ObjectiveThis study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among secon... more ObjectiveThis study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among second‐generation Asian and Latino Americans, the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States.MethodsWe employ the probit model to estimate the likelihood of language maintenance for both ethnic groups using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) USA of 2005–2014.ResultsThe estimation results show that mothers play a more significant role than fathers, especially for Latino Americans, and that heritage‐language retention increases with the parents’ age at arrival. We also find an increase in the rates of language maintenance across generations, presumably resulting from heightened awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage among younger immigrants in recent decades.ConclusionThese findings highlight the cultural and structural differences in gendered parenting between the two immigrant groups and suggest potential areas of gains through intervention programs for...
In line with the fiscal, structural, and academic shifts in higher education, a growing number of... more In line with the fiscal, structural, and academic shifts in higher education, a growing number of universities in English-speaking countries develop and deliver short-term study-abroad (STSA) programs that are shorter than a regular academic term, often under contract with sending universities and governments from non-English-speaking countries. Distinct from the well-established scholarship in SA largely focused on American and European university students going abroad to improve their foreign language skills (c.f., Kinginger, 2008; Mitchell, Tracy-Ventura, & McManus, 2017), there is an emerging area of inquiry in which Anglophone institutions of higher education host students and (para)professionals from non-English-speaking countries for academic and cultural enrichment, as well as for English language teaching. To address the nascent transnational trend, broadly related to ESL in higher education, this article provides an overview of the current state and prospects associated with STSA. After laying out the groundwork for SA, this article identifies the unique scope and potential area of inquiry related to STSA hosted by Anglophone institutions of higher education. The overview article then proposes a potential research agenda that encompasses sojourner identity, goals, and practices visa -vis institutional goals and practices at the intersection of SA and TESOL.
During normal reading, readers' perceptions of time in a narrative shift according to grammatical... more During normal reading, readers' perceptions of time in a narrative shift according to grammatical and semantic cues. This study investigated the extent to which second-language (L2) readers' interpretations of situations depicted in narratives are influenced by the grammatical aspect (perfective/progressive) and temporal duration (short/long) of intervening events. The study further examined whether reading fluency and L2 proficiency modulated how readers' mentally constructed the depicted situations. Thirty-one L2 learners of English and 37 English-first-language (L1) controls completed a reading comprehension task in which each of 40 stories contained a target event with an inherent endpoint, with accomplishment verbs that were described as completed or in progress, followed by a short-or long-duration event. A reading-fluency task and a cloze test were administered. While grammatical marking played a significant role for both groups of participants, grammatical aspect and event duration showed an interaction only for L2 learners. The construction of a situation was modulated for both groups by reading fluency.
Objective. This study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among sec... more Objective. This study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among second-generation Asian and Latino Americans, the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States. Methods. We employ the probit model to estimate the likelihood of language maintenance for both ethnic groups using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) USA of 2005-2014. Results. The estimation results show that mothers play a more significant role than fathers, especially for Latino Americans, and that heritage-language retention increases with the parents' age at arrival. We also find an increase in the rates of language maintenance across generations, presumably resulting from heightened awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage among younger immigrants in recent decades. Conclusion. These findings highlight the cultural and structural differences in gendered parenting between the two immigrant groups and suggest potential areas of gains through intervention programs for immigrant parents to promote parental investment in their children's development, including bilingualism. Extending literature on language and immigration, we investigate the determinants of bilingualism in second-generation Americans in two dimensions: across ethnic groups and over generations. In particular, we focus on the role that parental gender plays in heritage-language retention, considering the influence of gendered parenting on children's development (Yeung et al., 2001). This article thus aims to contribute to uncovering the factors associated with additive bilingualism in second-generation Asian and Latino Americans. 1 The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse in ethnic composition and language background, driven by recent immigration trends. Asians and Latinos are the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States, accounting for 70 percent of immigrants and nearly half of the second-generation immigrant population (Pew Research Center, 2013). Much research has documented the relationship between immigrants' En-glish proficiency and economic outcomes (Bleakley and Chin, 2004). However, relatively scant research exists on the intergenerational transmission of heritage languages. Language in immigrant households plays a pivotal role in transmitting heritage and values from one generation to the next as well as in developing healthy parent-child relationships (Tseng and Fuligni, 2000). Previous research (e.g., Rumbaut, Massey, and Bean, 2005) has shown that, while Asian Americans typically achieve higher educational and economic attainments than other immigrant groups, Latino Americans have an edge in maintaining their
This study explored Korean university students’ beliefs and perspectives on different English var... more This study explored Korean university students’ beliefs and perspectives on different English varieties, and their transformation in learner per- ceptions with respect to English learning, diversity in the English lan- guage, and learning of different English varieties over the course of a semester. On two occasions, Korean university students (N = 127) who were enrolled in different sections of a required English-language course completed a questionnaire evaluating different accented English speech samples (American, Indian, Italian, and Korean) and another questionnaire pertaining to learner beliefs about English learning and perceptions and learning of different English varieties. Results of the accent evaluation show that despite no significant difference in the level of message comprehension, the Korean students demonstrated favourable attitudes towards the varieties of their compatriots and of the American English speaker of English over the Indian and Italian speakers. Results of the perception questionnaire administered twice in the semester show positive changes in learner beliefs about English learning and perceptions of different English varieties. Commentary data provide additional insights into the learners’ attitudinal changes as a result of the semester-long instruction. Pedagogical implications are discussed with respect to broadening learners’ perspectives on the English language and its use around the world.
This study explored South Korean university students’ perceptions of different English varieties ... more This study explored South Korean university students’ perceptions of different English varieties and their speakers, student attitudes towards the learning of English and its varieties, and the role of these attitudinal variables in the learning of English as a foreign language. One-hundred-one students who were enrolled in four sections of a semester-long English course completed a country-rating task and a perception questionnaire of recorded English speech samples (European-American-, Indian-, Italian-, and Korean-accented English assigned to each section). Student attitudes towards the learning of English and its different varieties were also examined. The results from the country ratings and the speech-perception questionnaire suggest the influence of extra-linguistic factors (familiarity, geographic proximity, and global/local sociopolitics) on student attitudes. Different sets of attitudinal variables predicted the teacher and student assessments of the learning of English. Teacher-assessed learning was predicted by students’ desire to communicate with other speakers, regardless of the variety they spoke, as well as their beliefs that communication takes two parties and that English serves as a means for upward mobility. The students’ self-assessments, however, were related to their beliefs in their high achievement in English and their views of English as a lingua franca and of non-Standard English as legitimate.
This study examined the effectiveness of a motor learning theory-based protocol in which feedback... more This study examined the effectiveness of a motor learning theory-based protocol in which feedback that was reduced in frequency, with a four-second delay, coupled with practice, was provided for adult Korean-speaking learners of English. Twelve learners participated in a study composed of a pre-test, an intervention of 12 weekly sessions with a native-speaking experimenter, and a post-test. Seven also participated in a delayed post-test 6 months after the completion of the intervention sessions. The learner output was judged by a panel of 10 native speakers in terms of intelligibility, naturalness, and precision, revealing a significant increase between the pre-test and post-test, and between the pre-test and delayed post-test, indicating the benefits of this intervention for the learners’ acquisition of English pronunciation. The difference between the post-test and delayed post-test, however, was not significant, demonstrating the beneficial effects of this intervention on the long-term retention of English pronunciation.
This study explored the extent to which the ethnic identity of a writer and the background (gende... more This study explored the extent to which the ethnic identity of a writer and the background (gender and area of teaching) of a rater can influence mainstream teacher candidates' evaluation of English as a second language (ESL) writing, using a matched-guise method. A one-page essay was elicited from an ESL learner enrolled in an intensive English program and was manipulated to incorporate error patterns often observed among Chinese- and Spanish-speaking learners. Teacher candidates were led to believe it was produced by an ESL learner whose first language was either Chinese or Spanish. One-hundred-sixty-three undergraduate students enrolled in a teacher education program at a U.S. university were asked to score the ESL essay holistically, provide qualitative comments, identify the three most troublesome errors in order of seriousness, and offer advice on how to improve ESL writing. No significant effects of writer identity on the holistic scoring were detected, but the teacher candidates revealed different categories of rater responses depending on the writer's identity. Conversely, although the raters' backgrounds (gender and area of teaching) had significant effects on global scoring, they did not have any significant impact on the qualitative nature of rater responses.
This study examined subject-object asymmetry and developmental sequence in the second language (L... more This study examined subject-object asymmetry and developmental sequence in the second language (L2) acquisition of three types of wh-extraction, i.e., English headed relatives, headless relatives, and embedded wh-questions. Sixty-four L1 Korean learners of English completed an elicited imitation task and a grammaticality judgment task. The learners demonstrated a subject advantage in the headed RCs and headless RCs, but an object advantage in the embedded wh-questions, which suggests that they treat embedded wh-questions differently from headed relatives and headless relatives despite the similarities in surface forms. The learners further demonstrated the order of developing headless RCs followed by embedded wh-questions, and subsequently headed RCs, which supports the primacy of headless relatives as a simple nominal in L2 development.
This article reports on a case study of incorporating a set of three cross-cultural intervention ... more This article reports on a case study of incorporating a set of three cross-cultural intervention modules and critical reflections into a single semester’s offering of a senior-level civil structural engineering integrated design course that also had significant group design project work. A comparison of findings from initial versus exit self-assessment and peer assessment instruments indicated that students in the class showed clear gains over the semester with respect to intercultural competencies related to their own behavioral flexibility and interaction relaxation when interacting with group members from different cultures, as well as with respect to the intercultural competency of group members from different cultures in terms of their identity maintenance. These findings were further supported qualitatively, through the students’ initial and exit open-ended responses about cultural differences navigated among group members. The case study demonstrated that it is indeed possible to cultivate intercultural competencies in undergraduate engineering students, especially for a culturally and linguistically diverse classroom setting where students must interact frequently with their colleagues from different backgrounds, which can be helpful in terms of preparing students for modern professional engineering design practice.
ObjectiveThis study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among secon... more ObjectiveThis study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among second‐generation Asian and Latino Americans, the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States.MethodsWe employ the probit model to estimate the likelihood of language maintenance for both ethnic groups using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) USA of 2005–2014.ResultsThe estimation results show that mothers play a more significant role than fathers, especially for Latino Americans, and that heritage‐language retention increases with the parents’ age at arrival. We also find an increase in the rates of language maintenance across generations, presumably resulting from heightened awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage among younger immigrants in recent decades.ConclusionThese findings highlight the cultural and structural differences in gendered parenting between the two immigrant groups and suggest potential areas of gains through intervention programs for...
In line with the fiscal, structural, and academic shifts in higher education, a growing number of... more In line with the fiscal, structural, and academic shifts in higher education, a growing number of universities in English-speaking countries develop and deliver short-term study-abroad (STSA) programs that are shorter than a regular academic term, often under contract with sending universities and governments from non-English-speaking countries. Distinct from the well-established scholarship in SA largely focused on American and European university students going abroad to improve their foreign language skills (c.f., Kinginger, 2008; Mitchell, Tracy-Ventura, & McManus, 2017), there is an emerging area of inquiry in which Anglophone institutions of higher education host students and (para)professionals from non-English-speaking countries for academic and cultural enrichment, as well as for English language teaching. To address the nascent transnational trend, broadly related to ESL in higher education, this article provides an overview of the current state and prospects associated with STSA. After laying out the groundwork for SA, this article identifies the unique scope and potential area of inquiry related to STSA hosted by Anglophone institutions of higher education. The overview article then proposes a potential research agenda that encompasses sojourner identity, goals, and practices visa -vis institutional goals and practices at the intersection of SA and TESOL.
During normal reading, readers' perceptions of time in a narrative shift according to grammatical... more During normal reading, readers' perceptions of time in a narrative shift according to grammatical and semantic cues. This study investigated the extent to which second-language (L2) readers' interpretations of situations depicted in narratives are influenced by the grammatical aspect (perfective/progressive) and temporal duration (short/long) of intervening events. The study further examined whether reading fluency and L2 proficiency modulated how readers' mentally constructed the depicted situations. Thirty-one L2 learners of English and 37 English-first-language (L1) controls completed a reading comprehension task in which each of 40 stories contained a target event with an inherent endpoint, with accomplishment verbs that were described as completed or in progress, followed by a short-or long-duration event. A reading-fluency task and a cloze test were administered. While grammatical marking played a significant role for both groups of participants, grammatical aspect and event duration showed an interaction only for L2 learners. The construction of a situation was modulated for both groups by reading fluency.
Objective. This study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among sec... more Objective. This study examines the differing roles of parents in producing bilingualism among second-generation Asian and Latino Americans, the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States. Methods. We employ the probit model to estimate the likelihood of language maintenance for both ethnic groups using the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) USA of 2005-2014. Results. The estimation results show that mothers play a more significant role than fathers, especially for Latino Americans, and that heritage-language retention increases with the parents' age at arrival. We also find an increase in the rates of language maintenance across generations, presumably resulting from heightened awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage among younger immigrants in recent decades. Conclusion. These findings highlight the cultural and structural differences in gendered parenting between the two immigrant groups and suggest potential areas of gains through intervention programs for immigrant parents to promote parental investment in their children's development, including bilingualism. Extending literature on language and immigration, we investigate the determinants of bilingualism in second-generation Americans in two dimensions: across ethnic groups and over generations. In particular, we focus on the role that parental gender plays in heritage-language retention, considering the influence of gendered parenting on children's development (Yeung et al., 2001). This article thus aims to contribute to uncovering the factors associated with additive bilingualism in second-generation Asian and Latino Americans. 1 The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse in ethnic composition and language background, driven by recent immigration trends. Asians and Latinos are the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States, accounting for 70 percent of immigrants and nearly half of the second-generation immigrant population (Pew Research Center, 2013). Much research has documented the relationship between immigrants' En-glish proficiency and economic outcomes (Bleakley and Chin, 2004). However, relatively scant research exists on the intergenerational transmission of heritage languages. Language in immigrant households plays a pivotal role in transmitting heritage and values from one generation to the next as well as in developing healthy parent-child relationships (Tseng and Fuligni, 2000). Previous research (e.g., Rumbaut, Massey, and Bean, 2005) has shown that, while Asian Americans typically achieve higher educational and economic attainments than other immigrant groups, Latino Americans have an edge in maintaining their
This study explored Korean university students’ beliefs and perspectives on different English var... more This study explored Korean university students’ beliefs and perspectives on different English varieties, and their transformation in learner per- ceptions with respect to English learning, diversity in the English lan- guage, and learning of different English varieties over the course of a semester. On two occasions, Korean university students (N = 127) who were enrolled in different sections of a required English-language course completed a questionnaire evaluating different accented English speech samples (American, Indian, Italian, and Korean) and another questionnaire pertaining to learner beliefs about English learning and perceptions and learning of different English varieties. Results of the accent evaluation show that despite no significant difference in the level of message comprehension, the Korean students demonstrated favourable attitudes towards the varieties of their compatriots and of the American English speaker of English over the Indian and Italian speakers. Results of the perception questionnaire administered twice in the semester show positive changes in learner beliefs about English learning and perceptions of different English varieties. Commentary data provide additional insights into the learners’ attitudinal changes as a result of the semester-long instruction. Pedagogical implications are discussed with respect to broadening learners’ perspectives on the English language and its use around the world.
This study explored South Korean university students’ perceptions of different English varieties ... more This study explored South Korean university students’ perceptions of different English varieties and their speakers, student attitudes towards the learning of English and its varieties, and the role of these attitudinal variables in the learning of English as a foreign language. One-hundred-one students who were enrolled in four sections of a semester-long English course completed a country-rating task and a perception questionnaire of recorded English speech samples (European-American-, Indian-, Italian-, and Korean-accented English assigned to each section). Student attitudes towards the learning of English and its different varieties were also examined. The results from the country ratings and the speech-perception questionnaire suggest the influence of extra-linguistic factors (familiarity, geographic proximity, and global/local sociopolitics) on student attitudes. Different sets of attitudinal variables predicted the teacher and student assessments of the learning of English. Teacher-assessed learning was predicted by students’ desire to communicate with other speakers, regardless of the variety they spoke, as well as their beliefs that communication takes two parties and that English serves as a means for upward mobility. The students’ self-assessments, however, were related to their beliefs in their high achievement in English and their views of English as a lingua franca and of non-Standard English as legitimate.
This study examined the effectiveness of a motor learning theory-based protocol in which feedback... more This study examined the effectiveness of a motor learning theory-based protocol in which feedback that was reduced in frequency, with a four-second delay, coupled with practice, was provided for adult Korean-speaking learners of English. Twelve learners participated in a study composed of a pre-test, an intervention of 12 weekly sessions with a native-speaking experimenter, and a post-test. Seven also participated in a delayed post-test 6 months after the completion of the intervention sessions. The learner output was judged by a panel of 10 native speakers in terms of intelligibility, naturalness, and precision, revealing a significant increase between the pre-test and post-test, and between the pre-test and delayed post-test, indicating the benefits of this intervention for the learners’ acquisition of English pronunciation. The difference between the post-test and delayed post-test, however, was not significant, demonstrating the beneficial effects of this intervention on the long-term retention of English pronunciation.
This study explored the extent to which the ethnic identity of a writer and the background (gende... more This study explored the extent to which the ethnic identity of a writer and the background (gender and area of teaching) of a rater can influence mainstream teacher candidates' evaluation of English as a second language (ESL) writing, using a matched-guise method. A one-page essay was elicited from an ESL learner enrolled in an intensive English program and was manipulated to incorporate error patterns often observed among Chinese- and Spanish-speaking learners. Teacher candidates were led to believe it was produced by an ESL learner whose first language was either Chinese or Spanish. One-hundred-sixty-three undergraduate students enrolled in a teacher education program at a U.S. university were asked to score the ESL essay holistically, provide qualitative comments, identify the three most troublesome errors in order of seriousness, and offer advice on how to improve ESL writing. No significant effects of writer identity on the holistic scoring were detected, but the teacher candidates revealed different categories of rater responses depending on the writer's identity. Conversely, although the raters' backgrounds (gender and area of teaching) had significant effects on global scoring, they did not have any significant impact on the qualitative nature of rater responses.
This study examined subject-object asymmetry and developmental sequence in the second language (L... more This study examined subject-object asymmetry and developmental sequence in the second language (L2) acquisition of three types of wh-extraction, i.e., English headed relatives, headless relatives, and embedded wh-questions. Sixty-four L1 Korean learners of English completed an elicited imitation task and a grammaticality judgment task. The learners demonstrated a subject advantage in the headed RCs and headless RCs, but an object advantage in the embedded wh-questions, which suggests that they treat embedded wh-questions differently from headed relatives and headless relatives despite the similarities in surface forms. The learners further demonstrated the order of developing headless RCs followed by embedded wh-questions, and subsequently headed RCs, which supports the primacy of headless relatives as a simple nominal in L2 development.
This article reports on a case study of incorporating a set of three cross-cultural intervention ... more This article reports on a case study of incorporating a set of three cross-cultural intervention modules and critical reflections into a single semester’s offering of a senior-level civil structural engineering integrated design course that also had significant group design project work. A comparison of findings from initial versus exit self-assessment and peer assessment instruments indicated that students in the class showed clear gains over the semester with respect to intercultural competencies related to their own behavioral flexibility and interaction relaxation when interacting with group members from different cultures, as well as with respect to the intercultural competency of group members from different cultures in terms of their identity maintenance. These findings were further supported qualitatively, through the students’ initial and exit open-ended responses about cultural differences navigated among group members. The case study demonstrated that it is indeed possible to cultivate intercultural competencies in undergraduate engineering students, especially for a culturally and linguistically diverse classroom setting where students must interact frequently with their colleagues from different backgrounds, which can be helpful in terms of preparing students for modern professional engineering design practice.
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