ABSTRACT

This study used peer-led focus groups to investigate heritage language (HL) and second language (L2) students’ language ideologies and identities in “mixed” Spanish courses. We analyzed students’ perceptions of themselves and each other, their understandings of fairness in mixed classes, and the relationship of such perceptions to language ideologies and broader educational discourses of belonging in Spanish language education. Our analysis revealed that L2 participants reproduced the standard language ideology as well as an essentialist ideology that frames Spanish as being natural and easy for HL students. HL participants largely resisted these ideologies while also portraying L2 students as deficient speakers who “artificially” slow the class, thus challenging the dominant construction of L2 students as the default student type. Participants deployed competing conceptions of fairness to construct and perform identities as hard working students. Our findings highlight the need to incorporate the critical analysis of ideologies in mixed HL/L2 settings and beyond.

摘要

本研究使用同伴主导的焦点小组来调查“混合”西班牙语课程中的传统语言 (HL) 和第二语言 (L2) 学生的语言意识形态和身份。我们分析了学生对自己和彼此的看法，他们对混合班级公平的理解，以及这种看法与语言意识形态和更广泛的西班牙语教育归属感的关系。我们的分析表明，L2 参与者复制了标准语言意识形态以及本质主义意识形态，该意识形态使西班牙语对 HL 学生来说是自然而容易的。HL 参与者在很大程度上抵制这些意识形态，同时还将 L2 学生描绘成有缺陷的演讲者，他们“人为地”放慢了课堂速度，从而挑战了 L2 学生作为默认学生类型的主导结构。参与者运用相互竞争的公平概念来构建和表现作为勤奋学生的身份。我们的研究结果强调了在混合 HL/L2 环境及其他环境中纳入意识形态的批判性分析的必要性。