Location
Taylor 405, Madison Union, JMU
Start Date
4-6-2019 9:00 AM
Description
Being culturally aware and able to communicate with people from different regions of the world is one of the most critical skills a student of color can obtain during their educational career. Not only will a student’s perspective of the world be altered, but their market value will skyrocket by 5-10% on average according to Forbes. Being bilingual or multilingual is a skill that can be applied to any career field in today’s society. Unfortunately, many African American students have had little to no exposure to foreign languages and cultures specifically Spanish. Even for those who have had some exposure to Spanish, most were supported with mediocre classroom teaching methods, few have had an immersion experience, and generally very little outside practice with target language speakers was possible (Pratt 2012). This study is designed to discover different teaching methods that are most successful for African American students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a specific focus on Virginia State University. My hypothesis is that if teachers highlight connections to students’ own culture in the learning process, African American college students will be able to learn and retain the information at a more efficient rate. In order to increase the number of African American college students willing to study Spanish, teaching methods have to be flexible and learning must occur in and out of the classroom. Study abroad should also be encouraged since immersion in a foreign culture has proven to be one of the most effective ways to learn and retain a foreign language according to The New York Times in 2014. Also, learning institutions should advertise in both career centers and recruitment fairs a plethora of opportunities for students who speak more than one language.
Presentation Type
Poster
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, First and Second Language Acquisition Commons, Spanish Linguistics Commons
How to Attract African American College Students to Study Spanish: A Model for Virginia State University
Taylor 405, Madison Union, JMU
Being culturally aware and able to communicate with people from different regions of the world is one of the most critical skills a student of color can obtain during their educational career. Not only will a student’s perspective of the world be altered, but their market value will skyrocket by 5-10% on average according to Forbes. Being bilingual or multilingual is a skill that can be applied to any career field in today’s society. Unfortunately, many African American students have had little to no exposure to foreign languages and cultures specifically Spanish. Even for those who have had some exposure to Spanish, most were supported with mediocre classroom teaching methods, few have had an immersion experience, and generally very little outside practice with target language speakers was possible (Pratt 2012). This study is designed to discover different teaching methods that are most successful for African American students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a specific focus on Virginia State University. My hypothesis is that if teachers highlight connections to students’ own culture in the learning process, African American college students will be able to learn and retain the information at a more efficient rate. In order to increase the number of African American college students willing to study Spanish, teaching methods have to be flexible and learning must occur in and out of the classroom. Study abroad should also be encouraged since immersion in a foreign culture has proven to be one of the most effective ways to learn and retain a foreign language according to The New York Times in 2014. Also, learning institutions should advertise in both career centers and recruitment fairs a plethora of opportunities for students who speak more than one language.
Comments
Faculty Advosors: Dr. Anne Charity Hudley, Dr. Mary Bucholtz, Dr. Daniel Roberts, Jazmine Exford