Recent research suggests that performance on Statistical Learning (SL) tasks may be lower in children with dyslexia in deep orthographies such as English. However, it is debated whether the observed difficulties may vary depending on the modality and stimulus of the task, opening a broad discussion about whether SL is a domain-general or…

The study adopts a multimodal perspective, looking at adults' use of gestures in variation sets (VS; i.e. sequences of partial self-repetitions occurring in successive utterances of varying form) addressed to Spanish-learning toddlers in adult-child interactions. We seek to address the following question: Do adults make simultaneous use of VS and…

Background: Phonological difficulties in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are well documented. However, abilities regarding prosody, the rhythmic and melodic characteristics of language, have been less widely studied, particularly in Spanish. Moreover, the scant research findings that have been reported are contradictory. These…

A locus of the difference in meaning between distributive and collective sentences can be the quantifiers that modify their subjects. A current theoretical account of distributive and collective sentences claims that sentences with quantifiers such as "the" in English, or "los" in Spanish, in subject position and an indefinite…

This article demonstrates the pedagogical potential of two free digital tools: the mobile app Snapchat and Northwestern University Knight Lab's StoryMap. By combining Snapchat and StoryMap in the second language (L2) literature classroom, students adapt L2 language skills to twenty-first-century modes of communication, collaborate with peers, and…

Purpose: We examined native language (L1) and second language (L2) convergence of underlying skills in adult L2 learners as well as the contribution of instructional L2 level on L2 attainment across speech motor, lexical, and narrative levels. Method: Thirty-four adult Spanish L2 learners who had completed at least 1 year of college Spanish…

The current concept of inclusive education brings to light the need for assessment of pre-service and in-service teachers' attitudes towards inclusion, as they are essential agents to achieve full educational inclusion. The present study aimed to adapt a simple unidimensional tool to assess attitudes towards inclusion, the TAI scale. A total of…

Studying the oral language growth of Spanish-speaking preschoolers in the United States is increasingly important given the critical role early language development plays in reading outcomes. In this article, we report on the Spanish and English growth trajectories observed in 124 bilingual preschoolers collected over 2 years in 36 classrooms…

Methods of teaching and learning through inquiry have been used as long-standing instructional approaches in the sciences. This practice-oriented paper presents the work of a fully developed instructional unit that uses a guided-inquiry model as a method to implement social justice-oriented practices in an intermediate-level university Spanish…

This case study examines an online introductory Spanish-English translation course focused on learning Spanish through machine translation. Fifty-three Spanish learners were guided by their teacher to rethink, reflect, and interpret what Google Translate offered. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of learners' reports and teacher feedback…

The use of discourse markers, like that of any other linguistic element, is dependent on contextual factors that interact at the specific moment of an enunciation. The utterers, with the need to adjust their language product to their communicative intentions, perform an analysis of the contextual, material, and relational factors involved,…

The purpose of this dissertation is three-fold: to further the understanding of grammar learning strategies (GLS) that students at an American university use when they engage in language study sessions on their own, in technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) outside of the classroom; to examine how previous language learning experience (PLLE)…

World language study exposes students to more than just language; they are also exposed to different cultures. After graduating, students will be exposed to different languages and cultures in the workforce, and they must be prepared. Students often leave their language of choice after the one or two semester course requirement; it takes more than…

This dissertation investigates the development of cross-linguistic transfer in the use of strategies to repair preconsonantal word-external empty onsets (i.e., /C#V/) in Spanish heritage speakers. The main focus of this work is to analyze the use of /[glottal stop]/-epenthesis as a strategy to repair empty onsets, as its use is asymmetrical in the…

According to multiple studies, a referral process bias exists in the early identification of autism for children of color, in particular Latino children. Sociocultural, economic, educational, and health care barriers have significantly impacted Latino children. For example, Latino children are less likely to receive access to early intervention…