Identidades gramaticales: perspectivas estudiantiles hacia el a prendizaje y uso de gramática en una clase de SHL

Abstract

Serving as a complement to previous studies that deal with student perspectives and attitudes (Ducar, 2008), this study highlights the voices of students of Spanish as a Heritage Language with the purpose of improving grammar instruction. The guiding questions of the study concern: 1) How students conceptualize grammar? 2) What are students’ attitudes towards learning grammar? and 3) Which registers or dialects should be used in the classroom according to students? Interviews were carried out with students in an intermediate level Spanish as a Heritage Language class in order to explore grammar related themes, the use of different registers, and perceptions about the SHL program in general. The comments of the participants revealed positive attitudes towards learning grammar and a sophisticated understanding of sociolinguistic variation, which has implications for future studies as well as grammar teaching.