Jensen Llosa

Heritage Language Students at the University: A Survey of  HL Reading Abilities and Attitudes : 

Heritage Language Students at the University: A Survey of  HL Reading Abilities and Attitudes Linda Jensen Lorena Llosa UCLA

Context for the study: 

Context for the study Web-based Reading Project: needs assessment No research on HL reading

Methodology: 

Methodology Designed a survey to investigate: A. background information on HL students B. HL reading abilities and attitudes Distributed survey to HL classes at UCLA

The Survey: 

The Survey Please help us to improve heritage language (HL) instruction by telling us about yourself. (A heritage language learner has been raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken and who is able to communicate in that language and in English.)

Background Information (a): 

Background Information (a) 1. Name: _________ 2. Age: _________ 3. Class level at UCLA: _________ 4. If you transferred to UCLA, where did you attend college before? _______________ 5. Major: ____________

Background information (b): 

Background information (b) 6. Where were you born? 7. If not born in the US, how old were you when you came to the US? 8. What language do you speak most of the time? 9. What language do you speak at home with your parents/family?

Background information (c): 

Background information (c) 10. In addition to English and your HL what other languages do you speak or have you studied? 11. A. How many quarters of HL courses have you taken at UCLA? 11. B. Why have you enrolled in HL courses?

Background information (d): 

Background information (d) 12. Please rate your heritage language abilities by checking the appropriate level:

Background information (e): 

Background information (e) 13. Is it important to you to maintain your HL identity? Why or why not?

Reading information (a): 

Reading information (a) 1. What types of HL print do you have in your home (please be specific)? 2. Did you parents or other family member read to you in the HL when you were a young child? If yes, what did they read to you? 3. If you read your HL, how many minutes a week do you spend reading in that language?

Reading information (b): 

Reading information (b) 4. What do you read in your HL outside of class assignments? 5. When reading your HL, what is easy for you? 6. When reading your HL, what is difficult for you?

Reading Information (c): 

Reading Information (c) 7. What aspects of reading in your HL do you find problematic?

Reading information (d): 

Reading information (d) 8. Is/was learning to read your HL similar OR different from learning to read in English? 9. What reading strategies in English are useful for reading your HL? 10. A. How would you describe your reading rate in your heritage language? Slow Average Above average Fast B. Do you know your reading rate in words per minute (wpm) in your HL? _________ in English? ________

Reading information (e): 

Reading information (e) 11. Is learning to write your heritage language necessary in order to read? Why or why not? 12. Would you find it useful to practice reading with a self-paced computer program? Why or why not?

Reading information (f): 

Reading information (f) 13. What would you like to read in your HL classes? 14. Are you interested in attaining college level academic reading skills in your heritage language? Why?

Students : 

Students

Majors: 

Majors

Class level at UCLA: 

Class level at UCLA Students in the survey represented all class levels at UCLA. The majority were upper-division students: 13% Freshman 28% Sophomore 23% Junior 34% Senior 2% Fifth-Year

Place of birth: 

Place of birth 77% of students were born in the US and 23% were born outside of the US. Percentage of students born in the US by group: Russian 17% (2) Thai 80% (12) Vietnamese 64% (28) Korean 83% (47) Average age of arrival for those not born in US: 6 years old

Language spoken most of the time: 

Language spoken most of the time 93% of students speak English; 6% speak English AND the HL; and only 2% speak the HL most of the time. Percentage of students who speak English most of the time by group: Russian: 67% Thai: 100% Vietnamese: 94% Korean 97%

Language spoken with family: 

Language spoken with family 16% of students speak English. 43% speak English and their heritage language. 41% speak the heritage language.

Language spoken with family (by group): 

Language spoken with family (by group) Russian (n=12) 1 (8%) speaks English 5 (42%) speak Russian and English 5 (42%) speak Russian 1 (8%) speaks Armenian Thai (n=15) 1 (7%) speaks English 5 (33%) speak English and Thai 9 (60%) speak Thai

Language spoken with family (by group) : 

Language spoken with family (by group) Vietnamese (n=44) 7 (16%) speak English 16 (36%) speak English and Vietnamese 20 (46%) speak Vietnamese 1 (2%) speaks Cantonese Korean (n=57) 12 (21%) speak English 29 (51%) speak English and Korean 16 (28%) speak Korean

Other languages spoken or studied: 

Other languages spoken or studied 92% of the students reported speaking or studying a language other than English and their heritage language. Most common languages: 77% Spanish 18% French 7% Japanese

Self-ratings of ability in HL: 

Self-ratings of ability in HL Ratings: 0=none; 1=low; 2=intermediate; 3=advanced; 4=native-like. Students self-assessed their listening ability higher than the other three skills.

Importance of HL identity: 

Importance of HL identity 94% of students stated it was important to them to maintain their heritage language identity. Reasons: “It’s who I am. It’s my heritage” 52% To communicate with family & others 28% To pass it on to children 16% Beneficial to career/job 6% Major requirement 1 student “It’s cultured and respectable.” 1 student

Print in the home: 

Print in the home Most common types of print in the home : 60% of students reported having newspapers 50% of students reported having books 34% of students reported having magazines Other types of print mentioned (by less than 7% of the students) included: dictionaries, Bible, children’s books, comic books, textbooks, videos, posters, calendars, food labels, wall writings, television, flyers, pamphlets, internet. 3 students reported that there was no HL print in their home.

Did a parent or other family member read to you as a child?: 

Did a parent or other family member read to you as a child? 43% of students answered “yes” Percentage of students who answered “yes” by group Russian: 100% Thai: 40% Vietnamese: 21% Korean: 50%

What did your parents read to you as a child?: 

What did your parents read to you as a child? The students who reported being read to mentioned the following: 32% Children’s stories/fairy tales/fables 5% Bible < 5% The newspaper, poems, songs and letters

Time spent reading in the HL: 

Time spent reading in the HL Overall, students spent little time reading in the HL. Average number of minutes a week: 64 Russian: 18 Thai: 124 Vietnamese: 57 Korean: 60 (based on 75 responses)

Print read outside of class assignments: 

Print read outside of class assignments 37% of the students did not read outside of class. Those who did, reported reading the following: 16% newspapers 7% signs 6% magazines < 5% books, menus, comic books, websites,short stories, ads, karaoke lyrics, songs, Bible, instructional materials, newsletters, famous poems, notes from parents, subtitles, food labels, greeting cards, children’s stories

When reading your HL, what is easy?: 

When reading your HL, what is easy? Responses fell into two categories: text-based (31%) and knowledge-based (47%) Text-based Newspapers and magazines, children’s books, short stories, familiar texts/topics, conversational texts, comics, restaurant menus, ads Knowledge-based Familiar/easy vocabulary, reading (decoding?), comprehension/main idea

When reading your HL, what is difficult?: 

When reading your HL, what is difficult? Text-based: Newspapers and magazines, books/novels formal texts Knowledge-based Difficult/unfamiliar vocabulary Understanding (meaning) Speed Grammar

Problematic aspects of reading: 

Problematic aspects of reading More than 50% of the students felt that general vocabulary, grammar, content, cultural information, and text organization were “sometimes” problematic when reading in the HL. Approximately 20% believed that the same aspects were “usually” problematic. On the other hand, 40% of the students believed that “specialized vocabulary” was “usually” problematic, and another 40% believed it was “always” problematic.

Reading strategies in English that are useful in the HL: 

Reading strategies in English that are useful in the HL The following reading skills/strategies transferred from English to the HL: 13% Reading aloud/sounding out words 9.5% Practice 6% Using a dictionary/translations 4% Getting meaning from context 2% Finding main idea 2% Skimming

Perceived reading rate in the HL: 

Perceived reading rate in the HL Approximately half of the students considered themselves slow readers. Only 10% self-rated as above average.

Is learning to write in your HL necessary in order to read?: 

Is learning to write in your HL necessary in order to read? 66% of the students responded “yes” 13% Helps with word/character recognition & learning 12% “They go hand in hand” 10% Helps with comprehension 6% Helps with pronunciation 4% It provides more practice 32% responded “no” 10% “I can read, but can’t write” 8% “Reading is easier than writing/spelling” 2% “When reading, I can guess” One student “didn’t know”

Would you find it useful to practice reading with a self-paced computer program?: 

Would you find it useful to practice reading with a self-paced computer program? 66% “yes” Reasons: any practice helps; self paced; feedback/hearing correct pronunciation; convenient, can use at home on their own time 23% “no” Reasons: hate computers/reading from screen; teacher is better; prefer books; lack of vocabulary is the problem 11% “don’t know”

What would you like to read in your HL class?: 

What would you like to read in your HL class? 34% cultural/historical texts, folktales, children’s stories 29% literature (novels, poems) 21% newspapers, current events, magazines Other: material that is interesting/fun; comic books; anything; material that is not too difficult; picture books with English translation; movie reviews, star bios

Are you interested in attaining college level academic reading skills in your HL?: 

Are you interested in attaining college level academic reading skills in your HL? 80% yes 20% no

Findings: 

Findings The majority of HL students enrolled in HL classes were juniors and seniors. We need to entice students to enroll during their first two years. HL students only use HL with family. Thus, the input they receive is very limited and non-academic. Even though there is HL print in the home, students are not motivated to read in the HL. Students are not transferring reading skills from English to the HL. Reading rate is an issue for HL students which may influence their motivation.

Implications for curriculum development: 

Implications for curriculum development Students believe it is important to learn to write as they learn to read. Students are interested in reading texts embedded with cultural and historical information. The majority of students express an interest in achieving college-level academic reading skills. But generally, HL courses offered are beginning and intermediate levels. Also, how do we keep HL students motivated to stay in the HL classes in order to achieve high levels of academic proficiency?