The role of critical experiences, positioning, and agency in the dynamic, emergent construction of heritage speaker selves

IF 3.7 1区文学 Q1 LINGUISTICS

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching Pub Date : 2024-03-26 DOI:10.14746/ssllt.42373

Ellen J. Serafini, Sara I. Roca-Ramirez

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Previous research has proposed a crucial role for critical experiences in language learning to better understand how learners understand and discursively construct their self-concept (Mercer, 2011, 2016; Serafini, 2020a; Thompson, 2020). However, studies have mainly explored critical experiences in the narratives of foreign language learners of English with little attention to how heritage speakers of languages other than English (LOTE) draw on critical experiences in discursive constructions of self. To address this gap, this study aims to explore the impact of critical experiences in university heritage Spanish speakers’ self-narratives. Twenty heritage Spanish students completed a background questionnaire and peer-facilitated, video-recorded interview. Emergent, recurring themes were identified in transcribed interview data following tenets of grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings underscore the key role of positioning (Davies & Harré, 1990) in dynamic conceptions of self, particularly how heritage speakers (re)imagine and discursively construct past, current, and future self-states. Positioning was also linked to agency (Ahearn, 2001) in relation to students’ critical reflections on experiences of racialization and resistance to, or reproduction of, dominant language ideologies. Overall, the study provides valuable insights for (heritage) language educators seeking to enact critical pedagogical principles in their classroom and curriculum.

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批判性经验、定位和代理在动态、新兴的遗产发言人自我构建中的作用

以往的研究提出了批判性经验在语言学习中的关键作用，以更好地理解学习者如何理解和话语建构自我概念（Mercer, 2011, 2016; Serafini, 2020a; Thompson, 2020）。然而，相关研究主要探讨了英语外语学习者叙事中的批判性经验，却很少关注讲英语以外语言（LOTE）的传承者如何在自我话语建构中借鉴批判性经验。为了弥补这一空白，本研究旨在探讨批判性经验对大学西班牙语传承者自我叙述的影响。20 名传统西班牙语学生填写了一份背景调查问卷，并在同伴协助下进行了视频录像访谈。根据基础理论的原则（Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1967），在转录的访谈数据中确定了新出现的、重复出现的主题。研究结果强调了定位（Davies & Harré, 1990）在动态的自我概念中的关键作用，特别是遗产讲述者如何（重新）想象和话语建构过去、现在和未来的自我状态。定位还与学生对种族化经历的批判性反思，以及对主流语言意识形态的抵制或再现的代理（Ahearn，2001 年）有关。总之，这项研究为寻求在课堂和课程中贯彻批判性教学原则的（遗产）语言教育者提供了宝贵的见解。

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来源期刊

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching LINGUISTICS-

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

2.90%

发文量

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (ISSN 2083-5205) is a refereed journal published four times a year by the Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland. The language of publication is English. The journal is devoted to reporting previously unpublished highest quality theoretical and empirical research on learning and teaching second and foreign languages. It deals with the learning and teaching of any language, not only English, and focuses on a variety of topics ranging from the processes underlying second language acquisition, various aspects of language learning in instructed and non-instructed settings, as well as different facets of the teaching process, including syllabus choice, materials design, classroom practices and evaluation. Each issue carries about 6 papers, 6000-8000 words in length, as well as reply articles and reviews. At least one of the four issues per year is a special focus issue devoted to a particular area of second language learning and teaching, sometimes with a guest editor who is an expert on a specific topic.