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This study explores changes in attitudes towards Catalan, Spanish, and English over a 2-year period, on the part of secondary education students of immigrant origin residing in Catalonia. It aims to provide new data by adopting a longitudinal design and by focusing on the immigrant population, which has raised new challenges for the Catalan society and education system. Data were collected from 72 secondary education students who answered a language attitudes questionnaire twice, at a 2-year interval. The instrument chosen has been successfully used in the area previously [Huguet, Janés, and Chireac. 2008. "Mother Tongue as a Determining Variable in Language Attitudes. The Case of Immigrant Latin American Students in Spain." "Language and Intercultural Communication" 8 (4): 246-260; Madariaga, Huguet, and Lapresta. 2013. "Attitudes, Social Pressure and Inclusive Education in Classrooms with Cultural and Linguistic Diversity." "Educación XXI" 16 (1): 305-328]. The findings showed that attitudes towards Catalan improved, while attitudes towards Spanish and English remained stable, based on which we discuss the strength of language attitudes in this particular context. Furthermore, the socio-demographic and affective variables traditionally investigated as determinants of language attitudes were not found to influence the processes of attitude change.

The study of language attitudes has proved vital in order to guarantee the success of any proposal for language teaching in schools. Nevertheless, in Aragon, a region of Northern Spain close to the Pyrenees, three regional languages coexist. The number of studies on this phenomenon is scarce, and we can only associate this lack of research with the absence of enthusiasm with which language attitudes have traditionally been treated. In this context, based on a sample of students in one of the four years of compulsory secondary education, the study has two objectives. First, attitudes towards the three languages present in the area are explicated (i.e. Aragonese, Spanish and Catalan), and are also approached in relation to the two other foreign languages that are more present in the curriculum (French and English). Secondly, the influence of some of the main factors causing these attitudes is analysed. A great diversity in the different linguistic areas of Aragon can be observed in our data, and this should make us reflect upon future alternatives for schools located in areas traditionally considered as Aragonese, Spanish or Catalan speaking. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 3 notes.)

The mass arrival of immigrants to Catalonia (Spain) in the last two decades has led to a change in the socio-demographic composition of a society which de facto is characteristically bilingual and bicultural. The acculturation process undergone by young descendants of migrants and how they identify in this context are essential in order to overcome the social challenges arising in different societies. We have carried out a mixed study in order to identify the acculturation profile of descendants of migrants in the context of Catalan schools, correlating these processes with identification by considering Catalan-Spanish group membership, identification with the culture, and identification with the language. A survey was completed by 212 young people of migrant origin (14–18 years old) in secondary education; as well as 9 life stories from them and 6 semi-structured interviews with teachers. These results suggest the development of complex acculturation strategies fitting a complex socio-cultural context where identification with Catalonia and Spain plays a key role in its construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores changes in attitudes towards Catalan, Spanish, and English over a 2-year period, on the part of secondary education students of immigrant origin residing in Catalonia. It aims to provide new data by adopting a longitudinal design and by focusing on the immigrant population, which has raised new challenges for the Catalan society and education system. Data were collected from 72 secondary education students who answered a language attitudes questionnaire twice, at a 2-year interval. The instrument chosen has been successfully used in the area previously [Huguet, Janés, and Chireac. 2008. “Mother Tongue as a Determining Variable in Language Attitudes. The Case of Immigrant Latin American Students in Spain.”Language and Intercultural Communication8 (4): 246–260; Madariaga, Huguet, and Lapresta. 2013. “Attitudes, Social Pressure and Inclusive Education in Classrooms with Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.”Educación XXI16 (1): 305–328]. The findings showed that attitudes towards Catalan improved, while attitudes towards Spanish and English remained stable, based on which we discuss the strength of language attitudes in this particular context. Furthermore, the socio-demographic and affective variables traditionally investigated as determinants of language attitudes were not found to influence the processes of attitude change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado is the property of Asociacion Universitaria de Formacion del Profesorado (AUFOP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)