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How do American College Students Study Spanish?

Research Project

Liliana Restrepo-Quevedo

MA TESOL, Gonzaga University

MTSL 600: Research Perspective in ESL Education

Dr. Martha Savage

Spring, 2012
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How do American College Students Study Spanish? Research Project

Professionally, I was born as a journalist, and I loved my work as a Press Coordinator at a

television channel in Colombia. Actors, journalists, singers, and technicians always surrounded

me. As a press coordinator, I worked on public relations and television. One of my most

important tasks was to write press releases in English and my native language, Spanish. I was good

at writing and describing ideas in my mother tongue. However, as pleasing as my job was, I was

curious about how people would live, have different costumes, speak languages distinct from mine,

etc. Because of this curiosity, my job in Colombia started to turn into a cage, and at a certain point,

I decided to go abroad.

I began by learning a new language. I had a lot of motivation, so I earned a scholarship,

which allowed me to study the Italian language in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. As a

social communicator, I am convinced about the importance of interacting effectively in a new

culture, so I put a great deal of effort into learning Italian. Curiously, during that process and after

living in Italy for some months, I realized how much I love my native language.

Once I felt that I had Italian language mastery after approximately three years, I started to

teach Spanish to Italians. My first student was a manager of a German supermarket chain. After

him, I had a few more private students. Later on, I started to work for the City Hall of Florence as

a Spanish instructor for groups of people wanting to improve their skills in a second language.

Step by step, I realized I liked to teach my native language. I especially enjoyed that I was able to

teach people some aspects of the Hispanic culture. For example, cooking ways, recipes,

Americanisms internalized as Spanish words, Latino American customs, et cetera.

Two years ago, I arrived in the USA to improve my English skills. When I learned about

the Master of Arts in Teaching ESL program, I thought it would be a good asset for my education
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and background. Last year, I had the opportunity to teach Spanish Intermediate 201 at Gonzaga

University. It was indeed an enriching experience in all senses that it made me realize that I would

like much to teach my native language in America.

This study is about how American college students study Spanish as a second language.

My first clue about what to focus on has to do with an idea from Nugent (2000), "in a global

community, foreign language is a necessity, not a luxury." (p.35). During my experience as a

college instructor, I observed that American students might not see that being bilingual is a

significant fact nowadays. Since this is a powerful statement, I decided to research in-depth the

concept to provide ideas and elements, which would help to improve the quality of Spanish

education in the USA.

This study will be guided by three main questions as follows:

• What are the most common language learning strategies used by American college

students?

• What is the most helpful method that helps American college students reach their

second language goals of learning Spanish?

• Why do American college students believe that studying Spanish is relevant in their

lives?

As I mentioned, the overall purpose of my study is to find elements that would help

improve the teaching of Spanish as a second language in the American university context. For my

research, I plan on asking students several questions about their motivations and methodologies

when they study Spanish. Subsequently, to make an appropriate triangulation, I plan on conducting

some interviews with Spanish language instructors who have more than ten years of teaching

experience at the university level. One is a female native speaker of Spanish from Perú, who has
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about 20 years of living and working in the United States. The other teacher interviewee is an

American female whose second language is Spanish. Both of these women hold a Ph.D. All

participants, students, and teachers are a part of the same private American university.
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Literature Review about the Spanish Language in the American College Scene

For the effects of this study, I used several articles and publications about learning

strategies, teaching styles, language teaching standards in the United States, Spanish heritage

learners, and interesting facts about how American college students study Spanish as a second

language, among other factors.

The four categories that founded my exploration are Demographics and Reasons for

Americans for learning Spanish, Spanish Heritage Learners, Standards for Foreign Language

Education in the United States, and the most usual language learning strategies used by American

College Students.

The relevance of these categories in the study regards the role they play in the context of

the study. For instance, the number of people who speak Spanish worldwide makes the language

one of the most spoken in the world. Also, the issues that language teachers have to face when

they work with Spanish heritage learners. Then, being bilingual in the current society might be

crucial for individuals who want to interact in a globalized world. Last, motivating factors for

people to learn Spanish rather than other languages.

Demographics and Reasons for Americans Learn Spanish

According to Ethnologue (2009), a web and print database with statistics of more than

7,358 languages, Spanish is the second most natively spoken language in the world after Mandarin

Chinese with approximately 322,200,000 to 358,000,000 first language users (1999 WA --source

for the second figure), and 417,000,000 second language users (1999, WA). The Spanish language

is official in 21 countries, while it is one of the five official languages in the United Nations.

There are several reasons to deduce that learning Spanish for Americans is becoming a

requirement. In fact, according to the United States Census Bureau (2010),

In the United States, there are about 37 million Spanish speakers, which represents 10.7%

of the United States population. This percentage is enough to allow the Spanish language

to take the place of the first immigrant language in the country. For example, in states like

Florida, California, and Texas, over 25% of the population are Spanish native speakers.

The most populated American cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco,

Chicago, and Washington DC. have significant rates of the Hispanic population ("United

States Census Bureau," 2010).

Consequently, the job market from those cities, day by day, is requiring more Spanish

bilingual professionals in several areas like healthcare, language education, government services,

and so on.

In public high schools, American students often have the option to choose between three

standard foreign languages to study: German, French, and Spanish. Most of them pick Spanish.

Indeed, the importance of this data for this study is precisely the requirement of foreign language

in American universities. According to a report of the American Council on Education in June

2012:

The percentage of institutions with an undergraduate foreign language requirement for

graduation has steadily declined across all sectors. In 2001, for instance, an average of 53

percent of all institutions had such a requirement. Today the figure stands at 37 percent.

(para.17)

This data indicates that the American education system might not see learning a second

language as an actual necessity in a global society. In fact, in my experience as an international

language teacher in an American private university, I could see that American students might not

perceive learning a second language as something they would take advantage of in the future.
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Additionally, the fact that people from other cultures want to learn English more than any language

might provide a linguistic comfort zone to English speakers, which at the same time end up in an

unconscious general discouragement to learn new languages.

Therefore, the motivation of some American students to learn a foreign language is not

strong enough. Perhaps because of this lack of motivation, the Modern Language Association

(MLA), with headquarters in New York City, advertises the benefits of learning a second language.

MLA promotes the study of foreign languages to college students through an open-source brochure

(Appendix 1), which explains the advantages of knowledge of a foreign language.

According to Ruiz from Forbes magazine (2008), Spanish and French have been those

languages that American College students most frequently choose to study as seen as a good

investment of both time and money. It suggests that the biggest motivation for students who learn

a second language is the hope to find a better-paid job as a bilingual. However, Ruiz (2008)

specifically mentioned in her article that, in the United States, bilingual Spanish speaker candidates

earned just 1.7% more than monolingual candidates.

Spanish Heritage Learners

Another piece of the cake regarding demographics in this study is related to Spanish

Heritage learners (SHL). It is a fact that Spanish language teachers will likely find SHL in their

classrooms.

I believe that language teachers need to know the types of students in their classrooms.

At the beginning of a course, instructors conduct a needs analysis to help themselves determine

the student population they will work with during the semester. One of the usual populations

within an American classroom is the Spanish Heritage Learners (SHL). SHL are students that

had exposure to the Spanish language in their homes during their first years of life.
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Consequently, they have a fair understanding of the heard and spoken language but cannot be

fluent Spanish speakers because they have not developed skills such as writing and reading in the

same way they have developed listening and speaking. In fact, according to Beaudrie (2012),

one of the biggest challenges that SHL has to deal with is writing. One of the reasons for this is

that the Spanish language has orthographical rules, which are not necessarily implicit in the

speech.

Standards for Foreign Language Education

For this study, National Standards for Foreign Language Education were essential.

According to Shrum and Glisan (2000), current standards had origin in the United States in the

Bush administration between 1989 and 1993. Later on, in 1996, a document with an unprecedented

consensus of several people and organizations was released. It would include the definition and

the role of foreign language education in American society. Currently, the American Council on

the Teaching of Foreign Languages (AFCTL) holds the leadership for these standards. ("ACFTL,"

n.d.)

They are called the five C’s: Communication, communities, cultures, connections, and

comparisons. ACTFL standards have as a philosophy:

Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. The United States

must educate people linguistically and culturally prepared to communicate in a pluralistic

American society and abroad. This imperative envisions a future in which all students will

develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language, modern or

classical. Children, who come to school from non-English backgrounds, should develop

further proficiencies in their first language. ("ACTFL, "n.d.)

Although this philosophy sounds ideal, American colleges are experiencing a different
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reality. According to Dr. Breiner-Sanders, Emerita from Georgetown University and ACTFL-

certified oral proficiency tester and trainer, "Especially, high school, implemented National

Standards for language education in instruction. Every textbook at high and mid-school levels

included them. All kinds of research documents for those levels integrated them too. In reality, at

the college level, National Standards are not integrated into instruction" (K. Breiner-Sanders,

personal communication, October 16, 2012).

Nevertheless, the college institution which participated in this study currently applies

ACTFL Standards. One of my interviewee teachers has confirmed so: “The Spanish program in

this institution bases most of the standards on ACTFL guidelines. We used them in language

teaching classes. The department is supposed toevaluate according to ACFTL standards of reading,

listening, writing, and speaking. Also, we have a professor working on ACTFL standards for

culture, but it is not fully ready. At the moment, it is in a discussion. Individual instructors also

might have different standards that they use. For example, I use the California teaching standards,

the five C’s” (personal communication, October 24, 2012).

Most Usual Language Learning Strategies used by American College Students

Oxford and Nyikos (1989) discuss and explore several variables affecting the choice of

language learning strategies among university students. This study found that motivation was one

of the first factors affecting language learning strategies choices. Students who felt more

encouraged practiced learning strategies of all kinds with more frequency than the less motivated

students.

In their study, Oxford and Nyikos classified language learning strategies into five factor

groups: The first factor was formal rule-related practice strategies, such as revising guidelines and

analyzing words; the second factor was functional practice strategies which would include
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attendance at foreign films and imitating native speakers rather than reading authentic material in

the target language; the third factor described in the study, resourceful-independent learning

strategies, examples of which would be using a tape recorder, vocabulary building by building lists

of related words, and elaboration of sentences, among others; the fourth factor indicated general

study strategies, for instance, being prepared for class, studying hard, and good time management;

and finally, the fifth factor classified as conversational input elicitation strategies which would

include techniques like requesting slower speech and guessing how a native speaker would say

something.

Additionally, the theory of comprehensible input is another vital concept to consider.

Developed by Krashen (1997), this theory explains how listeners can understand despite their lack

of understanding of all the words. After this process, the message arrives where it becomes

comprehensible.

On the other hand, paired listening is an essential language learning strategy. According

to Fernandez Toro (2005), the paired listening task is a powerful tool in a language classroom. It

allows students to gain self-confidence due to the shared responsibility nature of the activity.

Moreover, it appears to reduce anxiety. When this sort of exercise happens in the classroom,

Fernandez suggests, the student who has the better performance in the pair would help the other

student improve listening skills. Nevertheless, it is also an instructional tool to diagnose easier

listening difficulties among students.

Furthermore, Davis (2009), a Spanish instructor in Sauk Valley Community College in

Dixon, Illinois, wrote an article about practical activities in the classroom. She experimented with

bringing language to practical situations in a second-year Spanish class. She noticed that her

students, who knew Spanish grammar well enough, could not use the language properly for several
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reasons. Davis created new learning goals to change her course and better suit her pupils' needs.

They included new activities that would allow students to practice the language in real situations.

In other words, communicative approach activities that bring which have components that bring a

language course to life. As a teacher, I am very interested in learning how to make this happen

within my classroom.

Personal Experience

In my experience as a language teacher, American students often tend to use strategies

from the second-factor study category Oxford and Nyikos (1989) or functional practice strategies.

American students feel most comfortable practicing these strategies due to their authentic

linguistic experiences. For example, in my Italian 101 class during Spring 2012, which had

undergraduates from multiple majors, I performed with students an interactive activity. I created a

task in which students would pretend to have an Italian guest in their home for one day. As part of

this, they needed to find out what their guest wanted to eat during the whole day by formulating

specific questions. I first prepared students with an extensive list of food vocabulary and specific

question structures that students would need to apply during the activity. Finally, I brought an

Italian native speaker from Naples to the classroom, and students interacted with him using the

language and structures that we had practiced previously. The results of my communicative

exercise were remarkable, particularly in the sense that students gained self-confidence as they

realized that a native Italian speaker actually understood their questions and that they could

communicate successfully.
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Methodology

Quantitative or Qualitative?

I used in this study a mixed-method, integrating both quantitative and qualitative

approaches. With this in mind, I used a survey and a semi-structured interview for data collection.

The choice behind mixing methodologies was finding better ways to do an appropriate

triangulation, and thus making the study more valid and credible.

Data Collection

I employed in this work the most common quantitative method to data collection in

research: a statistical survey. In statistics, a survey is a tool that serves to study a sample of a given

population in a conclusive aspect. Equally, in both social and medical sciences, surveys are

frequently used to determine an enormous nature of variables such as population behavior,

individual and group preferences, acceptance of a product, and frequency of a health problem in

the population, among other variables (Groves, Fowler, Couper, Lepkowski, Singer, &

Tourangeau, 2009).

To ensure the success of a survey, the creator has to carefully choose the sample of the

population that will respond to it. That choice implies the selection of patterns among the selected

portion. In other words, the case of a survey has to have definite features to make its results truth

and trustworthy (Groves, Fowler, Couper, Lepkowski, Singer, and Tourangeau, 2009).

On the other hand, I used two interviews as a qualitative method for the effects of the study.

According to Burns (2010), an interview is one of the ways to explore the topic researched. I

believe they might enrich the study, as they can disclose different kinds of evidence that a survey

might not reveal. For example, several aspects of the data collection process during the interview,

such as eye contact, body language, and environment, can make the data more tangible.
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Description of the instrumentation

I designed a thirty-three-question questionnaire to work with the student population. I used

SurveyMonkey, an online survey application that collects data from a specific target population.

This method is known as reliable, secure, anonymous, and confidential. Teachers shared in the

Blackboard application with enrolled students' participants in Spanish language classes. Teacher

participants were very collaborative in this aspect by uploading the survey link in their Blackboard

applications. According to the SurveyMonkey site, the tool in the platform has numerous positive,

trustworthy features such as real-time results, intuitive design settings, and user-friendly questions.

To complete the survey, participants must sign a consent form. Indeed, to ensure consent from

participants, the system does not allow participants to answer questions without their previous

agreement. The survey had three sections. The first one asked about the demographics of the

sample population, which contributed to determining who the participants were. The second

section was dedicated to questioning participants about their habits and strategies when learning

Spanish. The third section was a short-open-questions one. It inquired about participants' opinions

about their tastes in their Spanish classes. In other words, class activities, target language used

during the whole class, assessment, and other aspects of teaching and learning. Regarding data

collection, it took place online, just as the survey.

In contrast, my process for interviewing was more personal. After my participants signed

the consent form to make sure I could record interviews, I scheduled an appointment in their

offices. I designed a questionnaire of possible questions for my interviewees. I asked them about

teaching strategies proven as the best to learn Spanish in their classrooms. I was curious about the

difficulties that American college students have to face when studying Spanish. Moreover, I

enquired about the percentage of target language usage in their language lessons. Finally, I
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questioned them about learning methods: after years of observing their students, what were the

most efficient strategies students used when learning Spanish.

Participants Selection

The criterion of participant selection for the survey included American college students

enrolled in Spanish language classes at a local private university who were willing to participate.

Student participants were 18 years old or over. For the study’s interviews, they were chosen

teachers with more than seven years of experience teaching Spanish at a college level in the United

States who were teaching any level of a Spanish language class at a local private university who

were willing to participate. Both teachers and students belonged to the same local private

university. They would interact with each other in class at the very time of the data collection.

Triangulation

The process of triangulation is such a crucial step in an investigation because it contrasts

data and misunderstood information during the research process. Moreover, it confirms data that

was tacit already.

According to Huettman (1993) from Cornell University, triangulation is a procedure that

has optimal results in qualitative research because it uses multiple methodologies. In her article

Huettman also mentioned four types of triangulation: data, theory, investigator, and

methodological (Huettman, 1993). This study used data and theory triangulation.

Role of Researcher

Although many American universities require the completion of a foreign language for

graduation, this study expects to contribute to making Spanish a more tangible language for

students. As a researcher, I observed that several students might study the language only to fulfill

the university requirement. Also, they probably do not realize the importance of being a Spanish
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bilingual in American society yet. Therefore, information from this study intends to claim the

significance of a change of attitude towards Spanish as a second language in American society.

This study appeals to provide information and research to encourage students to study Spanish

with joy. I am convinced that when people perform what they do with love and interest, everything,

including language learning, comes well; this study means to help curriculum designers of higher

education institutions to develop Spanish language classes more real and touchable by students.

Students’ Data

Demographics

The sample population of the survey was thirty-nine college students enrolled in Spanish

201 and Spanish 301 alike. Participants were in the range ages of 17-22 (97.4%), of which 76.3%

were women, and 23.7 % were men. Students who participated in the study were majoring in

Biology (15.8%), Business, Spanish (10.5%), History, Psychology (7.9%), Nursing

Communication Studies, Education, English, Global Studies (5.3%), and Journalism, Medical

Administrative Support, Medical Assisting, Chemistry, Accounting and Anthropology (2.6%).

Also, 7.9% of participants were first-generation Spanish Heritage Learners. These data show a

variety of students’ majors and imply students’ awareness concerning the necessity of studying

Spanish in today’s society in the United States, as mentioned in the literature review.

Student participants in this study consider themselves to be in an intermediate level of

proficiency in Spanish. The 16.2% think of themselves as high-intermediate, 13.5% high-beginner,

and 2.7% said they are beginners. However, none of them consider themselves as advanced.

Participants have studied Spanish for five or more years during high school (43.2%). Furthermore,

29.7% of participants have been through a Spanish course for four years, 24.3% for three years,

and 2.7% for two years. However, 73% of participants said they wished they could have started to
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learn Spanish earlier in school. It implies that most of them have begun their language studies

during high school, which shows a gap in foreign language education. Students themselves

expressed their wish to have started their second language at an early age. That might be a clue for

legislators to carry out a reform of the American educational system.

Choosing a foreign language at the college level

Participants in this study have chosen to study Spanish for several assorted reasons. Most

of them (29.7%) think that everyone needs to be proficient in a second language nowadays.

Moreover, aware of the society in which they live, participants have chosen to study Spanish

because it is a way to broaden their perspective of the world. They want to travel and be able to

communicate (21.9%). Some participants (8.1 %) have chosen to study Spanish because it is a

requirement for their graduation. Also, a significant portion of participants has chosen to learn

Spanish for a different undetermined reason.

In the United States, college students get to decide the language of their preference to study,

so most Colleges and Universities have several options for them to choose. Students in this study

answered about the primary factor deciding to study Spanish rather than any other language.

Responses were very varied. Most participants (27%) said that the factor that made them elect to

study Spanish over others was the possibility to get a better job in the United States, as evidenced

in the literature review. Nineteen participants (51.4%) believe that their Spanish language study

will be valuable to their ability to get a job in the future. Indeed, they see themselves using their

Spanish skills after school in their careers. However, some participants (21.6%) said they felt

influenced by their traveling wishes or working overseas ideas, either in Spain or Latin America.

In addition, several students (13.5%) said that they were motivated by the love that they feel for

the Spanish language and a small portion of participants (2.7%) decided to study Spanish rather
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than any other language because of the assumption that Spanish is an easy language to study.

Analyzing Attitude in Class

Students responded about their attitude when practicing Spanish during an activity in class.

Most of them (43.2%) would not speak or actively participate because they felt intimidated,

embarrassed, and worried that they would make a mistake. However, a significant part of the

sample population of this study (27%) loves to participate actively willingly. In addition to this,

some students (21.6%) practice with their partners, even though they feel that pronunciation and

developing structures are demanding, so they challenge themselves (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

A significant part of participants in this study (83.8%) thinks that the most challenging

grammar topics to learn when learning Spanish as a second language are verbs, conjugations, verb

tenses, and verb moods. Moreover, some students mentioned they had challenges when learning

prepositions, accents, subject-verb agreement, gender agreement, and pronouns. American college

students who participated in this study prefer to study Spanish in a discussion-based class (48%).
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However, a part of the sample (27%) expressed their preference to attend a grammar lecture and

apply the grammar rules through exercises. Also, other students’ preferences are: Using online

resources such as Spanish books, videos, and music; having extracurricular conversations with

native speakers of Spanish according to their level; watching assigned films in the target language

and answering questions about it; and finally, reading a book and having a discussion about it with

a previous list of questions (Figure 2).

Figure 2

I asked students about their best learning methods. Most students (56.8%) replied that they

learn best by listening and speaking. However, for some of them (16.2%), it is better to learn by

looking at pictures and reading. Other methods used by these students were memorizing grammar

rules, reading and writing composition, and applying grammar rules.

A significant part of the population in this study manifested speaking as the most

challenging skill to perform. Participants also mentioned writing and listening as the less

demanding skills to perform.

Target Language in the Classroom

According to the study results, most American college students learning Spanish want

their teachers to speak in the target language; however, some prefer their teachers speak in English

when they teach crucial aspects of the language. Students consider it valuable to have a teacher

who continuously speaks to them in the target language.

The most common reasons students want their teachers to speak in the target language

during language class are related to being exposed to the language. Participants feel they might

increase their vocabulary if their teachers systematically talk in the target language. Some students

expressed they feel encouraged to pay attention in class if their teachers speak continuously in

Spanish. Identically, some students suggested that their listening skills improved when regularly

exposed to the target language in class. Nonetheless, some pupils complained about some teachers

forbidding English in Spanish classes, especially when they ask a clarification question.

On the other hand, I asked students about their behavior in class, specifically if they

communicate in the target language in class. Most of them replied affirmatively, but a significant

part of the students confessed that they do not speak Spanish in class. Some comments on this

question suggest that anxiety plays a serious role here. In other words, fear of communicating in a

second language in public or looking ridiculous would produce that feeling among students.

However, they know that practicing as much as they can, at least in class, will dramatically

improve their speaking skills. Some students mentioned that they feel more comfortable speaking

when their peers do the same and encourage each other in a conversation in the target language.

Several students say that they have to face difficulties related to the lack of vocabulary or long

periods thinking about the structure before they speak, again for being afraid of making a mistake.
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What is missing in the American university language classroom?

Students who participated in this study have a great range of suggestions about the missing

factors in the American university language classroom. First off, several students think that second

language education should start earlier. For example, elementary school programs should

implement language classes in their curriculums; indeed, they suggest that society should incite

students to learn a second language since they are little. Additionally, students think that there is a

lack of oral communication in the target language in the classroom; in fact, they assert that

language class should be based exclusively on conversation rather than grammar and exercises. In

contrast, some students think that learning grammar is vital to gaining the ability to communicate

orally. Also, many students expressed their wish for more hands-on activities in which are

involved native speakers of Spanish in class. Specifically, they talked about real-world experiences

performed as an extracurricular activity. Learning colloquial expressions of Spanish was one of

the suggestions that students mentioned as beneficial for language skills. Some participants

advocate taking class time to go to the outside world and apply the concepts they learned. A few

students declared that an ideal way to learn Spanish might be through music and films in the target

language. Finally, some students recommended making more available study abroad opportunities

for students majoring in Spanish.

What are college students willing to do to learn Spanish?

Students who participated in this study are committed to improving their Spanish skills.

To this end, they are willing to make a series of actions ranging from conversations with native

speakers to buying the famous Rosetta Stone system for learning languages. Most students are

enthusiastic about finding native speakers to practice their Spanish conversation skills. Some of

them expressed that the United States is a country that is full of Spanish native speakers, so there
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are many opportunities to talk with them and thus, improve listening and conversation skills. Also,

some students would like to meet with Spanish speakers to discuss specific topics related to their

professions. At the same time, some participants want to invest at least an hour per day either in

class or in a private individual lesson to improve their Spanish skills. Some want to use more

elementary techniques to boost their Spanish capabilities: watching television and videos,

browsing the internet on Hispanic sites, listening to music, reading books, etc. Finally, surveyed

students know that a way to earn confidence in their new language is overcoming target language

anxiety when they communicate with native Spanish speakers.

Implications and Conclusion

Data from this study suggest a variety of insights to put into practice in the Spanish

language classroom. First off, it is fundamental to create awareness about the importance of

learning a second language in American society. It might imply a change of attitude towards

foreign languages approach from an early age. It also takes more tolerance and openness towards

other cultures. Indeed, one of the participant teachers in this study has confirmed it: "In our

country, we do not expose our children to languages at an early age, so they learn in Spanish until

they get to high school. Culturally, one of our greatest difficulties is the monolingual society"

(personal communication, October 24, 2012).

Likewise, student participants expressed their wish to begin studying foreign languages

earlier, for example, in elementary school. To reach this, it becomes necessary to involve

lawmakers to create a new law for the American educational system.

The study suggests several difficulties students must face when they learn Spanish. The

most evident frustration is the lack of exposure to authentic language situations in which students

can put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom. Some students expressed
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willingness to speak in the target language, at least during Spanish class; however, some suffer

from scenic-panic and are afraid of making a mistake in front of their classmates. It becomes vital

to make students understand that people learn languages by making mistakes and taking risks. It

is part of the process: human beings reach knowledge going out from their comfort zone. This

strategy would result in a decrease in anxiety from students.

Students use a variety of strategies for studying Spanish. The most effective ones seem to

be listening and speaking study strategies. This insight from the investigation can imply that

students should be encouraged by teachers to speak in the target language as much as they can.

Instructors should create curriculum activities that invite students to interact with native speakers.

An example of such a strategy is inviting native speakers to the classroom and suggesting targeted

conversations to support vocabulary building in an interesting topic for students.

Using resources such as Skype, Go To Meeting, and Adobe Connect can be a solution to

have students listen to different kinds of accents by inviting guests from several places in the world

for conversations in real-time during class time. Probably, students would appreciate more that

rather than a grammar explanation.

Finally, participants suggested that having field trips during class time may be beneficial

for them to enhance concepts. For example, instructors can scaffold vocabulary building. Then,

plan a trip to the hospital or the supermarket to put this vocabulary into practice.
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References

Beaudrie, S. M. (2012). A corpus-cased study on the misspellings of Spanish heritage learners

and their implications for teaching. Linguistics And Education: An International

Research Journal, 23(1), 135-144.

Burns, A. (2010) Doing action research in English language teaching. New York: Taylor &

Francis.

Cmaadmin (EDU). (2012, June 27). Report: U.S. campuses growing more international.

Diverse Education. Retrieved 2012, from

https://www.diverseeducation.com/international/article/15091497/report-us-campuses-

growing-more-international.

Davis, D. D. (2009). Bringing language to life in second-year Spanish. New Directions For

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