UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Interactions Between and Among Heritage Language Learners and Second Language Learners During Collaborative Writing Activities: How Learners Attend to Language Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jh3s74t Author Walls, Laura Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Interactions Between and Among Heritage Language Learners and Second Language Learners during Collaborative Writing Activities: How Learners Attend to Language A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics by Laura Walls 2013 © Copyright Laura Walls 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Interactions Between and Among Heritage Language Learners and Second Language Learners during Collaborative Writing Activities: How Learners Attend to Language by Laura Walls Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Susan Plann, Chair This study investigates the dynamics in the Spanish classroom between heritage language learner (HLL) dyads, second language learner (L2L) dyads, and mixed HLL-L2L dyads. Specifically, it examines oral, written and embodied discourse that informs our understanding of how learners attend to language. Analysis for this dissertation examined 15-minute video- recordings of 16 same-sex dyads (four HLL-HLL; four L2L-L2L; eight HLL-L2L; eight female dyads and eight male dyads) taken during collaborative writing assignments in Spanish I, Spanish II, and Spanish II honors classrooms at a community college in southern California. These interactions were transcribed and analyzed using conversation analytic methods (i.e. analysis of conversation in terms of turns of talk). They were further examined in light of second language acquisition research that focuses on an interactional approach to learning. This interactional approach emphasizes the need for negotiation, noticing, hypothesis testing, and ii engaging in the use of metalanguage. Findings reveal that HLL-HLL and L2L-L2L dyads were more cooperative and attended to language more frequently than HLL-L2L dyads. Results also demonstrated that all three dyad types often resolved language issues accurately. Though this study argues that HLLs and L2Ls would be better served in classes that separate the two groups, it does not argue for the abandonment of the HLL-L2L dyad entirely. On the contrary, if outlines several advantages to this mixed dyad type. From these findings, several pedagogical implications are pinpointed as possible ways in which dyads can function more effectively. iii The dissertation of Laura Walls is approved. Marianne Celce-Murcia John Heritage Olga Kagan Susan Plann, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, John Wesley Walls, and Concepción Martinez Walls. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................................................................ 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................................................. 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................................... 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................................... 7 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................................................ 8 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 10 HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS ....................................................................................................................... 10 Defining a heritage language ................................................................................................................... 10 Spanish heritage speakers’ linguistic repertoire .............................................................................. 12 COLLABORATION IN THE L2 WRITING CLASS .......................................................................................................... 17 THE ORGANIZATION OF REPAIR IN ENGLISH CONVERSATIONAL EXCHANGES ................................................. 18 EPISTEMIC STANCE AND STATUS ......................................................................................................................... 20 THE ROLE OF GENDER IN INTERACTION ........................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................. 24 SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS .............................................................................................................................. 26 PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................................ 29 PROCEDURES ............................................................................................................................................................... 30 DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................................... 32 DATA ANALYSIS. ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 vi CHAPTER 4 HOW COLLABORATIVE ARE COLLABORATIVE WRITING ACTIVTIES? THE EFFECT OF DYAD TYPE ON COOPERATION ........................................................................................................ 36 L2L-L2L DYADS ....................................................................................................................................................... 38 Example 4.1—“Él se cae” (he falls) ...................................................................................................... 38 Example 4.2—“Isn't it viernes (Friday)" ............................................................................................. 42 HLL-HLL DYADS ..................................................................................................................................................... 45 Example 4.3—“is it si no se come?” ..................................................................................................... 45 Example 4.4—"Is that how you spell it?" ............................................................................................ 46 HLL-L2L DYADS ...................................................................................................................................................... 49 Example 4.5—“Qué pasa después” (What happens next?) .......................................................... 49 Example 4.6—“cómo le ponemos” (how do we put it) .................................................................. 53 Example 4.7—“We like chocolate” ....................................................................................................... 58 Example 4.8—“What did you say?” ...................................................................................................... 59 Example 4.9—“Tell me in English” ...................................................................................................... 61 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 5 HOW HLLS AND L2LS RESOLVE LANGUAGE ISSUES: IMPLICATONS FOR LEARNING 66 HLL-HLL DYADS ..................................................................................................................................................... 67 Lexis .................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Orthography .................................................................................................................................................... 72 Grammar .......................................................................................................................................................... 78 L2L-L2L DYADS ....................................................................................................................................................... 82 HLL-L2L DYADS ...................................................................................................................................................... 91 Lexis .................................................................................................................................................................... 92 vii Orthography ...................................................................................................................................................