Migration-Related Heritatge Languages in the English Classroom: A Plurilingual Approach

View/ Open
Issue date
2021Author
Teixidó Castro, Emma
Suggested citation
Teixidó Castro, Emma;
.
(2021)
.
Migration-Related Heritatge Languages in the English Classroom: A Plurilingual Approach.
http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/72322.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The place for the L1s (first languages) in the foreign language classroom has been a common object of discussion, perhaps even more so with today’s growing linguistic and cultural diversity, caused mainly by migration-related mobility. This final degree project looks at the most relevant studies regarding the use of L1s in the ESL classroom and discusses the plurilingual perspective proposed by García and Wei (2014). In Catalonia, some scholars have argued that the bilingualism already present in most students –with both Catalan and Spanish as mother tongues- can be positively used in the English classroom in different ways (González-Davies, 2017). However, there has been little research on the inclusion of other L1s, namely those related with migration backgrounds. This thesis intends to analyze the outcomes of adopting a plurilingual approach in which the ‘heritage languages’ of students, meaning those that are mainly spoken in their home environments (Hornberger, 2005), are included in the classroom activities. Through the planning and subsequent implementation of a plurilingual proposal in a primary school classroom, discursive evidence is taken to analyze how this approach can impact students’ motivation, self-confidence and language awareness. Additionally, an interview with the teacher carrying out the lesson plan provides a complementary perspective on the matter.
European research projects
Collections
The following license files are associated with this item: