todoELE | Etiquetas | investigación

Bibliografía - investigación

Perfil laboral, formativo e investigador del profesional de español como lengua extranjera o segunda (ELE/EL2): datos cuantitativos y cualitativos

Javier Muñoz-Basols, Alberto Rodríguez-Lifante, Olga Cruz-Moya (2017)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 4.1

Texto completo

El presente estudio responde a la necesidad de obtener datos a escala global sobre los profesionales del español como lengua extranjera (ELE) o segunda (EL2), ante la escasez de información de carácter empírico sobre la profesión. Para ello, se dan a conocer las respuestas de 1675 informantes de 84 países obtenidas mediante un cuestionario en línea estructurado en tres bloques temáticos: a) perfil laboral y docente, b) perfil formativo, y c) perfil investigador. A partir del análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de las respuestas, ofrecemos perspectivas actuales sobre los profesionales del español en el mundo y sobre los diversos ámbitos en los que se desenvuelven. El cotejo de los resultados permite dilucidar algunos de los retos y desafíos inmediatos a los que se enfrentan los profesionales del idioma. El estudio concluye con unas líneas de actuación concretas para cada perfil analizado. Esta es la primera investigación empírica que ofrece datos sobre la profesión desde tres puntos de vista distintos pero complementarios.

-----------------

This study fills the gap in the availability of empirical data on L2 Spanish language professionals around the world. We surveyed 1,675 individuals from 84 countries through an online questionnaire divided into three thematic sections: a) professional profile, b) educational profile, and c) research profile. The analysis of this unique set of quantitative and qualitative data enables us to offer current and novel perspectives on L2 Spanish language professionals worldwide and on the different environments in which they work, as well as to analyse the main challenges and opportunities that L2 Spanish language professionals face. Based on these data, the study concludes with concrete recommended lines of action for each of the three areas. This is the first empirical study to offer data on the profession from three different, but complementary, angles.

Pragmática en la formación de profesores de español como segunda lengua

Carlos de Pablos-Ortega (2017)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 3.2

Dado que la competencia pragmática se encuentra dentro del conjunto de competencias principales para el aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera, es fundamental que los aprendices de español sean conscientes de los elementos relacionados con la pragmática durante su aprendizaje y, como consecuencia, que los programas de formación de profesores se ocupen de la pragmática como parte de sus planes de estudio. Los dos objetivos principales de esta investigación son: (a) contribuir a completar el hueco existente en la formación de profesores en el área de pragmática y (b) despertar la conciencia de los docentes y los discentes en este mismo ámbito. Para llevar a cabo estos objetivos se analizan las guías docentes de la asignatura de pragmática en los másteres de formación de profesores de español como lengua extranjera y se recogen las opiniones de los docentes y de los discentes sobre la asignatura de pragmática mediante dos cuestionarios.

-----------------

Given that pragmatic competence is one of the main competences of foreign language learning, it is vital that learners of Spanish be aware of pragmatic elements while learning the language. Therefore, language teacher training syllabi should include pragmatics in their programs of study. The two main aims of this study are: (a) to fill a research void in the analysis of pragmatics training in the teaching of Spanish and (b) to make both teachers and students pragmatically aware when teaching and learning Spanish. In order to fulfil these objectives, syllabi for the study of pragmatics on MA programs were analyzed and both teachers’ and students’ views on pragmatics modules were elicited.

Preliminary evidence that applied cognitive linguistics is effective for novice learners regardless of their individual differences

Elizabeth Maria Kissling, Taylor Arnold (2022)

En Language Teaching Research

Given the immense potential of cognitive linguistics for second language teaching and the need to produce more robust empirical evidence of its effectiveness for a range of learners in real classrooms, the current study set out to investigate the effectiveness of a novel cognitive linguistics-inspired approach for teaching Spanish prepositions and aspect to novice learners (n = 30). Animated videos, which were created collaboratively with students to ensure their comprehensibility, presented Principled Polysemy Networks for the prepositions por and para and the concept of boundedness for aspect (preterite and imperfect). After presentation, practice, and feedback cycles, learners made significant gains on controlled production tasks and performed as well as more advanced learners recruited in prior studies, suggesting that the cognitive linguistics approach was effective for these novices. The study found no statistically significant correlations between learning outcomes and individual difference measures of executive function, working memory, motivation, or learning style, which was cautiously interpreted as suggesting that the applied cognitive linguistics approach benefited all learners, not just a subset with particular abilities.

Principales modelos de análisis de datos en la investigación sobre adquisición de segundas lenguas

Mar Galindo Merino (2007)

En Biblioteca Virtual redELE

La presente memoria de investigación constituye un acercamiento a la Lingüística Aplicada a la enseñanza de idiomas a través de sus orígenes y del nacimiento de los primeros estudios científicos, siguiendo las principales líneas de investigación hasta nuestro siglo. De este modo, el trabajo se inicia con unas consideraciones sobre la adquisición de segundas lenguas en el contexto de la Lingüística Aplicada, y a continuación aborda los inicios de la investigación de la mano del Análisis Contrastivo, el Análisis de Errores y los trabajos sobre Interlengua. La segunda mitad del trabajo trata de las orientaciones actuales de la investigación, centrada en el Análisis de la Actuación, el Análisis del Discurso, el estudio de las variables del aprendiz y el enfoque social de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de idiomas.

Profesores nativos y no nativos de español: situación y desarrollo de la colaboración docente en las universidades chinas

Isabel de la Fuente Cobas, Nisi Wei (2020)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 7.1

Texto completo

La enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera en las universidades chinas cuenta con profesores nativos y no nativos. La colaboración docente, pese a resultar beneficiosa tanto para los estudiantes de lengua como para los docentes, no está lo suficientemente desarrollada en el ámbito de la enseñanza superior. A través de una encuesta en línea de carácter exploratorio, esta investigación identifica rasgos comunes, en los departamentos de español, relacionados con: los planes de estudio, los manuales de aprendizaje, la asignación de clases y las dificultades del trabajo en equipo. Por último, teniendo en cuenta estas características, presentamos un programa colaborativo entre docentes nativos y no nativos desarrollado en la Universidad Renmin de China con el objetivo de dar respuesta a algunas de las necesidades actuales de la enseñanza del español en universidades chinas.

-------------------

Chinese universities that offer a degree in Spanish as a Foreign Language often use both native and non-native teachers. Collaboration between those two groups is rare despite the benefits it brings to both students and teachers. Through an online exploratory survey, this research identifies common features across Spanish departments related to curricular design, textbooks, class distribution and the challenges of teamwork. We also present a collaborative programme between native and non-native teachers at Renmin University of China, whose objective is to address some of the current needs of Spanish language teaching at Chinese universities.

Pronunciation in foreign language classrooms: Instructors’ training, classroom practices, and beliefs

Amanda Huensch (2018)

En Language Teaching Research 23 - 6

The goal of this work was to explore the training, classroom practices, and beliefs related to pronunciation of instructors of languages other than English. While several investigations of this type have been conducted in English as a second/foreign language contexts, very little is known about the beliefs and practices of teachers of languages other than English. It is unknown whether recent shifts to focusing on intelligibility, as advocated by some pronunciation scholars, are borne out in foreign language classrooms. To fill this gap, instructors of Spanish (n = 127), French (n = 89), and German (n = 80) teaching basic language courses (i.e. the first four semesters) at 28 large (e.g. more than 15,000 students), public universities in the United States completed an online survey reporting on their training, classroom practices, and beliefs. Similar to ESL/EFL contexts, the results indicated that instructors believe it is important to incorporate pronunciation in class and that it is possible to improve pronunciation. However, the findings also indicated that instructors have goals which simultaneously prioritize intelligibility and accent reduction. Implications include the need for research on which pronunciation features influence intelligibility in languages other than English and for materials designed to target these features.

Quantifying comprehension gains after repeated listening by students of Spanish with different listening ability: an exploratory study

Victoria Rodrigo (2017)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 4.1

Repeated listening—listening to a passage several times for content and information—is considered an effective strategy to improve listening comprehension, but so far, no study has reported how much understanding increases with each repetition. This study is exploratory in nature and analyzes quantitatively how much 48 students with different degrees of listening ability understand after each repeated listening. The study shows that although the amount of total comprehension relates to learners’ listening ability (low, medium, high), comprehension gains—new information understood after the first and second repetition—do not relate to learners’ listening ability. The data indicate that understanding increased at a similar rate after the first repetition, 14% more, and after the second repetition, 9.3% more, in the three groups. These results suggest that there is benefit in repeated listening and propose its use as an independent learning tool that works at different levels of listening ability.

---------------------

La audición repetida, escuchar un pasaje auditivo varias veces prestando atención al mensaje, es una estrategia eficaz para mejorar la comprensión auditiva, pero, hasta ahora, ningún estudio ha dado cuenta de cuánto aumenta la comprensión con cada repetición. Este estudio es exploratorio y analiza empíricamente cuánta información nueva entienden cuarenta y ocho estudiantes con diferentes niveles de habilidad auditiva después de cada audición. El estudio muestra que aunque la cantidad de comprensión total se relaciona con el nivel de habilidad auditiva (baja, media y alta), la información nueva entendida durante la primera y segunda repetición aumenta a un ritmo similar en los tres grupos: 14% más después de la primera repetición y 9.3% más después de la segunda repetición. Estos resultados apoyan el beneficio de la audición repetida y proponen su uso como herramienta independiente y que funciona con distintos niveles de habilidad auditiva.

Research Engagement and Research Culture in Spanish Language Teaching (SLT): Empowering the Profession

Elisa Gironzetti, Javier Muñoz-Basols (2022)

En Applied Linguistics amac016

Teacher training programs and models recognize research engagement as a key competency of qualified professionals. However, despite current calls from scholars to bridge the divide between research and practice in second language teaching, little is known about how teaching professionals engage with existing research or carry out their own research. This study is the first to address this issue with regards to Spanish Language Teaching (SLT) professionals, aiming to understand if and how they engage with and in research, and identify what they would need to increase their engagement. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of online survey responses from 1,675 SLT professionals from 84 countries show that research engagement is dependent on the job description. Coding of freetext responses into eight themes (motivation, prestige, support, training, professionalization, resources, community, and research areas) reveals that the main barrier to greater research engagement is lack of support. Our results contribute to the understanding of the concepts of research engagement and research culture within the context of SLT and inform future initiatives to strengthen the research-practice nexus.

Rethinking study abroad and intercultural competence

Chesla Ann Lenkaitis (2019)

En Rethinking directions in language learning and teaching at university level

Texto completo

Due to competing demands of university students, short-term study abroad trips are on the rise. The present study is the only study that has explored a trip of less than one week and the ways in which L2 participants have developed their intercultural competence daily. This study was small in scale, since only two second language (L2) learners of Spanish studied abroad. In addition, this study used Merriam’s (1998) case study framework to illuminate the case of two L2 learners and their short-term fiveday study abroad experience. Analyses of surveys and Deardorff’s (2012) Intercultural Competence (IC) self-reflection, coupled with field notes, revealed that participants’ daily fluctuations of up to 18.7% did occur, thus demonstrating IC’s dynamicity (Deardorff, 2012). Not only is a short-term study abroad of less than one week practical for university students, but this study also suggested that a non-traditional short-term study abroad can be a valuable tool to an L2 learner’s IC development.

Riqueza léxica en la producción escrita en español de alumnos chinos: un estudio basado en la teoría de los sistemas dinámicos complejos

Jing Li (2023)

En ELUA: Estudios de Lingüística. Universidad de Alicante 40

Texto completo

En base a la teoría de los sistemas complejos y adoptando el método de microcambios, el presente trabajo tiene, como objeto de estudio, una clase de alumnos chinos del primer año de la carrera de Filología Hispánica. Se ha realizado un seguimiento de las variables de la riqueza léxica, incluidas la diversidad, densidad, complejidad y tasa de error, y sus patrones de interacción. El resultado muestra que (1) los alumnos presentan un desarrollo fluctuante y no lineal, pero aquellos con un nivel alto del idioma son los primeros en evidenciar cambios en el aprendizaje, como alcanzar el estado atractor, mientras los alumnos con menos nivel experimentan un período fluctuante más largo; (2) el alumno de nivel superior presenta una correlación de las variables léxicas, principalmente de apoyo mutuo, mientras el alumno de nivel medio tiene una correlación de competencia y el alumno de menor nivel no muestra una correlación relevante. Las diferencias grupales e individuales se deben a la asignación de recursos del ecosistema cognitivo, que abarcan cuestiones internas, como la motivación, las creencias de aprendizaje y el input léxico, y aspectos externos, como el tema.

Social justice in the language classroom: a roadmap for lower-division Spanish curricula

Alyssia M. Miller De Rutté, William Justin Morgan (2023)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 10.1

This study investigates 70 university participants’ selection of topic and acceptability relating to the explicit inclusion of social justice topics in intermediate language courses in universities in the United States. This study draws from the Critical Pedagogy and Task-Based Language Teaching as frameworks in the second language (L2) classroom. Participants enrolled in intermediate-level Spanish courses completed a series of projects in which tasks centered on social justice topics of their choosing. Qualitative data analysis revealed that language learners perceived the projects as opportunities to use real world, authentic language with the purpose of communicating in the target language. Learners reported that the incorporation of social justice in the L2 classroom provided new, meaningful learning while they developed greater awareness of issues affecting the world and acquired vocabulary and speaking skills. As a result of this study, findings support inclusion of social justice topics, even in lower-division courses.

--------------------

Este estudio investiga la elección de tema y la aceptabilidad de 70 participantes universitarios con respecto a la inclusión explícita de temas relacionados con la justicia social en cursos de español como segunda lengua (L2) en universidades estadounidenses. El estudio se basa en la Pedagogía Crítica y el Enfoque por Tareas como marcos teóricos en la clase de español L2. Los participantes completaron proyectos en los que se abordaban temas de justicia social. Los datos cualitativos revelan que los aprendices percibieron los proyectos como oportunidades para emplear su L2 de manera auténtica. Los aprendices reportaron que la introducción de la justicia social en la clase de L2 proporcionaba un aprendizaje nuevo y significativo mientras desarrollaban su conocimiento de temas que afectan al conjunto de la sociedad a la vez que adquirían el vocabulario específico y reforzaban su competencia oral. Los datos de este estudio demuestran el impacto positivo de incluir temas de justicia social en cursos de nivel inicial.

Spanish Heritage Learners’ Emerging Literacy: Empirical Research and Classroom Practice

Flavia Belpoliti, Encarna Bermejo (2020)

Spanish Heritage Learners' Emerging Literacy: Empirical Research and Classroom Practice introduces a comprehensive, multi-level empirical study on the writing abilities of Spanish Heritage Learners at the beginner level; the findings guide a broad selection of instructional activities and pedagogical resources to support writing development in the heritage language classroom.

This is the first book dealing exclusively with writing competence among Spanish Heritage Language Learners through the integration of empirical evidence and instructional perspectives to address core questions on heritage language literacy. In addition to the in-depth analysis of Spanish production—spelling, verb usage, grammatical features, vocabulary, and discourse organization—the volume revises the latest perspectives within the Heritage Language Education field, and provides effective teaching approaches, innovative classroom implementations, and up-to-date resources.

Contenidos
1. Heritage Languages and Spanish Heritage Language Speakers in the United States

2. Spanish Orthography in Heritage Language Writing

3. Spanish Verbs in Emerging Heritage Language Writing

4. Building Sentences in Spanish: Complexity, Fluency and Accuracy

5. Spanish Vocabulary Knowledge in Action

6. Discourse Competence and Emergent Argumentative Writing

7. Towards a Signature Curriculum for Spanish as a Heritage Language

8. Teaching and Learning Heritage Languages: New Directions, Enduring Questions

Spanish teachers’ beliefs on the usefulness of pronunciation knowledge, skills, and activities and their confidence in implementing them

Charles Nagle, Rebecca Sachs, Germán Zárate-Sández (2023)

En Language Teaching Research 27 - 3

Despite substantial advances in the field of instructed second language acquisition (SLA) with regard to our understanding of second language (L2) pronunciation development and pedagogy, many language instructors continue to report a lack of confidence in incorporating pronunciation instruction (PI) into their classes. This survey study examined 100 Spanish instructors’ perceptions of the usefulness of various types of knowledge, skills, and approaches to PI, as well as their confidence in those domains, and the extent to which their previous training in teaching methods was related to their ratings of usefulness and confidence. After running principal components analyses to identify factors in the survey data, we fit mixed-effects models to each factor, then delved more deeply into some descriptive trends to offer recommendations for professional development opportunities. The latter results suggested that Spanish teachers might have greater appreciation for, as well as confidence in, focusing on segmentals over suprasegmentals, practice activities over assessment, perception assessment over production assessment, and implicit over explicit feedback. Consistent with previous research, some of the highest confidence levels were expressed regarding controlled techniques, alongside relatively low confidence in familiarity with research. Concerning metalinguistic tools, respondents seemed to value diagrams and descriptions over terminology and transcription, but they viewed these tools as less useful than perception, production, and communication practice. While greater training was often associated with higher perceptions of usefulness and confidence, there were cases where respondents with the least training showed the highest confidence. These results suggest some key priorities for teacher training.

Speaking is doing and doing is learning: vocabulary learning in service-learning

C. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch (2018)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 5.1

This study reports on vocabulary learning through service-learning (SL) where Spanish L2 learners participated in a story-time program with bilingual children. The descriptive, observational, and qualitative analysis of data sources (e.g., journals, vocabulary assessments) describes language learning “sowing” events (van Lier 2000) that supported vocabulary learning/teaching goals: extending learners’ meaningful use of the target language, increasing their usable vocabulary, and equipping them with strategies to take charge of their own lexical development (Nation 2013). Framed through sociocultural perspectives, findings show that learners retained vocabulary targeted through their service as a result of doing with the language in a context in which language exchanges were meaningful, creative, and unscripted. Moreover, the activity’s demands required that learners discover new mediational means, which promoted the evolution of their vocabulary learning strategies from conventional practices to more diversified, complex, and involved ones.

---------------------

Este estudio describe el aprendizaje de vocabulario de un grupo de estudiantes de español como segundo idioma al participar en un programa de lectura para niños bilingües implementado como un proyecto de aprendizaje a través del servicio. Para el análisis, se examinaron de forma cualitativa varias fuentes de datos a fin de identificar lo que van Lier (2000) calificó como “momentos de siembra” en el proceso de aprendizaje, así como aspectos de la experiencia que fomentaran las metas referidas a la enseñanza del vocabulario (Nation 2013). Los resultados fueron interpretados desde una perspectiva sociocultural y demostraron que los estudiantes retuvieron el vocabulario que les permitió lograr algo por medio de la lengua en un contexto en donde las interacciones lingüísticas fueron significativas, creativas y espontáneas. También, los estudiantes descubrieron nuevos métodos de mediación al incorporar estrategias de aprendizaje más diversas, complejas y aplicadas.

Students’ foreign language anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs across different levels of university foreign language coursework

Kelly Moore Torres, Jeannine E. Turner (2016)

En Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 3.1

This study investigated differences in students’ foreign language anxiety and foreign language self-efficacy related to skill-specific foreign language tasks (i.e., speaking, listening, reading, and writing) across five levels of university foreign language coursework. A total of 206 participants in 12 university Spanish classrooms (ranging from Beginning Spanish I to Intermediate Spanish II) were surveyed for this study. The findings revealed that students who have higher levels of skill-specific foreign language anxieties provided corresponding lower ratings on skill-specific foreign language self-efficacies. Analyses also revealed that students’ ratings for foreign language anxiety for each foreign language-learning skill were not significantly different across the five levels of coursework. However, students’ ratings of foreign language self-efficacies for each foreign language-learning skill were significantly different across different levels of coursework.

----------------------

Este estudio investiga las diferencias entre la ansiedad y la autoeficacia del estudiante relacionada con destrezas lingüísticas específicas (expresión oral, comprensión auditiva, comprensión lectora y expresión escrita) en cinco niveles de cursos de lengua extranjera de nivel universitario. Un total de 206 participantes repartidos en 12 grupos de cursos de español (español básico I y español intermedio II) fueron encuestados para este estudio. Los resultados revelan que los estudiantes que presentan un nivel más alto de ansiedad en el desarrollo de destrezas específicas de la lengua extranjera, mostraron una puntación más baja en la autoeficacia durante el desarrollo de las mismas destrezas. Este análisis también indica que la categorización de la ansiedad de los estudiantes por las destrezas realizadas en las lenguas extranjeras no fue significativamente distinta en los cinco niveles de los trabajos realizados. Por el contrario, la valoración en la autoeficacia de los estudiantes por cada destreza aprendida en la lengua extranjera fue significativamente distinta a lo largo de los diferentes niveles de los cursos.