency attainment is an important area of inquiry in the study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Accounts of the language acquisition process have generally come from cognitive or psychological perspectives, which view language learning as primarily an internal mental/emotional process, or from sociocultural or critical perspectives that emphasize the influence of the learner's social environment. Research on variability in language learning has also failed to take into account the learning experiences of low-level learners.

This study adopted a social-psychological perspective on language acquisition that focused on the role of self-efficacy in learning, and applied …

American Sign Language As A Heritage Language, Sarah Compton

Sarah Compton

This chapter considers how American Sign Language (ASL)—a visual-manual language—is a heritage language of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people in the United States. Traditionally, heritage language education and maintenance efforts have centered on spoken languages. This chapter aims to broaden the scope to include signed languages. It begins with a historical overview of ASL, explicates for whom ASL is a heritage language, and examines the influence of current policy trends and technological advancements on language shift and language maintenance. Particular attention is drawn to the role of deaf communities in fostering language maintenance despite concerted efforts to restrict …

Perspectivas Sobre La Enseñanza Del Español A Los Hablantes De Herencia, Kim Potowski, Andrew Lynch

Andrew Lynch

This article considers sociolinguistic and pedagogical underpinnings of teaching Spanish to bilinguals in the US, focusing on some of the challenges they present at various educational levels: (1) their sociolinguistic and cultural heterogeneity; (2) some of the linguistic phenomena present in their communicative repertoires and some of the linguistic, affective and academic aspects that influence their acquisition and use of Spanish; and (3) pedagogical approaches that are most appropriate for this population. [in Spanish]