1. 2nd Language Acquisition:
A Comparison of Public School Spanish Programs and Immersion Schools
métodos
Ethnographic observations were conducted during 3 class periods 3 days
days a week.
In-person interviews: were informal with the teacher after each class hour
hour was finished.
Content Analysis: analyzed for different themes and frames from the
transcribed interviews, as well as previous studies and curriculums.
Mariah R. Bates; Tina Lee, Ph.D. (advisor)
Applied Social Science Program
Introducción
The focus of this preliminary study was to identify factors that are
influential in successfully learning a Second language. Data was collected during
ethnographic observations in a public school Spanish program and by conducting
interviews with the teachers. The 5 c’s (community, context, content, community,
and culture) appeared throughout the content analysis of field notes . More
importantly the repeated themes are essential in curriculum design and teaching
methods as they are crucial when teaching second language learners.
Previous studies have identified several factors that influence the success
of second-language teaching: interactions between the teacher and student,
socioeconomic status, teaching methods, curriculum design, and parental
involvement. This project builds on these findings to determine differences and
similarities between Spanish programs in public schools and immersions schools,
as well as areas that could be further researched.
Resultas
• In the interview with Senorita K., she emphasized the
importance of using a mixture of teaching methods, “we
allow students to express their ideas while hearing or using
the Spanish language in moving around the room,
whiteboards, madlibs activities, acting, relay games, partner
sharing or brainstorming, etc.” which could potentially be
beneficial in teaching successful second language learners.
• incorporating technology in the classroom could be
beneficial and could create a collaborative classroom
environment for second language learners. While observing
Senorita K.’s classroom, students used laptops provided by
the school to do an in-class activity for “unit 4 –comida”. I
observed students having the opportunity to explore the
website to find the answers they needed, while still actively
asking la Maestra questions.
• Culture within the curriculum is crucial for second language
learners. Senorita K. explained, “I regularly engage my
students in conversations about diversity as we study the
specific country or culture for our current unit.”
• A recurrent theme during observations was the connections
la Maestra made to help the students fully understand what
was being taught. “Students also connect with my class
content on a personal level and often bring up the topic of
diversity on their own, which allows me to address it with all
my students again.”
Conclusiones
 Senorita K. blending teaching methods supports the paradigm shift in
language learning and teaching. It is a necessity for integrating
technology which could provide students with a better learning
experience (Pellerin & Montes, 2012). While teaching grammar to
second language learners is important, content based instruction could
be more influential in the success of the second language learner
 Different activities like acting in Classroom context in bilingual education
is important in addition to students interacting with each other, and is
less teacher-centered (Flores-Dueñas, 2005, p. 241).
Theories
Content based approach, supported the results of this study after
content analysis of transcribed interviews, field notes, and curriculums
from schools in the United States. When la Maestra had breaks
between classes she emphasized that she teaches around specific
themes rather than focusing on verb conjugation practice: “We read
novels that the students pick out themselves, in our conflict unit….
Students will learn Spanish through a method called (CI)
Comprehensible Input, which is used daily. The goal of class is to have
real and immediate communication in Spanish. In order to do this
students will act, sing, dance, and more!”
Backward design approach supported the results of this study after
content analysis of field notes, interviews, and various curriculums
from schools around the United States. An example from Senorita K.’s
lesson plan: Objective: Students will be able to make a choice based on
preferences.
- What is the weather today?
- Word of the week
- What did you do during break? BINGO
- CLV interest survey
- Finish Thinglink grocery activity
- Madlib
Preguntas de investigación
Temas
• Culture, content, community, comparison and connection
• The five C’s are essential when teaching second language learners, bilingual
students, and heritage language speakers. Incorporating each of the C’s gives the
student a better understanding in what they are learning.
• Blended teaching methods
• Incorporating technology during class and outside of class, in addition to group
activities.
• Content based approach
• Teaching around information that teachers want their students to attain. With
this approach linguistics is not the center of teaching
• Classroom environment
• Students are engaged in activities during class, the classroom is attractive,
students use target language with confidence.
• Accommodations for students
• Auditory –rhymes, songs, chants, and talking to native speakers.
• Visual –color coding, decision maps, drawings/mental images, and note cards.
• Kinesthetic –physical behavior, and writing it over
• Memory aids –acronyms, initials as a vehicle for mnemonics, phrases as
memory aids, phrases as vehicles for syntax
• Cognitive –focusing on meaning, learning material as a chunk, learning
grammar by explaining it.
• Context-based –making associations and observing use in context