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3 results on '"Gaspar, Borbala"'

1. Transformative Experiences of Beginner L2 Learners in the Italian Classroom for Social Justice

Author

Negretto, Giulia and Gaspar, Borbala

Abstract

Focusing on two beginner Italian courses, this study demonstrates participants' perceptions of and engagement with social justice topics and materials in a semester-long project. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys, triangulated with interviews and artifacts, such as comments by students during lessons and in their video responses, provide us with a better understanding of students' previous expectations, perceptions and experiences with learning Italian; their background knowledge on social justice; and their reactions to the activities implemented throughout the course. Our findings indicate that learners value classroom activities and learning tools that allow them to share, collaborate, and reflect together. As a result of their engagement with multiliteracies approaches and social justice materials, most learners changed their perceptions of Italy and Italian identities. Most of them went through a transformation to altered frames of reference, changing their mind-sets, habits and meaning perspectives. Implications include discussions on offering learners space for critical reflection on social scenarios that can lead to increased engagement, sense of belonging, and unique transformative experiences.

Published
2023

3. Shifting Goals in Italian Learning: Imagination, Multilingualism, and Agency in the Narratives of Underrepresented Foreign Language Learners

Author

Warner, Chantelle, Fielder, Grace, Gaspar, Borbala, Warner, Chantelle, Fielder, Grace, and Gaspar, Borbala

Abstract

There are many studies looking at foreign language learners’ investment and motivation to learn languages (Csizèr and Kontra, 2020; Muir and Dörnyei, 2020; Norton and Gao, 2008; Pomerantz, 2001), yet, little is known regarding how foreign language learners’ choices can be influenced by their sociocultural contexts, institutional and societal ideologies; how do foreign language learners make sense of their learning over time and how do they decide whether to begin or continue learning a foreign language. This dissertation examines two underrepresented foreign language learners’ engagement in learning Italian, their agentive practices, and their sociocultural contexts (Bourdieu, 1986;1977;1981; Bakhtin,1981). Drawing from theories of agency (Ahearn, 2001) and positioning (Harrè, 2012; Harré, R. and Van Langenhove L., 1999), this longitudinal study qualitatively examines the two learners’ experiences over the course of four years. Specifically, it investigates the following two questions: 1. What guided participants to take Italian courses at a large public R1 university in the southwestern US? 2. How did these participants decide whether to continue learning Italian on upper division levels? Findings show that the two underrepresented foreign language learners of Italian, at the focus of this study, engaged in language learning for its symbolic value. While in the beginning their aim was to achieve (nativelike) proficiency, by the end, they agentively shifted their goals for their other personal needs. Both of the participants struggled against dominant discourses that excluded them from participating in foreign language learning; yet they imagined for themselves multilingual subjectivities (Kramsch, 2009) and futures as Italian speakers. Thus, this dissertation provides new insights on the connections between multilingual subjectivities and agency, and invites us to reevaluate the dominant position given to language proficiency in foreign language research and educat

Published
2020

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