Acquisition of Spanish as a Foreign Language Through the Socioeducational Model

Abstract

This study analyzes the learning of Spanish as a foreign language from a perspective based on Gardner's socioeducational model. Two different studies are presented. The first study verifies the viability of the socioeducational model in Chinese university students who are learning either in linguistic and cultural immersion (Spain) or in their original culture (China). The results show that Gardner's model is appropriate but some of the variables are restructured. Based on this, the second study includes some variables specifically linked to Chinese culture. The model is tested through cross-cultural analysis in two samples from China and the United States. The findings are interpreted in relation to the cultural characteristics of the sample studied. Theoretical, empirical, and practical implications are also discussed.Keywords socioeducational model, Spanish foreign language, immersion/nonimmersion context, Chinese culture From a psychosocial perspective, it can be stated that learning a second or foreign language (FL) involves two kinds of tasks: cognitive tasks-skills-and affective tasks-attitudes-both of which coexist independently (Gardner, 1985b). There can

Affective Variables and Motivation as Predictors of Proficiency in English as a Foreign Language

“…Despite the use different conceptualizations, research has always reached the same conclusion that motivation and L2 achievement are positively correlated (e.g. Bernardo, Amerigo and García, 2014;Papi and Teimouri, 2014;Waninge, Dörnyei, and De Bot, 2014). For the purpose of our research, we have decided to use Gardner's (1985) socio-educational model of language learning, due to the similarities our study context shares with the one of Gardner's study.…”