This article explores perspectives from language pedagogy, writing and rhetoric, and media studies to analyze the implications and implementations of video essay assignments in intermediate and advanced Spanish language courses. The field of Hispanic Studies has largely accepted film as a useful pedagogical tool with broad student appeal. Yet…

Efforts to support Spanish teachers are critical to the sustainability of K-12 WL programs. In the U.S. South, administrators struggle to fill school vacancies, and teachers report the highest levels of dissatisfaction. WL teachers specifically in this region of the country face additional hardships: teaching disengaged learners, challenging…

Study abroad (SA) provides a space and place for second language (L2) learners to be challenged in terms of their target language skills and intercultural awareness. In order to appropriately equip learners, a task-based approach seems ideal to identify learners' specific needs (Long 2015). The present study reports a multiphase needs analysis…

The present article aims to spur interest in the pedagogical potential of translating musicalized texts, a genre that for a long time has remained on the periphery of Applied Translation Studies. First, it provides a broad overview of the various theoretical perspectives that the academic community has had throughout history on the translation of…

Interacting with native speakers in various types of virtual exchanges is becoming increasingly accessible for language learners and teachers around the world. The present study examined the experiences of beginning and intermediate level learners of Spanish in the United States as they interacted weekly with native Spanish speakers over the…

The present study provides empirical data measuring the effects of a flipped and blended course design for beginning-level Spanish on the four skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, compared to a control group following a traditional present-practice-produce instructional format. The study provides a template for the successful…

This study examines the linguistic complexity of Spanish as a second language (L2) in learners' essays across proficiency levels at two timelines of a composition class during a college semester. Data comes from 22 L2 learners of Spanish enrolled in two sections of a third-year composition class at the college level, who were assigned nine…

"Vos" is regularly used in "paisa" (of Antioquia) Spanish, although written "vos" is considered non- normative. Recent research shows an augmented presence of written "vos" in public domains (Weyers 2016a, 2016b), which is viewed favorably by a majority of "paisas" (Weyers, forthcoming). So, what…

By maximizing class time with more peer-to-peer interaction, students can develop interpersonal skills essential for communicating in a global society. While technology empowers the world language student with a global classroom, this short-form article discusses the value of "unplugged" activities based on ACTFL's Proficiency and World…

Immersion students' language abilities are generally characterized by strong receptive skills (listening, reading) and less developed productive skills (speaking, writing) when compared with L1 speakers of the immersion language (e.g., Allen et al. 1990; Cummins 1998; Harley 1992). In this paper we report results from a six-month mixed-methods…

Spanish heritage language learners (SHLL) on the United States-Mexico border in Texas often select online classes for convenience. This qualitative investigation presents preliminary information on how these SHLLs view twenty online Spanish courses based on 391 course evaluations. The literature indicates a need to consider heritage languages…

Research on the language-literature divide in undergraduate second language programs documents the challenge of engaging literature learners in classroom discourse which is conducive to their developing interpersonal speaking skills as measured on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Scale. In this study, Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) were…

Using open educational resources (OER) in post-secondary settings has shown to reduce costs for students, advance accessibility and equity, generate motivation, boost enrollment, and improve academic outcomes. This article details innovative coursework and assessment tools for a Spanish for the Professions course designed around OER content…

Service-Learning (SL) has been defined as an experiential teaching methodology. Through SL, students participate in activities that benefit their community and enhance their learning experience. In the current study, Spanish as a second language (L2) and heritage language learners (HLLs) engaged in a SL project in which they translated English…

Business Spanish typically teaches the vocabulary, content, and context of the functional areas of business, and how to conduct business in a cultural setting. But it should do more than just that. Leadership with integrity should be primed and personalized as a signature and integrative core value that frameworks any ensuing learning of the…