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Is service learning valuable to the unive=
rsity
Spanish major? Examining students’ motivation, acquisition, and attit=
ude
in a Spanish service learning course
¿Es
el aprendizaje-servicio útil para la especialidad universitaria de
español? Análisis de motivación, adquisición y
actitudes en un curso de aprendizaje-servicio
S. Anne Reynolds-Case
Louisiana Tech University
ar=
case@latech.edu
ABSTRACT
Service learning courses have seen a sharp i= ncrease in a variety of disciplines in universities internationally. Language class= es, in particular, enjoy the advantages of offering student= s exposure to the languages and cultures about which they are studying. With = the rise in the number of Spanish speakers around the world, university instruc= tors are realizing the benefits of using service learning (SL) as a means to con= nect students with the community while putting them in direct contact with the target language (Bettencourt, 2015). Because of the variations of Spanish spoken worldwide due to the diversity of Hispanic populations and cultures, educators can also observe whether students recognize differences between t= he Spanish with which they come in contact during a SL course and the textbook Spanish they are exposed to in the classroom. Based on the outcome of a Spa= nish SL course, this study examines how SL affects students’ motivation towards learning Spanish, as well as their recognition and learning of a Spanish variety different from what they may have been exposed to previousl= y. Additionally, the research determines if students recognize, and in turn, r= eact towards the Spanish variation spoken by participants in the SL project. The overall objective the researcher sought to determine with this study was if= SL is beneficial to the curricular demands of Spanish language programs.
Keywords: service learning, native-speaker, linguistic variation, language
community.
RESUMEN
Se
ha visto internacionalmente un fuerte aumento en los cursos de aprendizaje-=
servicio
en una variedad de áreas académicas. En particular, las clase=
s de
lengua aprovechan la posibilidad de ofrecerles a los estudiantes una
exposición a las lenguas y culturas sobre las que estudian. Con el
crecimiento del número de hispanohablantes por todo el mundo, los
instructores universitarios se están dando cuenta de los beneficios =
del
aprendizaje-servicio (AS) ya que pone a los estudiantes en contacto con una
comunidad y a la vez en contacto directo con la lengua meta (Bettencourt, 2=
015).
Debido a la gran variedad del español hablado en las diferentes part=
es
del mundo, atribuida a la gran diversidad de las poblaciones y culturas
hispánicas, los educadores pueden observar si los alumnos reconocen =
las
diferencias entre el español con el que entran en contacto durante un
curso AS y el del libro de texto que usan en sus clases. Basado en los
resultados de un curso AS de lengua española, se examina en este est=
udio
los efectos que el AS tiene en la motivación de los estudiantes por
aprender español, así como en su reconocimiento y aprendizaje=
de
una variedad diferente de la que hayan estudiado previamente. Además,
tal estudio puede revelar si los estudiantes reconocen y, a su vez, reaccio=
nan
hacia la variedad del español que hablan los participantes del proye=
cto
AS. El objetivo principal de la investigadora fue determinar mediante este
estudio si AS beneficia las exigencias curriculares de los programas de len=
gua
española.
Palabras clave: aprendizaje-servicio, hablante
nativo, variación lingüística, comunidad de habla. =
1.
INTRODUCTION
There has been a rise am=
ong
university departments to incorporate service learning (SL) in their course=
offerings,
but perhaps the greatest increase has been in language courses, especially
Spanish language classes (Bettencourt, 2015). The sharp rise in using servi=
ce
to foster learning and the realization of a material’s use outside the
classroom are reasons SL has become a staple in modern language curriculums.
Due to the increase in Hispanic populations around the world and the limited
resources available to them, Spanish classes are ideal recipients to includ=
e SL
projects.
When SL first became a popular addition =
to
Spanish language departments, it was questionable exactly what could be
expected of such a course and how one should be organized. After all, servi=
ce
can be performed in several ways for different groups of people. For exampl=
e,
students can teach the target language in order to
raise awareness of the importance of the Spanish culture and language in the
world. On the other hand, they can teach their native language to Hispanic
immigrants aiding in their transition into a foreign culture. Furthermore, =
they
can serve as translators and interpreters. Other than helping Hispanics bet=
ter
adjust to their new home, students also serve the community in which they a=
re
located by meeting the needs of peoples whose needs are not being met throu=
gh
other avenues. Perhaps more importantly than the service, is what the stude=
nts
are gaining from their experience. The second component of SL is learning and begs to question what
exactly students learn from the service they are offering. In
order for students to perform a service, they must already have a ba=
sic
set of skills needed to meet the objectives set forth prior to the project =
or
course. They would not be able to translate, teach, or interpret if they did
not have a certain level of proficiency in Spanish. If students already have
the skills needed for the service, what will they learn from doing it?
A promising learning opportunity Spanish=
SL
courses offer is students’ exposure to variations within the Spanish
language and culture. The Hispanic demographic in the U.S. and around the w=
orld
is changing rapidly (Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera and Cuddi=
ngton,
2013; Seele, 2019). There are many different gr=
oups
of Spanish speakers resulting in variations in Spanish grammar, vocabulary,=
and
cultural traditions. SL courses are especially advantageous for University
Spanish departments internationally because through a SL project, students =
can
gain knowledge about Spanish variations and diverse cultures their instruct=
ors
may be lacking. Spanish instructors share information and material with
students regarding the variations they themselves have experienced, which m=
ay
not be the variations used by Spanish speakers in the local community. SL c=
an
successfully fil in these gaps while enabling students to provide vital
resources to people in in their communities.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Research surrounding SL states
that although SL enriches students’ experiences with the language and=
cultures
it represents, it is extremely difficult to statistically pinpoint how and =
what
students are learning by participating in them (DuBord=
and Kimball, 2016; Hale, 1999; Marijuan and San=
z,
2018; Medina and Gordon, 2014; Overfield, 2007)=
. Service learning instructors find standard test instru=
ments
fail to document the students’ true gains in language courses (DuBord and Kimball, 2016). However, DuBord
and Kimball (2016) argue the outcomes of SL on student learning can and sho=
uld
be measured by nonconventional standards such as an increase in ability to
communicate with the target community and a demonstration of better problem solving skills. Similarly, Benson, Harkavy and Hartley (2005) argue, “the impact of
service-learning on student learning should be one component, not the prima=
ry
focus, of any evaluation of its utility” (p. 190). The current study
exemplifies the necessity to use nonstandard means such as the
instructor’s qualitative analysis of journal entries and studentsR=
17;
self-evaluation as a means of measuring their progress in the language.
Although it is difficult to
obtain clear, precise results after students complete SL courses, there have
been studies that agree that they are worth offering to students because th=
ey
provide a learning environment unique and advantageous from the typical
language classroom (Arnett, 2013; DeKeyser, 201=
4;
Martinsen, 2010). Additionally, the experience students gain by participati=
ng
in a SL course cannot be replicated in the typical language classroom, and =
as
detailed below, students have shown to benefit from taking such courses. In=
a
recent study, Palpacuer Lee, Curtis and Curran =
(2018)
confirmed SL aids in accomplishing the objectives and curriculum goals many
second and foreign language programs seek to accomplish such as increasing
students cultural knowledge of the target language’s communities thro=
ugh
the ability to effectively communicate with native speakers of the language=
.
The
primary benefit to many of SL courses including several described in Hellebrandt and Wurr’s
volume is an increase in student motivation to either continue learning the
language or put forth more effort to learn in present and future language
courses (Grabois, 2007; Pak, 2007; Pascual y Ca=
bo,
Prada and Lowther Pereira, 2017; Stewart, 2007). Both Pak and Stewart found
that by using the target language with people who needed to communicate with
them, students became active participants in their learning and saw an
authentic side to the material. Furthermore, they realized how much was at
stake in what they studied and acquired during their language courses. This
rise in awareness of the usefulness of learning the target language resulte=
d in
an increased drive to understand and produce as much of the language as
possible. In addition, as Stewart points out, it made them want to particip=
ate
more in the learning process, increasing their class participation and use =
of
the language outside the classroom. Students no longer saw their Spanish
speaking skills as something limited to using exclusively in their classes,=
but
rather sought out avenues to use the target language in their communities. =
As
is the case with the current SL course, Grabois=
had
students keep journals detailing their experiences, including successes,
failures, and recognition for improvement. Echoed throughout the
students’ journals was how much more interested they had become in
learning the target language after their participation in the SL course.
A
second advantage to offering SL courses in language classrooms is the shift=
in
teacher-student role placing the student in an autonomous role in which s/he
has more control over his/her learning (Whittig=
and
Hale, 2007; Moreno-López et al., 2017). The reason students are able to become more active in their learning, acco=
rding
to Tilley-Lubbs (2007), is due to their decreas=
ed
level of anxiety to participate. In the SL course in Tilley-Lubbs’
study as well as the SL course described in this study, students were force=
d to
communicate with native speakers of the target language in
order to fulfill the responsibilities of the course. The students fe=
lt
like they had more control of their participation because they were essenti=
ally
leading the conversations and their teachers were not telling them what to =
say
or correcting their errors. In a more recent study, Pascual y Cabo, Prada and Lowther Pereira (2017) found learners discov=
ered a
sense of purpose for learning Spanish when they saw how useful and important
knowing a second language was after participating in a SL course. A similar
outcome in the present study, the students’ confidence increased,
resulting in a sense of accomplishment. Similarly, Moreno-López et a=
l.
(2017) discovered Spanish students who participated in SL reported gains bo=
th
linguistically and an increase in their confidence and motivation to use the
language outside the classroom.
A
third repeated benefit to incorporating SL in language courses is the
students’ increased awareness of other cultures and dialects represen=
ting
the target language as well as their feelings of a sense of accomplishing a
civic duty (Baker, 2018; Belpoliti and Pé=
;rez,
2019; Bettencourt, 2015; Centeno, 2007; Perren,=
2007;
Spack, 2007). After incorporating an ESL SL pro=
ject
in a business course, Spack noted that
students’ knowledge and understanding of their own culture was greatly
enriched. Similarly, Belpoliti and
Pérez’s (2019) SL course taught students the potential for usi=
ng
their Spanish speaking abilities outside the classroom once they saw firsth=
and
the benefits of knowing a second language in healthcare environments. SL ca=
n be
especially advantageous for Spanish heritage learners who, through their
involvement with other Spanish speakers in their community, can feel an add=
ed
sense of pride and usefulness, a key finding in a study by Petrov (2013). S=
L is
not limited to projects in the U.S. Perren’s
(2007) study demonstrated an increased awareness of dialectal and cultural
variations with a project in which students worked with different groups of
people in the Philippines to build houses. After the project, the students
reported an increased cognizance of other dialects native to the Philippine=
s,
and they were quicker to accept these other dialects in more positive terms=
.
The
beneficial aspects students experience and gain during SL, although difficu=
lt
to statistically show, are significant. The above studies have mentioned the
main benefits of SL as increased motivation, learner autonomy, and
multicultural awareness. The current study recognized similar benefits from=
a
SL course offered at a mid-size university. However, the researcher also
questioned whether students would recognize Spanish language variations amo=
ng
the participants of the SL project, and would they in turn react, whether
negative or positive, to the varying Spanish dialects spoken in their commu=
nity.
3. <=
/span>SERVICE-LEARNING DETAILS
This study began as a pilot s=
tudy
in order to determine if a SL course could be
successful in a small Spanish department at a university located in a
relatively rural area. Furthermore, it questioned if SL should be required =
to
obtain a Spanish major because it gives students more exposure to native
speakers of the language. Prior to the course, the advantages of SL had been
recognized from current research and it was a desire for the department and
university to incorporate courses with SL related projects to better connect
students with the community. In the spring prior to the course, a local, pu=
blic
preschool called the Spanish department requesting students’ help with
the growing Hispanic population in their school. The director of the presch=
ool
expressed a desire and need to communicate with Spanish speaking parents who
did not speak English and were struggling to understand the schools’
procedures and regulations. At the time little was known surrounding the
background of the Spanish speakers, and it was later determined that they w=
ere
from Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The researcher realized this would b=
e an
opportunity to fill a gap in the department by designing a SL course where =
students
would have direct contact with native Spanish-speakers in the community.
When
the planning initially began for the course, it was discovered that
organization, patience, and consistency would be crucial for such a course =
to
be successful. The faculty member designing the course knew this from previ=
ous
educators’ experiences with designing similar classes in their Spanish
curriculum (Ebacher, 2013; Sanchéz-López,
2013; Taylor, 2007). It was vital for the objectives of the course to be cl=
ear
and for students to understand the course expectations and requirements. It=
was
also important that students realize that although they were
“helping” the Hispanic population in the community, they needed=
be
open to learning from their experiences as well.
The
objectives were two-fold: (1) the preschool was asking Spanish students to
serve as interpreters for the Hispanic parents in order to communicate their
questions and/or concerns to their children’s teachers, and (2) the
students would interpret for the teachers so the parents could understand
issues that may be transpiring with the children in the classroom as well
translate any documents the teachers had for the parents.
3.1 Participants<= o:p>
The course was offered as a
one-hour credited course for students who had completed at least 15 hours of
Spanish previously, were native Spanish speakers, or had lived or studied i=
n a
Spanish speaking country for a time approved by department faculty on a
case-by-case basis. The first quarter it was offered, six students signed up
for the course. They were all either junior or senior Spanish majors. Four =
of
them were double majors with primary majors in Education, Political Science,
English, or History. Four of the students were females, and 2 were males. T=
wo
of the students had participated in a study abroad program to Madrid, Spain=
for
four weeks. Two students had visited Central American countries for short t=
imes
on vacation. One student was a heritage speaker whose family came from Mexi=
co.
And one student had spent six weeks in Mexico on a mission trip.
3.2 Procedure
The students were required to
meet once a week at the preschool for one hour to accomplish the objectives=
mentioned
above. Initially, the students composed a letter in Spanish to the Hispanic
parents outlining when and why they would be at the school. By writing the
letter, students further practiced their Spanish writing language skills. T=
he
instructor indicated any grammatical or structural errors for the students
having them revise and make necessary corrections. The teachers distributed=
the
letter to the Spanish-speaking parents.
During
the first meeting with the parents, the students and parents introduced
themselves, and the students translated questions parents had for the teach=
ers.
This gave students firsthand practice in Spanish conversation with native
speakers as well as a translation exercise with the parents’ question=
s.
They wrote the questions down in English and gave them to the administrating
staff to give to the teachers. The reminder of the time, students conversed
with the parents, asking them questions about their homelands. To aid with =
the
flow of the meeting time, the students were instructed to have a running li=
st
of questions in Spanish they had previously approved with the instructor. T=
hese
questions were about the parents’ homelands and families. The researc=
her,
always present during the student-parent meetings, observed the interaction and noted that many of the words and phras=
es the
parents used were regional variations from their native countries. As will =
be
shown in a later section, the students also recognized some of these
dialectally varied vocabulary items and listed them in their journals as su=
ch.
Over
the next eight weeks, students continued to meet once a week with the paren=
ts.
On average between two and four parents would attend the meetings. After the
first five meetings, there was one day when no parents who showed up for the
meeting. The instructor anticipated that this may happen, and in order for students to have something to do, the stu=
dents
had prepared Spanish lessons to teach in the classes in which there was a
Spanish-speaking child. The students were instructed to bring their lesson
plans and props with them each time in the event no parents showed up so th=
ey
would be prepared to teach the children. The lessons were 30 minutes and
included basic Spanish vocabulary such as greetings, colors, and numbers. T=
he
students did this two times in two different classes.
3.3 Instrument
Prior to the course, the
instructor sought to determine to know how much the students interacted wit=
h or
knew about the Hispanic community where their university was located. This =
was
important because it would show how much they knew about the cultures and
Spanish dialects with which they would potentially come in contact prior to
them beginning the course. The means to determine this was a survey (Append=
ix
A) the instructor administered during a pre-meeting to the course.
In order to evaluate the students’ performance i=
n the
SL course, they were required to write a journal entry in Spanish between 1=
50
and 200 words after each meeting with the parents and/or lesson with the
children. In the journals, they would recount their experience including wh=
ere
they felt they succeeded and and/or failed. The journals were analyzed using
the abbreviated grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006; Willig=
,
2013) in order to determine the worth and validi=
ty of
the course. Participants were also instructed to keep a log of anything they
learned during the meetings and lessons with the preschoolers including
vocabulary words or phrases and cultural, historical, political, or
geographical details about the participants’ countries. In addition to
the journals, students were to compose a final paper between four and five
pages at the end of the quarter with a detailed account of what they feel t=
hey
learned and gained from having taken the course. The researcher analyzed th=
e journals
and final papers searching for patterns and repeated themes amongst the
students as well as individually. In order to ex=
tract
salient features from the journals, the researcher determined comments that
were along the same thread and repeated among all six participants were
significant. The instructor’s presence during the meetings with the
parents ensured the students were complying with the course requirements. T=
he
researcher’s firsthand observations of the student/parent meetings al=
so
verified the information students detailed in the journals and papers actually happened in the meetings, triangulating and
strengthening the results.
Once
the journals and papers were collected, the researcher gleaned three core
themes echoed in all six of the students’ journals and/or papers:
awareness of linguistic and cultural variation among Spanish speakers in th=
eir
community, increase in motivation and a shift in attitude towards learning =
and
speaking Spanish, and validation and purpose to study Spanish as a second
language
4. RESULTS
Based on the survey, the instructor determined all the students assu=
med
the Hispanic families living in the community would be of Mexican heritage.
Furthermore, none of them had contact with the any of Spanish speakers in t=
he
community. This was significant because it meant if the families were from
another Hispanic culture, the students were unaware of it at the start of t=
he
course. Although there were other items on the survey, how much students kn=
ew
about and had contact with Hispanics in the community where the study took
place were the items salient to the study. This would allow a comparison of
what students thought about the demographics of the Hispanic community befo=
re
and after the course. This will be discussed in more detail in later sectio=
ns.
Once the students turned in all their journals and final papers, the
researcher analyzed their comments and self-evaluation searching for
commonalities in their perceived language learning. Upon doing this, three
themes emerged: (1) an increase in Spanish vocabulary and awareness of the
diversity amongst Latin American dialects; (2) an increase in their motivat=
ion
and receptive attitude to practice their conversational Spanish with local
native speakers; and (3) a heightened sense of validation and purpose for w=
hy
they were studying Spanish. The researcher determined these three categorie=
s to
be the results based on each student making at least one comment that would
fall under each of the categories.
4.1 Linguistic and cultural discoveries
Optimally, the course’s objectives were that students would ga=
in
more linguistic competence in conversational Spanish as=
a
result of spending time each week conversing with native Spanish
speakers in a natural environment. It was difficult to determine prior to t=
he
course how much Spanish students would be exposed to and exactly which gram=
mar
features they could potentially acquire. The researcher decided vocabulary =
and
especially terms that were unique to the countries and regions from which t=
he
parents were from would offer the clearest results. Mentioned previously,
students were asked to list any Spanish terms or phrases they learned as a result of the time they spent with the Hispanic
parents.
In their journals, each of the students mentioned at least two new w=
ords
they learned or had learned differently. Some of the new words included =
220;cierre,&#=
8221;
“folleto=
,”
“ayudant=
e,”
“estuche=
,”
“chupete=
,”
“estar brava,” “catarro,&=
#8221;
“cobija<=
/i>,”
“recreo<=
/i>,”
“calabaza”, and =
220;pelear=
221;. The
words the students had learned differently than they previously learned or
heard were “torta,”
“levanta=
rse”
and “feria” for =
220;sandwich,” “pasar por,” and “cambio=
221;.
Additionally, two students stated that they heard parents saying “que padre” for something tha=
t was
good, and this reinforced what one student said he had been taught in a
previous class was an expression used in Mexico.
Although this may not seem like much progress in terms of language
learning, the students ended the course knowing more vocabulary than when t=
hey
started. Furthermore, the course was only a one-hour course, severely limit=
ing
the time students spent with the native speakers. As mentioned previously,
gains in language acquisition during SL are very diffic=
ult
to measure and verify for a three- or four-hour course, much less a one-hour
class.
In addition to linguistic gains students made during the course, they
learned aspects about the variety of cultures represented by the participat=
ing
families. Although initially all students believed all or the majority of t=
he families they would be working with would be from Mexi=
co,
they realized Mexicans were not the only Hispanic group living in the
community. While every student made a comment about the families coming from
Latin American countries other than Mexico, these are only three
students’ comments:
“De la Señora aprendí varias
cosas de Guatemala. Aprendí que la palabra Guatemala sign=
ifica
‘tierra de ár=
boles,’
también aprend&iacu=
te;
que el idioma Españ=
ol
es realmente utilizado como segunda lengua ya que en Guatemala existen 21 idiomas diferentes.”
“Aprendí mucho sobr=
e el sistema escolar de central américa. Me di cuenta que es muy diferente que el de <=
span
class=3DSpellE>los EE.UU.”
“Vi que
As mentioned earlier, the students completed a survey prior to the
course giving their preconceptions of where they thought the Hispanics in t=
heir
community came from. All the students assumed that the Hispanic families, o=
r at
least the majority, were going to be of Mexican descent. Although some of t=
he
families in the preschool were indeed from Mexico, there were also families
from Nicaragua and Guatemala. It was encouraging to see students discover t=
hat
the Hispanic community they may have previously thought was part of their
community was in fact different from the reality.
4.2 Motivation and attitude
The students who participated in the SL course had varying backgroun=
ds
with Hispanic and Latino populations, as determined by the survey they fill=
ed
out during the first class meeting. In
order to determine how much contact students had with Hispanic famil=
ies
in the community prior to the course, one of the survey items questioned th=
eir
previous contact with Spanish speakers in the area. The survey included
questions like “how often do you have contact with Spanish speakers in
Ruston or the surrounding areas?” and “if given the opportunity
would you desire to meet with native Spanish speakers in the community?R=
21;
Other than the heritage speaker, all the other students answered that they =
had
spoken little to never with Spanish speakers in the area because they did n=
ot
have the opportunity to do so and because they were not aware of the Hispan=
ic
population in the community or how they could get in contact with them.
However, they all did express the desire to make contac=
t with
native Spanish speakers, if for nothing else than to have an avenue to prac=
tice
their conversational Spanish. The present course would provide a much-needed
bridge between Hispanics in the area and students wishing to get authentic
practice with the language.
In their journals, all the students expressed their surprise at the
number of Spanish speakers living in the community. Some of
the comments in
“Me sorprendí el n&uac=
ute;mero
de hispano-hablantes en Ruston. Nunca había notado
el número de famili=
as
hispano-hablantes en Ruston.”
“Esta clase me ayudó con=
ectar con los latinos en la comunidad.
No sabía que hab&ia=
cute;a
tantos viviendo en =
Ruston.”
“Hay muchos hispano-hablantes en esta á=
;rea
para ser un lugar tan pequeño. Y esto me=
sorprendí.”
“Al principio del
curso pensaba que no hab&i=
acute;a
muchos hispanos en =
Ruston, pero me equivoqué=
.
Me alegré ver el gran número de hispanos e=
n
una comunidad tan <=
span
class=3DSpellE>pequeña. Y ahora s=
é
que hay una manera =
para
poder aprender de los nativo hablantes
aquí.”
It was not only the large number of Spanish speakers in the area that
was surprising to students, but the diversity of the Spanish speakers was a
discovery for them as well. This was
seen with the following comments:
“Como soy mexicana, pensaba que=
la mayoría de los latinos con quienes iba a trabajar
también serí=
an
mexicanos. Pero no era así. Hay muchos hispanos aquí de Guatemala y unos de Nicaragua.”
“Me sorprendí con la diversidad de hispano-=
hablantes porque pude hablar con personas de México y Central
América.”
“Me gustó poder hablar=
con personas de varias
culturas y países.”
One obstacle many Spanish programs in schools and universities have =
is
providing a means for students to benefit from authentic contact and practi=
ce
with native speakers. Many programs encourage study abroad to students in order to overcome this obstacle. However, not every
student can participate in study abroad for a variety of reasons, and even =
the
students who do participate may desire to continue to develop relationships
with native Spanish speakers after their return. This SL course demonstrate=
s a
practical way to give students the contact with the target language and cul=
ture
they desire. Furthermore, heritage speakers can greatly benefit from working
with native Spanish speakers with backgrounds different from their own.
4.3 Encouragement and Validation of Spanish Studie=
s
The most recognizable gains in the SL course were in the encourageme=
nt
students received to continue their Spanish studies and validation of the
knowledge they acquired in their previous classes. Each student commented on
how they felt their Spanish studies had successfully equipped them to speak
with native speakers and/or how they now realized the importance of being a=
ble
to speak Spanish. Although it was a requirement that students have complete=
d at
least 15 hours of Spanish, there were some students who had very
little practice conversing in Spanish in previous classes. Prior to =
the
course, some of the students expressed concern in their lack of fluency in
Spanish to be able to effectively communicate with the Hispanic families. T=
his
was not an issue, however, as expressed in the students’ journals:
“Vi que no =
tengo que ser fluente para poder ayudar
a otras personas.”
“Las familias se parecerían estar felices<=
/span>
que habían americanos tratando de comunicarse con ellos y no les importaban los errores en el
español.”
“Al principio me sentí
que no sabía suficiente español
para poder comunicar con l=
as
familias, pero al final ap=
rendí
que no tengo que saber todas las
palabras o reglas d=
e la gramática para poder h=
ablar
en español.&=
#8221;
This class enabled students to use the skills they had learned in the
classroom to talk with and help the Hispanic community in their town. They =
were
also able to speak Spanish without worrying about being penalized if their
grammar or pronunciation were not perfect. Additionally, the course pushed =
them
to speak Spanish even when they were not completely confident with their
skills. One student in her journal expressed the confidence gained from the
course:
“Hablando con hispano-hablantes en la
comunidad me hizo s=
entir
más segura de mi habilidad de hablar español y <=
span
class=3DSpellE>ahora siento como puedo hablar con
hispano-hablantes afuera de
la escuela pre-escolar.”
The same student reported to the professor of the course that when s=
he
saw a Spanish-speaking woman struggling to communicate with a pharmacist one
day at a local pharmacy, she was compelled to approach the woman and ask if=
she
could interpret for her. The Spanish-speaking woman accepted her help, and =
the
student successfully translated the pharmacist’s questions. The stude=
nt
said she never noticed situations like that before and is now much more awa=
re
of what she can offer to Spanish speakers struggling to communicate. Awaren=
ess
of the Hispanic communities’ needs is an objective SL courses strive =
to meet.
Once students realize there are opportunities to use their Spanish skills in
the community, they will be able to do so after the SL courses have ended. =
=
Some
of the students realized a greater importance of their Spanish studies as a result of the course. They noticed the need for S=
panish
speakers in their community and the need to include Hispanics in mainstream
activities of the community such as school meetings and events. A mentioned
above, students did not know there was such an extensive, varied Hispanic
community in their town due to their lack of opportunity to interact with t=
hem.
The eye-opening experience this course provided is seen through journal
entries:
“Creo que hay una necesidad para los hispan=
os a tener un lugar en nuestra sociedad.
Hay una falta de comunidad=
para ellos.”
“Una señora me dijo que=
ella tiene que pagar para=
un intérprete cuando ella va al hospital. Este
intérprete cobra $500. Es una lástima que haya
estudiantes que pueden ayudarles pero ellos no <=
span
class=3DSpellE>sabían que estamos aqu&ia=
cute;.
Ahora espero que sepan que
podamos ayudarles y no tie=
nen
que pagar el intérprete.”
“Este curso=
me ayudó a ver la
“Este curso=
me ayudó a valorarme =
a mí misma como pers=
ona
porque pude darme cuenta de
lo afortunada que soy al
poder hablar dos idiomas y de lo
mucho que puedo
“Con esta clase vi que
5. CONCLUSIONS
An objective for many language instructors in schools and universiti=
es
today is for students to use the skills they gain in the classroom to
effectively communicate with others in the target language outside the
classroom. SL courses provide a way for students to accomplish this by plac=
ing
students in direct contact with native speakers of the target language. In
addition, SL courses accomplish a second objective: to enable students to u=
se
their knowledge to serve others in their community.
The course analyzed in this study reiterated what previous language =
SL
courses discovered in that results can be difficult to measure and are many
times qualitative and subjective in nature. The results in this study, for
example, cannot be measured through statistical advances in grammar or
acquisition. The advances students made, however, are valid and important to
their Spanish language learning experiences.
Through journal entries, three main results surfaced as a result of =
the
course: an increase in students’ target language vocabulary and cultu=
ral
knowledge, recognition and change in their attitude towards the numerous
Spanish speakers in their community, and validation and encouragement to
continue their studies in Spanish. Students’ growth in these areas al=
one
proves the course to be successful, especially when considering it was limi=
ted
to one hour per week.
6. Implications for future studies
Although there were positive aspects to the course, there were also
challenges and drawbacks. Little was known about what to expect when initia=
lly
designing and preparing for the course, making it difficult to pinpoint
realistic objectives. It could not be predicted how many Hispanic parents w=
ould
participate. While there was a regular attendance of Spanish speakers in the
weekly sessions, students reported feeling they exhausted the conversational
topics in a few weeks because it was the same parents who attended the
meetings. For future courses, a way to remedy this issue would be for stude=
nts
to go to the sessions with a more extensive list of conversational topics
and/or questions for the parents so if it is the same people every week, th=
ey
will have a different point to discuss.
A second issue that arose during the course was that some students f=
elt
the Hispanics were more comfortable speaking to the student who was a herit=
age
speaker, and therefore addressed all their questions to her, limiting their=
speaking
time. This could also be addressed by students being better prepared with
topics and questions prior to going to the weekly sessions. This would allow
students to take turns speaking and addressing the parents.
Overall, there were many positive aspects to the course, and it prov=
ed
to be an effective, relatively easy way for students to make
contact with native Spanish speakers. Additionally, it is=
an
option for students who cannot participate in a study abroad program to gain
cultural insight and language practice. After presenting the results to the
university’s Spanish department where the course was offered, the fac=
ulty
decided to incorporate service leaning as a requirement for students who are
unable to participate in Spanish study abroad. While it is more work for the
instructor designing the course, it is well worth the effort.
One of the main goals and proven
successes for starting this program was to enable students to connect with =
the
Hispanic community in the area where their university is located. This would
allow them to have an avenue to practice their Spanish and learn from native
Spanish speakers. From the students’ reported experiences and the
instructor’s observations, this course serves as an effective tool to
accomplish these goals.
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APPEN=
DIX
A
1. Do you think Spanish speakers=
in
the U.S. should learn English?
2. Do you think U.S. born Americ=
ans
should be encouraged to learn Spanish? 3. Do you think Spanish should be
required in U.S. education?
4. Why did you study Spanish in
college? Be honest.
5. Have you ever been to a
Spanish-speaking country? If yes, when, for how long, and for what purpose?=
6. Do you think there is a large
Hispanic population in Ruston? Why do you think this? 7. Which Hispanic country do you
think the majority of Hispanics in Ruston are from? 8. Do you think there are Hispan=
ics
from other countries too? If so, which ones?9. Do you think the majority of
Hispanics in Ruston are: · =
men over age 18· =
women over age 18
· =
children under age 18
·
equal amount of all three
10. How often do you have contact with =
native
Spanish speakers in Ruston or the surrounding areas? ·
More than once a week
·
Less than once a week
·
Never
11. Why?12. If given the opportunity, would you
desire to meet with native Spanish speakers in the community? Why or why no=
t? 13. Do you consider learning Spanish in=
the
U.S. to be important? Why or why not?
14. How do you feel when you hear a Spa=
nish
speaker someone who can’t speak English in=
the
U.S.?
15. Rate how important you think the ab=
ility
to speak Spanish in relation to each of the following activities is in the =
U.S.
(1=3Dnot important, 2 =3D somewhat important 3 =3D very=
important):· =
Getting a job &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp;
· =
Higher education =
; &n=
bsp; =
;
· =
Conducting business&n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
;
· =
International relations &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
·
Getting a higher salary