In Spanish language curricula, it is essential that we teach about "afrodescendientes" in Latin America and the Caribbean to present an inclusive representation of the diverse people, practices, and cultural products. Their perspectives and cultural products must be integrated in the curricula of Spanish undergraduate programs beyond the…

The present study examines the lack of representation of minority communities in the existing literature by examining the representation of Afro-Latinxs in texts and visuals in seven Spanish as a Heritage Language (SHL) textbooks, and the ideologies behind these representations. Drawing upon Norman Fairclough's (1995) model for conducting Critical…

Spanish-speaking immigrant students, particularly those from Central America, constitute a rapidly growing subpopulation in U.S. public schools. As primary institutions for socialization, cultural learning, and academic knowledge development, schools often offer immigrant students their first experience of U.S. cultures and the English language.…

This article demonstrates how the digital technologies of video recordings and webcams in a virtual learning after school program made it possible for teacher candidates to practice and reflect on asset-based pedagogies for multilingual students. Implications to engage teacher candidates in asset-based pedagogies in virtual science and engineering…

The sociopolitical, sociocultural, and sociolinguistic issues many Latino immigrants face as they embark on the process of adjusting to American society have been depicted by many Hispanic American writers in the United States. Julia Álvarez's "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" attempts to raise awareness of these issues through…

This article draws upon three years of interviews and participant observation research in the Chelsea Public Schools, to discuss the impact of the Chelsea Family Literacy Program on promoting Latin American immigrant mothers' involvement in their children's education. The authors present the voices of Latin American immigrant mothers who describe…

This article explores how class might be brought to the fore as an identity inscription in studies of second language learning, alongside other identity inscriptions such as gender, ethnicity and national identity, which have been the focus of rather more research. It begins by clarifying what is meant by class through a brief discussion of the…

Examines student perceptions and actions when short skits were incorporated into the English as a second language curriculum in a school for adults and adolescents in Central America. Describes how the skits focused on initial and final consonant sounds. Finds that students overcame their fear of speaking and improved their teamwork skills and…

This investigation focuses on the literacy practices of a young Dominican immigrant woman attending a high school in the United States. Drawing from multiple bodies of research and the qualitative research genre of portraiture, the author relies on ethnographic classroom observations and interviews during one and a half years to provide a nuanced…

The problems affecting the reception, adjustment, and placement of Spanish-speaking students into the Toronto school system are discussed, and include immigration patterns, Spanish values, and the Latin American school. (Author/HP)

The relationship between the source language (Spanish) and the target language (French) in the construction of lexis during target language acquisition was examined in two case studies, leading to the hypothesis that there are both systematic and nonsystematic approaches to the construction of lexis used by Hispanophones learning French.…

This course is intended to teach the student about Spanish and Latin American culture in order to broaden his capacity for understanding and appreciating those cultures. The subject matter in this course is the folklore, customs, types of food, and music of a culture as seen through holidays, festivals, styles, and special occasions. Learning…

This report presents a survey of foreign language programs in Latin America. English as a second language is discussed as well as the teaching of other foreign languages. Remarks are made concerning language programs at various levels, teaching methods and materials, teacher preparation, status, and organizations, and acute problems. In the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: correlates of reading achievement in Mexican-American children; Latino communication patterns; the semantic distance and semantic judgment of English monolingual and Spanish/English…

This paper discusses the influence of Indian culture on the creation of Mexican folklore to the end that the inclusion of such knowledge in classes where students are studying Spanish as a second language will make those classes less formal, more interesting, and more meaningful. The author provides many examples of Indian cultural traditions…