CLIL for CALP in the multilingual, pluricultural, globalized knowledge society: Experiences and backgrounds to L2 English usage among Latin American L1 Spanish-users (original) (raw)

Onset and expansion of L2 cognitive academic language proficiency in bilingual settings: CALP in CLIL

System, 2014

This paper sets out to trace the appearance and evolution of academic language structures in a second language, in formal bilingual contexts. The setting of the study was a selection of secondary schools where a content and language integrated approach (CLIL immersiontype programmes) was set up. A corpus was formed of 244 historical narratives, from 4 schools, of subjects from 9th to 12th grade (age range 13e17 years). Analytical software tools such as Synlex (Lu, 2010) were used to consider the evolution of complex syntax and cohesion. The study concludes with observations pertaining to the growth of cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) in content-driven learning settings, the non-linear development of the L2 system and the major metrics which undergo change over the period.

Language Use Across International Contexts: Shaping the Minds of L2 Speakers

Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 2018

ABSTRACTBilingualism is a complex life experience. Second language (L2) learning and bilingualism take place in many different contexts. To develop a comprehensive account of dual-language experience requires research that examines individuals who are learning and using two languages in both the first language (L1) and second language (L2) environments. In this article, we review studies that exploit the presence of an international research network on bilingualism to investigate the role of the environment and some the unique characteristics of L2 learning and bilingual language usage in different locations. We ask how the context of learning affects the acquisition of the L2 and the ability to control the use of each language, how language processing is changed by the patterns of language usage in different places (e.g., whether bilinguals have been immersed in the L2 environment for an extended period of time or whether they code-switch), and how the bilingualism of the community...

Back to the Initial Condition: Experiences that Trigger the Need to Develop Language Skills Among University Spanish Students

Humanetten , 2022

The present study investigates how the L2 learning experience shapes multilinguals' motivation to improve their writing skills in Spanish, a language they study at university level. Within the Second Language Motivational Self System Theory (L2MSS), the L2 learning experience is often neglected when it comes to interpreting and discussing findings on motivation. We propose that the analysis of the L2 learning experience should acknowledge both formal and informal settings, such as the family context, in order to research why and how a person chooses to develop certain linguistic abilities like writing. Given that the L2 learner experience is spatially and temporally bound, the concept of sensitivity to initial conditions, i.e., the conditions or changes that may trigger the learner to move towards enhanced language learning, will be adopted to research the L2 learning experience. The aim of the study is twofold. First, to investigate the Spanish learning experience as a function of the initial conditions referred to by the participants. Second, to research how the Spanish ideal and ought-to selves are related to the students' motivation to use and learn or maintain Spanish skills. The data consist of a questionnaire answered by multilingual university students of Spanish (n=21) and written autobiographical narratives. The participants belong to two groups: one group of Spanish heritage language learners (n=10) and one group of native-Swedish speaking L3 Spanish learners (n=11). Overall, family reasons, previous school experiences, high proficiency in Spanish, previously acquired languages, contact with the linguistic communities, language use and context are all aspects tightly connected to the students' motivation to learn, maintain and develop Spanish language proficiency. The L2 learning experience, as a wider construct dependent on the sensitivity to initial conditions, must be considered to understand the complex nature of multilingual literacy development.

Detailing L1 and L2 use in study-abroad research: Data from the daily linguistic questionnaire

System, 2017

Interest in learners' language use in the study-abroad (SA) context has increased considerably in the past years. However, the current set of instruments is not fine-grained enough to provide detailed information to SA researchers who are interested in questions regarding the quantity and quality of language use. The present study reports on the results of a new instrument, the Daily Linguistic Questionnaire (DLQ), that was completed daily (via computer or handheld devices) by 43 L2 learners of Spanish (L1 ¼ English) who participated in a six-week SA in Salamanca, Spain. The results show that the SA participants used their L2 substantially more than their L1 during the first half of the program; however, their use of the L2 diminished substantially during the second half of their stay abroad. The results further showed that the decreased rates of L2 use correlated significantly with lifestyle choices, namely, with a decrease in communication with host-family members and with an increase in L1 use with SA peers. Altogether, the DLQ allowed for more nuanced observations of language-use patterns than had been reported in previous SA research. These findings have implications for theories of L2 learning that emphasize the notions of input and interaction.

El aprendizaje de vocabulario en español/L2 y las diferencias personales y socioculturales del estudiante

En M.ª P. Núñez Delgado y J. Rienda (coord.): La investigación en didáctica de la lengua y la literatura: Situación actual y perspectivas de futuro. Madrid: SEDLL, 2011

This paper presents preliminary results of an experimental research focused on the influence of personal and cultural differences of students on learning vocabulary in Spanish as L2/FL. The variables studied are: L1, age, sex, pre-university education, socio-cultural level, if they speak other languages, the level of Spanish, previous context of L2 learning, number of years they have studied Spanish and interest and motivation to learn it. This experiment is embedded in a larger investigation being carried out at various places and different learning context, coordinated from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain).

A Comparison of Spanish Second Language Acquisition in Two Different Learning Contexts: Study Abroad and the Domestic Classroom

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

In this paper, we report the results of a study that compared differences in the linguistic gains made by native English-speaking students from the United States who were studying Spanish in one of two different contexts of learning. One was a regular university classroom situation in Colorado; the other was a study abroad program in Alicante, Spain. We examined the gains students made on a number of linguistic dimensions: oral proficiency, oral fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and communication strategies. In addition, we investigated the relationships between these variables and a variety of background factors, including aspects of language learning readiness. As far as we know, this is the first study to examine such a comprehensive array of variables associated with linguistic performance as a function of context of learning. Each of the individual studies that contributed to the full report of this project can be found in a special issue of the journal Studies in Se...